Review - Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy

London, 1970s. An undercover operation in Budapest goes disastrously wrong, forcing M16 chief Control (John Hurt) and his trusted intelligence officer George Smiley (Gary Oldman) to leave the secret service. But there’s a catch: reckless field agent Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy) believes a Soviet double agent has managed to successfully infiltrate “the circus”. With the integrity of British intelligence at stake, Smiley is forced out of retirement to uncover the mole, unbeknownst to his former colleagues.

Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, adapted from John Le Carré’s acclaimed novel, is not an easy watch. It is a film thick on plot, crowded with shadowy spooks and full of spy jargon so obscure, you’d need the right Wikipedia page at hand to figure out what the hell everyone is on about. Plus the title sounds like the opening verse to a nursery rhyme.  So anyone expecting a spy film with explosions and moustache-twirling villains is going to be sorely disappointed.

But if you get past the fact that these spies don’t drive high-tech Aston Martins to work (or dispatch their enemies with a rolled-up magazine, for that matter), you may just appreciate TTSS for what it really is: an espionage thriller that places emphasis on mood, character and a sense of paranoia that is strongly augmented by the Cold War setting.

In the hands of Thomas Alfredson, whose cold photography from Let The Right One In is perfectly suited to the wet lackluster streets of 70s London, a prolonged silence or an inquisitive glance between two inscrutable characters is far more gripping than your traditional Hollywood shoot-out.  Imagine Munich without the action scenes and you’ll get an idea of what you’re looking at. And except that it’s, you know, British.

Speaking of which, screenwriters Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan make the wise decision to sprinkle the slow pace with some very welcome dry wit, the stiff-upper lip kind that only true Brits can really pull off (“I’d like to talk to you about loyalty” deadpans Smiley as he begins to lecture a quivering suspect on treason).

In a film that invests so much in character, a big chunk of its credibility rests on the performances. Fortunately TTSS’s cast reads like a who’s who of today’s best talent in British cinema. Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Ciaran Hinds, Toby Jones and John Hurt are all exceptionally well cast in their pompous, uptight roles and led by a mesmerising Gary Oldman, who gives a performance so subtle and restrained, you’d never guess he once played Sid Vicious. But special mention should also go to emerging stars Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch, who excel as MI6’s younger, brasher operatives.

Tinker Taylor Solider Spy is guaranteed to divide audiences. Some will be put off by its complexity and accuse it of being self-indulgent or just plain boring. Others will love it for its old school sensibilities. But there will be also a third group. These are the viewers who might not understand the film first time round, but will be inexorably drawn to this fascinating world of Cold War espionage and will want to revisit it, so that they can fully appreciate just what an enthralling piece of cinema TTSS actually is.

4/5    

Review - The Change-Up

Take two guys with radically different lifestyles, get them to piss in a magic fountain whilst wishing they had each other’s lives and you’ve got a standard set-up for yet another entry in the body swap subgenre. Dave (Jason Bateman) is a hapless workaholic and dedicated family man who wishes to catch a well-earned break. Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) is a frivolous slacker who enjoys the lothario routine but secretly wants to achieve something meaningful in his life. When the two mysteriously switch identities, it’s only a matter of time before they start subverting their respective existences.    

Like Horrible Bosses (which also starred Jason Bateman), The Change-Up could’ve been a contender for comedy of the summer. While Bosses displayed a serious lack of gags, Change-Up suffers from an overload of crass antics. We have barely made it to the opening credits when Dave is hit with projectile baby poo in the face. Director David Dobkin may as well have done the same to his audience.  

Or take for instance the scene that introduces Mitch, who tries to squeeze as many profanities within a two-minute window frame. It’s like watching a twelve year-old who thinks combining swear words with assorted vocabulary is comedy gold. Holy fuck knuckles indeed.

Admittedly, the idea of Bateman (po-faced, perennially mild-mannered) swapping bodies with Reynolds (usually seen as the witty, yammering charmer) is a rather neat one, as it implies the latter gets to play subdued while the former is let off the leash. If seeing Michael Bluth prance around the bedroom naked whilst feeling his third testicle is something you’ve wanted to see ever since Arrested Development was cancelled, then this is the film you’ve been waiting for.

Other than that there is very little to recommend. Sure, the horny teenagers will agree that the nude shots of Leslie Mann and Olivia Wilde’s body double are worth the price of the ticket alone, but the rest of us who were hoping for something more gratifying will feel short changed, or even outright conned.

But you’ve got to feel bad for the movie’s two stars. Both Bateman and Reynolds have confirmed themselves as deft funnymen and they’re even not half bad at the whole “proper acting” spiel (just watch Juno or Buried, if you need proof), but in terms of box office and film quality, 2011 has not been kind to them. Here’s hoping next year will be a better one for the two of them.

1/5

Review - Troll Hunter

Three students set out to make a documentary about an elusive poacher known solely by the name of Hans (Otto Jespersen), who is suspected of slaughtering a number of bears in Western Norway. After tailing him for a couple of days, the amateur filmmakers soon discover there are bigger, more dangerous creatures wandering the woods and that Hans is in fact a government agent assigned to secretly track down the mythical beasts. In a bid to uncover the truth, the students decide to document the troll hunter’s work firsthand.

The found footage genre has been stripped of all its originality and sensation in recent years, so chances are you will know exactly what to expect from André Øvredal’s movie: minimal dialogue, characters directly addressing the audience, an obligatory night vision sequence and camerawork so shaky it’ll feel like you’re having an epileptic fit. Judged purely on these merits, Troll Hunter is derivative and would have profited significantly had it been released in a pre-Cloverfield market.

Where Øvredal succeeds is in transposing fairytale creatures to a modern setting, before effortlessly using them to generate both chills and laughs. The moment the clueless students first hear monstrous roars and thunderous footsteps coming from the woods is as foreboding as the T-Rex's terrifying entrance in Jurassic Park. The ensuing sight of Hans emerging in full combat gear screaming: “TROLL!” raises an impromptu guffaw. The material works because Øvredal approaches it with his tongue firmly in cheek.

The trolls themselves are an impressive achievement and each one of them boasts distinguishing traits. The three-headed Tosserlad is maniacally erratic, the golem-like Ringlefinch has a penchant for chomping on goats and the mountain king, who delivers the film’s deafening final set-piece, could easily challenge King Kong to an arm-wrestling match.  Not bad for a country whose film industry isn’t particularly renowned for high-quality CGI and blockbuster entertainment.

But the human element isn’t lacking either and Norwegian comedian Otto Jespersen ably carries the film as the titular hunter. He impeccably nails the deadpan humour (Hans’ occasional “I hate this crap” quips have a touch of Lethal Weapon’s Danny Glover), but is also credible in his more poignant moments. At one point the gob smacked students hesitantly call him a hero. “There is nothing heroic about what I do”, is Hans’ quiet response.

Troll Hunter may not bring anything new to the found footage canon but, with its impeccably-rendered creatures and chilling Nordic landscapes, still manages to make a lasting impression. Set to gain cult status (and eventually be remade by Hollywood).

3/5

Review - Exam

Exam is the kind of film Alfred Hitchcock would’ve made were he still alive. The minimalist set-up sees the action take place exclusively within the walls of an examination room, where eight candidates compete for a job they know nothing about. The rules are simple: they must not spoil their papers, talk to the armed guard by the door, or leave the room for any reason. Then the paranoia kicks in… Stuart Hazeldine keeps the suspense high by having his dysfunctional ensemble suspect, taunt and attack each other through eighty minutes of tense drama. The ending’s a massive letdown, though.

3/5  

Review - One Day

Anyone who’s read David Nicholls’s international best-seller will know that One Day the movie has colossal shoes to fill. We first encounter Dexter and Emma on the night of their graduation, as they share the kind of one night stand that manages to be both cringeworthy and remarkably endearing at the same time. From there on the plot chronicles the lives, loves and losses of the two protagonists, whose paths occasionally intertwine over the following twenty years and often with heartbreaking results.  

As you may have deduced from the synopsis, One Day is a story about the changes and compromises we go through as we grow older and the way they inevitably affect our relationships. It also functions as an insightful expose on the radical changes Britain has gone through between 1988 and 2007 (hard to believe it wasn’t that long ago that cell phones were considered extravagances).  

But herein lies the film's big problem. One Day the novel is a profound experience because it allows pause for reflection and the luxury of returning to the next chapter the following night once the thought-provoking themes have sunk in. In stark contrast, Lone Scherfig’s film (which David Nicholls happened to adapt) must wrap up twenty years of desire and inner turmoil in just 108 minutes and as a result, it feels like a rushed and largely unfocused affair.

Gone are the inner monologues that made Dexter and Emma’s story a beguiling joy to read, as are a number of set-pieces and supporting characters that would’ve made for a more memorable rom-com. The hilarious excerpt in which an inebriated Dexter haplessly tries to put his baby daughter to sleep is sadly absent, while the character of Suki Meadows (a ditzy TV presenter so deafening, her dialogue in the book is written ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IN CAPITALS) is reduced to a mere cameo. At least Emma’s boyfriend Ian has not been dropped from the ensemble and Rafe Spall has the part of the doleful wannabe comedian down to a T.   

In all fairness, the performances can hardly be faulted. Sure, Anne Hathaway’s accent may be all over the place (what is that, Yorkshire via SoCal?) but whenever she’s on screen with Jim Sturgess they’re a perfect match. She’s the naive idealist who wants to make a difference in the world but is perennially stuck in disheartening jobs and half-hearted relationships. He’s the swaggering toff with a drinking problem and an attachment to his mother that occasionally borders on Oedipal. Yet somehow, like in all great romances, these two flawed individuals seem to perpetually bring out the best in each other.

If you are a loyal fan of the book, chances are you’ll think Nicholls hasn't done his own work any justice. What’s been lauded as a deeply affecting modern romance in literary circles has unfortunately translated into an average Brit rom-com. By all means, if you are a sucker for average Brit rom-coms, you will not be disappointed. Just don’t think you’ll be remembering this one for the next twenty years.

3/5