Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Tomas Alfredson) -2011

This is the opposite of a James Bond spy movie.  The spies are not charming, competent or well-dressed.  They don't chat.  They shoot.  The story takes place in 1973 and is based on the novel by John le Carre.  There is a Russian mole at the highest level of British intelligence.  George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is brought back from retirement to solve the mystery.  Much of the movie takes place in the drabness of Budapest, Hungary where Russian super-agent Karla first trapped his mole.  As in the le Carre novels, director Alfredson presents scenes and flashbacks without narration requiring the viewer to complete the puzzle.  Actor Oldman deserves a prize for appearing in a two-hour movie without changing his facial expression. [JAM 1/8/2012]