Passing Through BERLIN STATION

Article first published as BERLIN STATION Review on Seat42F.

Premium movie service Epix joins the original scripted world this weekend with two new shows. One, a drama, is called BERLIN STATION, a slow-burn spy drama set in the city of Berlin, Germany. Created by novelist Olen Steinhauer, the series has shades of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and hops onto the current trend of espionage television programs, but with more international flavor than most. It boasts a cast that includes many well-knowns, so it seems ripe for success, but is it good enough?

The plot will seem pretty familiar to anyone who pays attention to the news, though it’s not really based on a true story. An Edward Snowden-like man named Thomas Shaw is leaking the covert activities of the American CIA office in Berlin, exposing the identities of local sources. Agent Daniel Miller (Richard Armitage, The Hobbit, Robin Hood), who is from Berlin but has been working elsewhere, is called home to investigate. Knowing there is a mole in the CIA station itself, everyone is on edge as Daniel attempts to find and stop the leak, and early indications are he’s good enough at his job to do so.

Who is the mole within the organization? Is it station chief Steven Frost (Richard Jenkins, Six Feet Under, Olive Kitteridge), who is having an affair with his secretary, Sandra Abe (Tamlyn Tomita, Teen Wolf)? Maybe it’s the woman who brings Daniel in, Valerie Edwards (Michelle Forbes, The Killing, True Blood), trying to deflect attention, although she does seem awfully upset when one of her contacts is burned. Or perhaps it’s Daniel’s former partner, Hector DeJean (Rhys Ifans, Elementary, The Amazing Spider-Man), who likes the seedy night life of the city? Or even agent Robert Kirsch (Leland Orser, Ray Donovan, Taken), who gets less character development in the pilot than those above?

BERLIN STATION makes the interesting choice of not leaving the viewer in the dark very long. While many series in this genre would keep the identity of the turncoat for a season-long mystery that must be solved, this one doesn’t, at least for those following along at home; it’s less certain how long it will take Daniel to figure things out. Which is a bold decision that will change how many view the story.

But is it a good idea? That, I’m not certain of. Part of the draw of a spy series is the unanswered questions, putting together the clues, and the suspense of figuring things out. BERLIN STATION takes that away early on, so it must rely on other elements to keep the viewers tuning in.

There are some great elements in this show. The cast, as listed above, is terrific, and I like the other characters, too, the German counterparts and enemy agents. The setting is cool, as the show is actually filmed in Berlin. The quality of the production and direction is pretty high. The stakes are real enough, and the plot feels familiar without being repetitive.

However, I also found the show boring. I like a good spy drama; The Americans is probably my favorite currently on the air, and Homeland is good, too. But I didn’t care for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy because I found the film too slow, not really holding my interest. BERLIN STATION seems to follow that format, and without even leaving the identity of the bad guy a secret, I really don’t have any interest in continuing past episode one.

If you’re a fan of this particular subgenre, though, and enjoyed the Gary Oldman-fronted movie, then this is likely to give you what you’re looking for, a regular weekly show in a particular format.

BERLIN STATION premieres tonighton Epix, and the network is allowing anyone to sample the first two hours free of charge on its website now.

'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' sneaks onto Blu-ray

Releasing today from Acorn Media on Blu-ray is the classic British series, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Based on a book by John le Carre, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy follows George Smiley (Alec Guinness, Star Wars), the retired Deputy Head of the Service, as he hunts for a Soviet mole in the Circus, a top level spy agency within MI6. With suspicion narrowed down to four people, Smiley has to call on every one of his considerable talents to figure out which one it is. This is a Cold War tale, with the threat of war and Soviet aggression hanging over Smiley's head. When his own past comes into play, things get personal for Smiley.

Of course, this being a hero piece, Smiley triumphs. He sets an elaborate trap, and catches the mole, someone Smiley knows all too well. Before justice can be served, though, the man is killed. This is one mystery that Smiley cannot solve. Besides, he has his hands full trying to whip the Circus back into shape.

Hailed by many as brilliant, and recently remade as a cinematic release starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth, this series has garnered its fair share of praise and awards. Emmy nominated, and BAFTA winning, the subtleties of performance and story combine to make a truly memorable tale. Despite being released in 1979, there is nothing lost. All of the elements that matter don't seem dated, even if the Russian threat does. More importantly, the essence of humanity and questions of morality survive and matter as strongly as ever. Plus, this series look fantastic, filmed on location across Europe.

Guinness delivers what some consider the performance of his career. He is surrounded by a number of other talents, including Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation, American Dad), Anthony Bale (Game, Set, and Match), Bernard Hepton (The Charmer), Michael Jayston (Emmerdale Farm), Ian Richardson (Bleak House), and more. It is definitely easy to watch a cast such as this deliver an engrossing story.

The extras are light, as usual for these value releases of older series. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy has a nearly half hour interview with the books' author, his bio and booklist, production notes, and a glossary of terms and characters. New to this set, not on the previous DVD release, are eleven minutes of deleted scenes, and a half hour interview with the director of the piece, John Irvin.

Now, many will ask if it's worth buying a series more than three decades old on Blu-ray. And the answer is, that depends. The film is presented in 1080p, but not all of the extras are. While some new features are 16:9, the show itself is 4:3 full screen, as it always has been. At times, background noise doesn't quite get taken out as it should be. 2.0 Dolby Digital is included, a far cry from the surround sound in many newer movies, but better than the mono it could be. But because Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy is so dialogue heavy, that's probably good enough.

The clarity is far from perfect. There is some graininess going on, and the sound sometimes hisses and pops. The rich blacks viewers have gotten used to are absent, and shadows aren't easy to see into. Other colors, too, appear faded, and there isn't a lot of consistency from one scene to the next. But the team who is putting this out has also spent a great deal of work making the picture and sound as good as it has ever been. The Blu-ray is an improvement over previous DVD releases. So it's really a matter of personal preference, or it will come down to how much one really wants the additional bonus features.
 
In short, whether you are discovering the story for the first time, or remember fondly the original broadcasts, I highly recommend buying Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy on Blu-ray today.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Article first published as Blu-ray Review: Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy (1979) on Blogcritics.

DVD Release: Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy and Smiley's People

     Now available from Acorn Media on DVD is the classic British series, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and its sequel, Smiley's People. Both are based on books by John le Carre, and feature the same lead character. In Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, George Smiley (Alec Guinness, Star Wars), the retired Deputy Head of the Service, hunts for a Soviet mole in the Circus, a top level spy agency within MI6. With suspicion narrowed down to four people, Smiley has to call on every one of his considerable talents to figure out which one it is. This is a Cold War tale, with the threat of war and Soviet aggression hanging over Smiley's head. When his own past comes into play, things get personal for Smiley.

     Of course, this being a hero piece, Smiley triumphs. He sets an elaborate trap, and catches the mole, someone Smiley knows all to well. Before justice can be served, though, the man is killed. This is one mystery that Smiley cannot solve. Besides, he has his hands full trying to whip the Circus back into shape.

    Smiley's People is along similar lines, as Smiley is once more plucked from retirement. He is disappointed to find the Circus back in disarray, more political than practical. While tying up loose ends from a friend's death, Smiley is once more drawn into Soviet espionage, and is soon back on the trail of Karla (Patrick Stewart, Star Trek: The Next Generation), who escaped him before. Others have tried to clean up the mess, but it's up to Smiley, who actually puts relevance in a source, to dig deeper and find the truth. Unfortunately, the people now running the Circus would rather scandal be avoided than criminals caught.

     Smiley is not one to roll over, so pushes on, traveling where he must to uncover why people are dying. However, during this journey, Smiley begins to change. Not exactly warm and fuzzy in the first place, he realizes that the only way to defeat Karla is to become equally ruthless. This means he must cut off contact with loved ones, and do what he has to. The cost may be more than he'd like. Which begs the question, when is a win really a win? What if exposing the truth is not worth it?

     Hailed by many as brilliant, these two series have garnered their fair share of awards. Emmy nominated, and BAFTA winning, the subtleties of performance and story combine to make a truly memorable tale. Despite being released in 1979 and 1982, respectively, there is nothing lost. All of the elements that matter don't seem dated, even if the Russian threat does. More importantly, the essence of humanity and questions of morality survive and matter as strongly as ever. Plus, both look fantastic, filmed on location in London, Paris, Berne, Hamburg.

     Guinness delivers what some consider the performance of his career. He is surrounded by a number of other talents, including Stewart, Eileen Atkins (Doc Martin), Bill Paterson (Law & Order: UK), Anthony Bale (Game, Set, and Match), Bernard Hepton (The Charmer), Andy Bradford (Dixon of Dock Green), Michael Byrne (Coronation Street), Michael Jayston (Emmerdale Farm), George Sewell (The Detectives), Ian Richardson (Bleak House), and more. It is definitely easy to watch a cast such as this deliver an engrossing story.

     The extras are light, as usual for these value releases of older series. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy has a nearly half hour interview with the books' author, his bio and booklist, production notes, fimlographies, and a glossary of terms and characters. Smiley's People has another twenty minutes with le Carre, as well as the bio, booklist, glossary, filmographies, and production notes. In short, the two have very similar bonus features.

     In short, for the low price offered, these two sets are well worth the cost. Whether you are discovering the stories for the first time, or remember fondly the original broadcasts, I highly recommend picking up both sets. Plus, it couldn't be more timely to review these productions, as a film adaptation of Tinker, et al will hit theaters this December, starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth.

     Buy Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People, on DVD now.

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