Whilst not giving away the plot, the movie looks crisp, smart and incredibly subtle. We saw one scene with Benedict Cumberbatch retrieving some files from the government (I think) library. Sounds boring – isn’t. Shot in a procedural way, we followed him throughout the building right into the library and back out again, with everyone giving him shady second glances. It all felt very ominous, but that the same time was very enjoyable – it really does look like an old-school spy thriller, in the sense that you want to see him do such dull tasks. It’s a credit to the way it’s been shot too, because the movie looks beautiful.
We saw a brilliant boardroom scene with John Hurt, Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds, Gary Oldman and Colin Firth together, and the chemistry is wonderful. It feels like a play, even. Extra credit to Gary Oldman, he has essentially become Mr. Smiley here. Amazing. It couldn’t look more British if it tried, a brilliant encapsulation of cold-war era spies.
Finally we saw a clip of Tom Hardy’s character spying on a possible informant in Istanbul. There were hints at a romance, and a pretty grim scene seen from across a window, and overall it cemented the adult, and serious feel of the film. I doubt there will be many laughs, but it’s one of my most anticipated films of the year now.
