The Spy Who Bored Me

Statistically speaking I have more sunsets behind me than in front of me so now when I invest time in a movie that blows I feel the need to howl. Not since the debacle that is World War Z have I been this let down by a film.

The cause of my current misery - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I remember seeing the previews for this back when it came out and thinking it looked good. Saw that Netflix has it now and that was last nights viewing. Should have just left it at the trailer. I can 't remember ever seeing such a non-thrilling spy thriller.

Plot- One of the UK's top spies is a Russian mole, but which one???!!! Who cares because there is nothing at risk. No impending nuclear strike, no terrorist attack that needs to be thwarted. Nothing of importance other than the fact that one of England's top guys is a mole.

[Spoilers] Confusion was also in abundance. John Hurt's character dies but they don't tell us or show us, we just have to figure it out. There were flashbacks that weren't obvious flashbacks, then when you catch on that they are flashbacks they show a guy who was supposedly killed so you assume that the later scenes with him are also flashbacks until you learn that he wasn't actually killed after all.They discuss the top Russian adversary but we never see him or learn anything about him. So there is really no villain so to speak. No direct threat and no villain makes Jack a dull movie.  In the end it turns out that all along the Russian's were using the mole to get close to the American's, who play absolutely no role in the film whatsoever.

There is also a plethora of shots of Gary Oldman's character walking, swimming, sitting and  performing other actions that do not push the story line further. Since  I like Gary Oldman and some of the co-stars I sat through it.

The only positive thing I can say about this film is that I learned that actor Stephen Graham, who plays Al Capone on Boardwalk Empire and who has a small part in this film, is actually English. I didn't know that.