I could never get into classic James Bond films. Despite all the action, whores, and gadgets, they were never thrilling to me. Bond always seemed to me like one of the douchebags in high school who always got what he wanted. He was too “dashing,” you know? The wiley old weasels who inhabit British intelligence in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy are more of my cup of tea. The film is gracefully devoid of any action and espionage tropes – driven instead by shady conversations in dark rooms that are probably bugged. Rooms are always bugged.

Set during the Cold War, former MI6 agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is pulled out of retirement to help track down a mole in the agency that was planted years ago by the Russians. While the above trailer might lead audiences to believe that this is your standard thriller, Tinker is an extremely slow-burn and never once stops to hold the audiences hand through the murky world of intelligence. Director Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) and the screenwriters throw a lot of information and names at you and trust that you’re clever enough to follow. Don’t get up to pee during this film, you’ll miss a massive amount of plot no matter how fast you run.

Oldman delivers a powerfully understated performance as Smiley. It’s great to see him leading a film and even getting his adorable mug on the posters. Oldmans backed up by a royal rumble of British heavyweights – making up one of the great ensembles in recent years. Colin Firth, Stephen Graham, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch (from the contemporary Sherlock Holmes TV show), and John Hurt, as the leader of the gang. He only goes by the name “Control”, which is an unmeasurably badass nick name to have. Shortly into the film, the mole plot is introduced and from then on, you’ll be suspecting everyone, scowling at everyone in this great ensemble, watching their mannerisms, not trusting a stinkin’ word they say.

The world of Tinker is complex on several levels and none more than in character motivation. The reasons that characters are disclosing or holding back information are ambiguous. Even when the mole was exposed I never got the whole picture as to why he was defecting and I liked it that way. Ambiguity is a good thing when used correctly (see: Kill List) and is a powerful tool when you want an audience to look at your film objectively. Alfredson uses ambiguity to boost the film’s intrigue and that feeling of mystery lasts far after the credits start rolling.

It’s refreshing to watch an intelligent, adult-thriller like Tinker. Alfredson doesn’t treat his audience like idiots and tie everything together in the end in a neat little shiny package. Some people might be frustrated with the lack of explanation or emotion (when he saw it in the theater, Caffeine Powered told me upwards of 15 people walked out) but trust me that if you sit through the whole thing, just soak in the intrigue and shut your mouth, ya baby.

- Oh Mars