With this episode we conclude our mini-series on spy films, with a second set of films based on the novels of John LeCarré.
We start with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, a 2011 film directed by Tomas Alfredson and starring more high-power talent than you can shake a stick at. They spent so much money on big-name actors that they couldn’t afford punctuation for the title. (Ha! I’m pretty sure Sean hates jokes like that.) This film, set in 1973, is a Cold War thriller involving a mole near the top of British Intelligence. It’s one of those wheels-within-wheels kinds of tales that will pull you in, maybe confuse you for a while, but it all pulls together in the end.
From there we move beyond the Cold War for A Most Wanted Man, directed by Anton Corbijn and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman in his last starring role (he would appear in the last two Hunger Games films, but we’d argue that those aren’t “starring” roles for him). Hoffman plays Gunther Bachmann, the head of a covert German team that’s hoping to root out Islamic terrorists. Bachmann finds himself at odds with both German and American officials regarding their ultimate goal, which leads to an ending you may not expect. Again, lots of pieces are in motion, but it’s an intriguing tale that will have you wondering who’s on what side.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Next time around we take a look at the wages of greed. We start off with The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and then move on to a film made much later but whose timeline is nearly contemporary to the first one, There Will Be Blood. Join us, won’t you?
