Cold War Spy Intrigue at its Best

Rating: 10/10 (24 December 2019)

A modern classic, a re-make of the old TV series starring Alec Guinness, and that was excellent, this is even better.
It includes a great cast of British actors led by Gary Oldman, who is proving to be one of the best, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, John Hurt (just at the start), Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Hardy, Kathy Burke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Graham, Simon McBurney and Roger Lloyd Pack, there was even a Swede David Dencik, all well used and well acted. There were Hungarians playing Hungarians and Russians playing Russians, the John Le Carre story is a classic (John Le Carre had an extra role in the movie), filmed in the correct locations, London Budapest and Istanbul, and that makes for a great base to construct the film around.
It was directed sensitively, photography was excellent and gave it that 60's/70's feel, the scenes were well shot, particularly the ones in Budapest. But its the style that makes it great.
This is like a 60's classic but in the millennium, brilliant.