An epic war film starring Gary Oldman is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer, free of charge.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a Cold War spy film directed by Tomas Alfredson, with the screenplay by Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan. The 2011 adaptation is based on John le Carré’s 1974 novel of the same name. Alongside Oldman, the film stars an ensemble cast including Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciarán Hinds, David Dencik and Kathy Burke.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy premiered at the 68th Venice International Film Festival. On the back of this, it became a critical and commercial success, and it was the highest-grossing film at the British box office for three consecutive weeks. It won the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film and also received three Oscar nominations: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and for Oldman, Best Actor. The novel had previously been adapted into the award-winning 1979 BBC television series of the same name, with Alec Guinness starring in the lead role of Smiley.

The film’s synopsis reads: “In 1970s England, the head of MI6, Control (John Hurt), dispatches an agent (Mark Strong) to meet with a Hungarian general who knows the identity of a Soviet spy in the organisation’s ranks. However, the mission goes wrong, and the general dies before he can reveal the information. Undersecretary Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney) calls veteran agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) back from forced retirement to ferret out the mole and stop the flow of vital British secrets to the Russians.”

On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has achieved an impressive 84% rating. The critics’ consensus states: “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a dense puzzle of anxiety, paranoia, and espionage that director Tomas Alfredson pieces together with utmost skill.”

One critic said: “Stepping into the shoes of Alec Guinness, Gary Oldman, in a performance of restrained inscrutability, captures perfectly the character of John le Carré’s seasoned spy George Smiley…”

Another wrote: “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is everything that one feels it should be. It is complex, intelligent, quiet, intense and keeps its cool throughout.”

“A very gripping, brilliantly directed character-driven genre film, with top-class performances from a flawless ensemble cast headed by a perfect performance from Gary Oldman,” said a third.

A fan of the film said: “An outstanding performance by Gary Oldman.”

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is available to stream now on BBC iPlayer.