Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Tomas Alfredson)

Smile, Smiley.

In "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", the reality of Cold War espionage has never been as coldly depicted. It's a film that's really intended to be emotionally distant from its viewers so that it can properly highlight the alienating undertakings that Cold War master spies have undergone themselves for a great 30 years or so for the sake of information supremacy. 

One of them is George Smiley, played by the ever-chameleon-like Gary Oldman in one of his most uncanny performances in a non-villain role, a master spy who is forced out of retirement to seek out a mole buried deep within the Circus' (the jargon for British Intelligence) ranks. What follows is a tensely complex story of half-baked allegiances, harsh inner rank politics and, looking at the bigger historical picture, the futility of it all. 

Oldman, a great actor known for his nerve-racking energy on-screen, is successfully sublime and grounded with his portrayal of Smiley. Despite of the lack of human warmth in the whole film, Oldman is able enough to capture the essence of Smiley's anxious humanity without being either too brooding or self-reflective. Here is a character and a man who is motivated not by his family and forced to act not by the pressures of those around him in the service but by a seemingly obsolete code of samurai-like proportions. He is compelled to do so because he believes there's still an enormously unfinished chess puzzle of fates between him and Karla, the mysterious Soviet spymaster that is both deceptive and brutal. In a tense world whose morality and loyalty is turning ever grayer by the minute, Smiley still believes in a black and white.

But then, finding the mole is a very tricky mission. He needs to go through a lot of red tape to arrive at something. Among the ones that Smiley must monitor (as potential leakers) are Alleline (the underrated Toby Jones), the Circus chief, and Haydon (Colin Firth), a superior intelligence officer that's having an illicit affair with Smiley's wife. 

With such great actors effortlessly horsing around with their respective characters, one can easily see the success of this film as a great acting ensemble. Add up talented young actors Mark Strong and Tom Hardy in the mix as the Circus' globe-trotting pawns and we've got ourselves a hell of a film. Oh, and did I mention that John Hurt is also in it? 

But then again, with the film capitalizing on natural overall silence as if to truly simulate the quiet intrigue of genuine espionage, "Tinker Tailor Solider Spy" gets its sustaining power not just from the actors but from the very material itself. Adapted from John le Carre's novel, which I'm more than tempted in buying from our local bookstore so that I can read it first before watching this (but never did), the film has captured the nervous essence, with its pale-colored cinematography that heightens the disillusioning effect, of the reality of spying without much glitter but full of quiet power.

To be exact, I have never witnessed such an intriguing 'backstage pass' of a film ever since, well, maybe Scorsese's "Casino". "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" is a rare film that does not indulge on cheap thrills just so it can maintain some sort of energetic flair in its narrative. Instead, it is a film with a great fly on the wall perspective that is as compelling and as frightening as the characters that populate it and the locations that make it whole. Director Tomas Alfredson is very commendable for not going overboard on some of the characters or faltering in the story department. 

Now, if some may want to argue that "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" is as cold as a walk-in freezer and that it will make you want to leave the second you enter it, then the film has succeeded. Its goal is not to sensationalize or commodify the reality of Cold War espionage for the general public but to render it as a cinematic mood, and it's your choice to either accept it as it is or not. But judging from its box-office returns, it's quite obvious that the film has compelled rather than disgust, and for that, the film is utterly effective and, in some ways, vindicated. 

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" may just be fiction, but in the end, it's a story worthy of being told. It makes me want to grab that gargantuan "Smiley Versus Karla" compilation in our nearby bookstore, and fast. James Bond's great antithesis has finally arrived.

FINAL RATING

The King's Speech (Tom Hooper)

'Your Majesty' cometh.

Aside from the terrific work on the cinematography and overall mise-en-scene, "The King's Speech" also worked perfectly both as a period drama (which portrayed the stirring anxiety of late 30's England about to collide head-on with the Second World War), and as a dynamic display of acting talents, particularly Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, whose exchanges, ranging from the most subtle to the most intense, overwhelm the visual scope of the whole film.

Yes, it is about a piece of royal history, which of course is impossible to tell without wallowing a bit into the majestic and exquisite corners of the Buckingham Palace or the Westminster Abbey. Or touching a bit of Winston Churchill's presence (even though how insignificant he may be in the story). But beyond the external intricacies of the film's palaces and chambers is a humble story of human connection developed not by cinematic twists of fate, but by a verbal stammer under royal pressure. We get acquainted with the stuttering Duke and soon to be crowned King George VI (Colin Firth) with his initial embarrassment as he failed to properly deliver a speech in front of a crowd. His wife (a surprisingly radiant Helena Bonham Carter) then brought him to an unorthodox speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), whose peculiar personality initially clashed with the Duke's, but then soon evolved into a brotherly bond.

I admired how the film looked upon the story with little intent on politics but more on the emotional atmosphere surrounding the monarchy itself: the prime minister's relationship with the royal family, the painstaking process of kingship, the pressure of being an heir to the throne, and finally, the most significant of all, the angst-laden anticipation and last-minute rehearsals of delivering a speech on radio broadcast, which of course would mean the 'whole' of England.

All of us have unexplainable jitters towards speaking in front of many people. And with that, although how far up King George VI's social status is compared to humble viewers like us, we can connect with him, and at certain points of our lives, we ARE him. Different situations, but similar difficulty with enunciation.

His stammering could have easily served his head on a platter to his critics for endless bashing and one-sided scrutinies, but with the help of Logue's masterful effort gathered through experience and a firm belief that King George VI (or 'Bertie', as he preferred), amidst his outer imperfections, can be an able king, he inherited the throne prepared. Not just with how the way he talks, but also how he may think and feel.

And evidently, as he looked upon a footage of Hitler roaring with his Aryan speeches (ironic considering how brilliant a speaker Hitler was and how frail King George VI's ability to do so really is), he gathered his senses and stared at the Fuhrer with indifferent confidence; he is indeed quite ready.

FINAL RATING

Love Actually (Richard Curtis)

Rowan Atkinson: a British comedian, an angel of love.

Film Review Archive (date seen: January 3, 2011)

Aptly taglined as 'The Ultimate Romantic Comedy', director Richard Curtis (of the "Blackadder" and "Mr. Bean" fame) and his exceptional ensemble cast certainly have enough to boast for and much love on their hands to show for it. I'm not a fan of rom-com films mainly because of its high percentage of probability to recycle ideas and be formulaic, but "Love Actually" really has a different mindset to accompany the romantic mosaic in the film: And that is its genuine optimism about love and its inseparable grasp of the human heart.

I can understand, in all of "Love Actually's" sugar-coated, almost flirting with fantasy tale of connected romances, why a hefty amount of critics disliked the film. But with this type of offering, packed with great writing, humor as sidings, and a cast of genuinely talented actors (take note, this is not a love team-carried, 'cute fest' rom-com film, dear reader), there's little to no chance that anyone would really have the enormous pride to hypocritically reject such.

"Love Actually" is, well, a celebration of love, the many hands of fate that distributes it to each and every one of us, and the emotional epiphany when it finally arrives. Some may be fruitful, some may bear otherwise, but after all, equal ration 'love' still was. In the end, the will to decisively act to follow it through is completely ours. But of course, the uncommon spirit of an incoming Christmas certainly helps. Well, and a mysterious Rowan Atkinson cameo may also do wonders.

FINAL RATING