The film , starring Gary Oldman as George Smiley , along with Colin Firth , Tom Hardy , John Hurt , Toby Jones , Mark Strong , Benedict Cumberbatch , and Ciarán Hinds , and featuring David Dencik , is set in London in the early 1970s and follows the hunt for a Soviet double agent at the top of the British secret service .
George Smiley from `` Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy '' is from Britain and an excellent spy .