Superb cast in gripping spy caper

Control (Hurt), the chief of a 1970s British Secret Intelligence Service unit known as the Circus, learns that Russian counterpart Karla has placed a mole within the ranks. To unmask the traitor, Control dispatches Jim Prideaux (Strong) to Hungary but the agent is shot dead. So Control turns to trusted protege Smiley (Oldman) and shares intelligence about a possible double agent. Soon after, Control takes his own life, leaving Smiley to uncover the intrigues of the other Circus members: Percy Alleline (Jones), Roy Bland (Hinds), Toby Esterhase (Dencik) and Bill Haydon (Firth). Aided by the young, ambitious Peter Guillam (Cumberbatch), Smiley searches for clues and for missing operative Ricki Tarr (Hardy). It’s intelligent film-making of the highest calibre, distinguished by tour de force performances from the predominantly British cast. Oldman doesn’t utter a word for what seems like an eternity, but he commands every frame. Cumberbatch is a worthy foil, not least in a heart-breaking scene when Peter makes the ultimate sacrifice. Jones, Hinds, Firth et al are excellent in support and Burke scene-steals with aplomb, delivering the best line of the entire film.

Drive (Cert 18, 96 mins, Icon Home Entertainment). Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman, Bryan Cranston, Oscar Isaac, Kaden Leos, James Biberi, Christina Hendricks ****

Driver (Gosling) performs death-defying stunts in big-budget films but when he’s not on a set, he works as a mechanic for his good friend, Shannon (Cranston). When he’s not working beneath the bonnet of a car, Driver performs illegal jobs organised by Shannon, which invariably involve high-speed getaways from crime scenes. When one heist goes wrong, Driver is marked for death at the hands of hoodlums Bernie Rose (Brooks) and Nino (Perlman). There are romantic complications when Driver falls for pretty neighbour Irene (Mulligan), whose husband Standard Gabriel (Isaac) has just been released from prison and wants to rebuild bridges with his little boy, Benicio (Leos). Adapted from the novel by James Sallis, Drive is an adrenaline-fuelled journey into the blackened heart of a man living on the fringes of society. Director Nicolas Winding Refn hits the accelerator in the opening scenes and barely touches the brakes as the plot skids with sickening inevitability towards its bloody resolution. The Danish film-maker punctuates Driver and Irene’s doomed romance with scenes of graphic violence, including an assault in a lift that will test even the strongest stomachs.