High hopes, and quality production but something was lost in the midst

Rating: 5/10 (22 September 2011)

As the title suggests, I had high hopes for this film, being a big Gary Oldman fan and knowing he hasn't really stretched himself recently, I thought it could be a stormer.
Its not a bad film, all performances are strong (Mark Strong is surely on course for an Oscar in a few years) and the cinematography is excellent. However, I felt in the all the cleverness and the capturing of subtle movements, information and glances something was lost. It does really project the air of confusion and mistrust that I'm sure spys of the time dealt with and also the little cultural references to the late 70's early 80's such as a Wimpy is well done.
It may be the case that the world has just moved on a little and our spy films are more along the lines of Bond, Bourne and Spooks and we are expecting an explosion and a killing every 20 mins. If you like a subtle film with powerhouse performances, which builds slowly with a feeling of uncertainty, then this is the one for you. However if you are looking for something with a little more clarity and pace, then maybe wait for the DVD.