Director: Tomas Alfredson
Starring: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy
****
If the exact number of gunshots fired in every spy movie ever made were counted, along with car chases, daring motorcycle escapes and ballroom punch-ups - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy would probably place last on all counts. The thriller makes little attempt to compete with the likes of Bond, Bourne or Mission: Impossible for glamour, or showy set pieces. Instead, it offers an embarrassment of British acting talent, incredible dramatic tension and what could be the most accurate depiction of Cold War espionage ever set to screen.
Adapted from the bestselling novel by John le Carré - himself a veteran of British intelligence - the film deals with not just the corrosive atmosphere of mistrust, but also the gloom and drudgery of the 1970s spy game. The nicotine-stained era is masterfully recreated by the Swedish director Tomas Alfredson, whose 2008 film Let The Right One In was a refreshingly bleak and nuanced twist on the vampire genre.
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Film
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy stars Gary Oldman as the reserved and meticulous agent George Smiley, a role made famous by Alec Guinness in the 1979 BBC mini-series. Brought out of retirement by a government official, he learns that there is "a mole ... right at the top of the circus" - spook-speak for a Soviet double agent, embedded in a senior position in the British secret service.
Smiley begins to investigate four men: the new chief of the circus Alleline (Toby Jones), his deputy Haydon (Colin Firth), as well as their close allies Bland (Ciarán Hinds) and Estherhase (David Dencik). Meanwhile, a missing field agent (Tom Hardy) who was apparently responsible for learning about the mole in the first place but believed to have defected in Istanbul, arrives in London seeking Smiley's protection.
Like a high-stakes game of chess, long periods of quiet are broken with moves that seem subtle at first, but are revealed to have enormous consequences. As the men sit in their soundproofed conference room, we are forced to inspect every facial expression they make and ponder every word uttered. The toxic environment created by le Carré and Alfredson is the perfect arena for such a gladiatorial acting display.
When the pieces finally come together, the big reveal is as understated as one would expect from this story - something that may cause frustration for those who have worked overtime to keep up with the intricate plot. What's more, the film, with its melancholic, greying protagonist, has a somewhat cold and impersonal feel. But although there are in fact plenty of narrative rewards to be discovered in this thoroughly convincing depiction of Cold War espionage, the film's greatest achievement is its performances. Oldman is so restrained he practically whispers his lines, yet the effect can be as devastating as his most bombastic turns. Likewise the recent Oscar-winner Firth, who has moved from depicting a succession of cads to a series of far more sympathetic characters in recent years, here plays a man whose motivations are anyone's guess. When you have all that, who needs car chases?
artslife@thenational.ae
Apple product price list
iPad Pro
11" - $799 (64GB)
12.9" - $999 (64GB)
MacBook Air
$1,199
Mac Mini
$799
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
Abu Dhabi World Pro 2019 remaining schedule:
Wednesday April 24: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-6pm
Thursday April 25: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-5pm
Friday April 26: Finals, 3-6pm
Saturday April 27: Awards ceremony, 4pm and 8pm
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs
Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric
Transmission: n/a
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 659Nm
Price estimate: Dh200,000
On sale: Q3 2022
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Lowest Test scores
26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955
30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896
30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924
35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899
36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932
36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902
36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020
38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019
42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946
42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Naga
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The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Sterling 46', De Bruyne 65', Gundogan 70')
Aston Villa 0
Red card: Fernandinho (Manchester City)
Man of the Match: Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
The First Monday in May
Director: Andrew Rossi
Starring: Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld, John Paul Gaultier, Rihanna
Three stars
'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'
Rating: 1 out of 4
Running time: 81 minutes
Director: David Blue Garcia
Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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