Solid film with a few issues

Rating: 9/10 (2 July 2013)

Coming off the heels of his highly acclaimed film, Let The Right One In, his next film would be very highly anticipated and the expectations would be higher as this would be his first English film. This film was also my introduction to his works as I have not seen any of his previous films but only have acknowledged it. I have owned this film for quite some time now and I have watched it at least 3 to 4 times. Each time I watch this, I understand the film's plot and the characters a little more; and at the same time not losing it's entertainment value.
In the simplest terms, the plot of this film is for Smiley (Gary Oldman) to identify the mole, that is suspected from Control (John Hurt), within the 'Circus' (MI6). The film was based off John le Carré's novel and rewritten for the screen by Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan. I cannot say whether their screenplay is faithful to novel as I have not read it but I can definitely say that their work is fantastic. So much of the dialogue speaks so much about the characters and story is unfolded in a way that doesn't feel forced. This film barely consists anything action, and when it does, it's more heartbreaking rather than pumping you up. If the dialogue didn't work then the film would collapse. I hoped that the film ran a bit longer to explore more on the suspects to prevent predictability on who the mole may be but the result was not too bad and definitely still enjoyable. My main issue with the script is that there are some plot holes that can be resolved either by knowing the source material or having a sequel that explores it further. These areas are revolved around Karla as not much is explained about it but rather it is an important piece of the puzzle.
Not a bad way to start your English film-making career. Alfredson successfully created something that is suspenseful and engaging. Alfredson wanted this film to be slow, not for pretension, but rather giving us time to take in the new things that are fed to us by the conversations. This film is done stylishly that fits well with the setting and tone, rather than something that is obvious and forced.
The way this film was edited is a bit confusing, especially in the first viewing, but after the initial run through, the subsequent times this is watched will not be at all confusing as it starts to become a little cohesive. It is still a chore though, in trying to follow and takes you out of the film for a bit. It didn't bother me as much it did with other people but I did notice it and I did find it slightly annoying.
Hoyte Van Hoytema has had experience with Alfredson in his previous film, so they both have an understanding with each other. Hoytema also directed David O' Russell's 'The Fighter', which was a favorite of mine. In this film, Hoytema has employed a slick style of photography in order to have that classy and mysterious feel to it. He uses shots that move quite slowly and sometimes uses zooming as a tool to avoid the feeling of stillness, that would definitely make the film even slower than it already is. Hoytema did a terrific job for this film and deserves a lot of credit for this film.
The score of this film, by composer Aalberto Iglesias, is not something that I took notice when watching this and is not very memorable to me. I can say that it did suit the style that Alfredson was going for but I hoped for something a little more than what he did for this film.
The cast of this film is amazing, and something that any director would die for. Each one brings their best and each one should be somewhat awarded in some way. The most notable ones are Oldman, Hurt, Cumberbatch, Strong, Hardy and Dencik. It is either they all have some sort of chemistry with each other or that the director demands these performances out of all of them. I like to believe it was both. It was nice to see that there was more to these characters than what was expected from them.
This film needs to be watched more than once as, most likely, you may have missed important information that adds to the story and the characters. A film that has a style of its own supported with an appropriate score and a moving photography. It has a wide and award deserving performances from almost the entire cast. Not something to be ignored, give this film a watch.