Is It a masterpiece of just boring?

Rating: 9/10 (23 September 2011)

I'm in two minds about this film. It's either a minor masterpiece full of great performances and with a craftily told story or in some parts a boringly paced film that tries to be far too clever for it's own good.
I found the first 30 minutes quite turgid, but made the decision to stick with it and as the film went on the characters became more and more interesting. I was impressed by how the director managed to provide the otherwise cold and calculating Smiley with vulnerable humanity. For me there were two key scenes. Firstly the moment when Smiley come across a liaison between his wife and Haydon and later when he recounts how he loses his lighter (a present from his wife) to the man who would become something of a nemesis. Both are testament to Oldman's great acting ability and I think show how well the director understood the source material.
There are also some other great performances by actors who seem to understand that their character's motivations should be open to interpretation by the audience. Mark Strong's performance as Prideaux is almost haunting, although I disliked the decision to have him shoot Hayden rather than strangle him, which I think had less impact.
As a fan of films such as 'The Conformist' and 'The Lives Of Others' which deal more with the motivations of spies rather than Bournesque style thrills, I was always going to take something from this. However, I quite understand how many cinema-goers will despair at the film. With funding from France and a Swedish director at the helm the movie in far more in line with European cinema drama than the spy thriller that some of the audience would have been hoping for. A mainstream audience are going to find it hard going and perhaps not as rewarding as it should be. Personally I was left with admiration and frustration in equal measure.