5 Political Thrillers That Will Have You On The Edge Of Your Seat

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

This all-star adaptation of the 1974 John Le Carre novel of the same name is directed by Tomas Alfredson from a script written by Peter Straughan and Bridget O’Connor. It charts the efforts of British Intelligence agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) in identifying a Soviet double agent within the upper echelons of the British Secret Service in the early 1970s.

The head of British Intelligence (‘Control’, played by John Hurt) approves a mission to Hungary, during which agent Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) is expected to meet with a military general who wants to defect. When Prideaux is apprehended in Hungary, Control and his closest ally – George Smiley (Oldman) – are forced out.

Agent Ricki Tarr (Tom Hardy) begins to raise suspicions about the existence of a Russian mole within the ranks and, with Control having died, Smiley is brought back in to aid the investigation. Smiley discovers that Control had long believed there to be a mole, and even had a list of suspects. As he closes in on the double agent, tensions mount and relationships fracture within the hierarchy of the British Intelligence establishment.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy also stars Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Ciaran Hinds, and brought leading actor Gary Oldman an Academy Award nomination.