Contender: 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'

'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' See the reviewThe name's Smiley, George Smiley -- and he's the choice of 007 in just about any way: A tired old bureaucrat, cuckolded by his wife and overlooked from his top-ranking intelligence job, but, on his shoulders rides all hope of identifying the Soviet mole inside MI6.Gary Oldman wonderfully underplays charge role in this particular elegant, thinking man's spy movie -- a extended-shot picture contender -- as director Tomas Alfredson ("Let the most appropriate one In") takes his signal within the John Le Carre novel: Instead of showing sexy, save-the-world shenanigans unfolding over martinis and games of baccarat, "Mess, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" finds its intrigue happening between crusty old bureaucrats purchasing and selling secrets in stuffy parlor rooms -- a indication that espionage is government work, ultimately.What needed the 1979 BBC miniseries greater than five several hours to talk, this dense yet remarkably dialogue-light adaptation does in just over two (a credit to scribes Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan), with critical the aid of an aspiration team of Brit thesps, including Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Tom Sturdy, John Hurt and Mark Strong -- a number of whom could nab a supporting jerk, if Focus helps voters determine which anyone to get behind.Start date: 12 ,. 9 FocusRead the number review Contact Peter Debruge at peter.debruge@variety.com