Gary Oldham is a great actor. Has been since his portrayal of Sid Vicious. But he isn't as good as Sir Alec Guinness. And in this severely truncated version of John Le Carre's spy novel, later filmed as one of the great TV mini-series starring Guinness as masterspy George Smiley, Oldham doesn't come close.
I can understand why they did and I guess if you don't know the original sources I kinda see what you admire, but this is a disappointment film. Every time I settled in, they cut it. Every change is for the worse. And the lack of time means all the major roles in the search for a double agent at the head of England's secret service, is a change for the worse.
Start with the acting. Oldham is meant to be a blank, his emotions a flicker, Alec was, Oldham is just blank and when he loses his calm (something the original Smiley never did, it is as though the entire mystique is destroyed.The had of "the Circus" (the UK Secret Service) is convinced there is a "mole". he sends a spy off to turn a Yugoslavian General who knows the identity. The mission goes wrong.
Six months later, Control is dead, his second in command Smiley is fired, and apparently there is indeed a double agent. The movie is about how Smiley ferrets him out.All the acting in the new movie is worse than the TV series with the possible exception of John Hurt as Control. Stupefying bad in a severely underwritten role is Colin Firth. Ian Richardson almost stole the role from Guinness -he is so charmingly droll and cynical, so smart. It is a wonderful turn. There is no there there for Frith. And anyway, he has zero Bondiness in the James Bond role if ever there was on.
I could go on there I might spare a special sneer for the horrendous ending. In the movie, Smiley visits his unfaithful wife who shakes her head: "Poor George, life is such a muddle for you you, isn't". This after he is just save England's skin. In the book, Smiley is seen preening on top of the circus,. Yuck yuck yuck.
Musically, nothing to report except for some ironic Soviet Union anthems being sung at a party and a disco version of "Le Mer"
Movie: B
Music: C