Saturday, December 24, 2011

OSCAR WATCH: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy


"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" is a commendable directorial effort by Tomas Alfredson, as he deals with the difficult source material of John Le Carré's novel. As with the exceptional "Let The Right One In", he excels at creating a grey, brooding atmosphere. The cinematography and music are well suited to the film and the ensemble cast is uniformly outstanding. I must admit, it can initially be hard to follow along as this is a dense script. It truly is a "slow burn". I think this may have hurt the film's Oscar hopes, as it may require multiple viewings to fully appreciate it. As I said before, the entire cast is equally great, so I don't think Gary Oldman stands out enough to gain any awards traction. He gives a solid performance, but it's too cold and restrained. My favourites were actually Tom Hardy and John Hurt. The biggest possibilities in my opinion are Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound Mixing. I think Alfredson has a slim chance of a Best Director nod as well. This film will likely get lost in the awards season, but I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for something challenging to watch during this holiday season.

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