Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Stuart Graham: Minister

Photos 

Quotes 

• Minister : I thought Lacon had made it clear to you: keep your nose bloody well out of Witchcraft's business!

  George Smiley : It's Lacon's advice I'm following.

  [to Lacon] 

  George Smiley : You told me to follow in Control's footsteps.

  Minister : I wouldn't consider that sound advice, given the mess Control left us with. It has taken Alleline - and if I may say so, myself - this long to get us back in the game.

  George Smiley : The man Alleline and the others meet is called Polyakov. You believe his role is to bring information from Witchcraft to you. His real role is to receive information from the mole, to take back to Karla.

  Minister : [laughing incredulously]  That... that's not possible.

  George Smiley : Made possible, by you, in the house which you persuaded the Treasury to pay for.

  Minister : Witchcraft's intelligence is genuine! It's been gold!

  George Smiley : It's just enough glitter amongst the chickenfeed. Control didn't believe in miracles, and he didn't believe in Witchcraft. But you were lazy, and you were greedy, and so you hounded him out of the Circus and you let Karla in. You've opened negotiations to exchange intelligence with the Americans...

  [Realizing the implications of what Smiley is saying, the Minister starts to tremble] 

  George Smiley : What they tell the Circus, they'll be telling the Kremlin. Witchcraft's information, the "gold" Karla let you have, it wasn't to lure you. It was to lure the Americans. Now... do you want to take credit for that?