Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

TTSS (see what I did there) is an incredibly mannered film. Almost to a fault. It takes great pains to tell this story about the search for a Russian mole in the British Intelligence Service in the most calm and deliberate manner possible. There aren't any histrionics, very little action, and almost no raised voices. This is all fine, but as a result it takes about an hour to get going and almost falls over the brink into complete tedium. Thankfully the performances keep that from happening, and once the story gets moving the film coalesces into a reasonably engaging spy thriller. It doesn't reinvent the genre, but its worth checking out. Just with the proviso that the first half is really slooooow.