A humdrum reprise

Rating: 5/10 (13 March 2012)

If you've not seen the original TV series or read Le Carre's book then this film may fare better with you.
Technically the film worked well and Smiley (Gary Oldman) was word and gesture perfect - if Alec Guinness' original portrayal was the yardstick. Connie (Kathy Burke) had some depth as a romanticised mother figure for her 'boys' since the glamour of her job as queen of the filing cabinets was otherwise nonexistent. With the pace of a man assembling an orchid using tiny tweezers and a pile of atomic dust, the atmosphere of mistrust unfolded. The dark, tedious smoke-screened world of intelligence gathering was well conveyed. These were, essentially, selfish, backbiting bureaucrats more compelled to burnish their names than get the job (whatever it may be this week) done. Agents are courted, controlled and casually discarded leaving the viewer wondering why anyone would take on such a thankless task and, indeed, if it ever really was like that.
Why this had to be re-made (leaving aside the obvious hunt for more money) escapes me. Though the cast was solid with a very believable Alleline (Toby Jones) and Lacon (Simon McBurney), it's still a humdrum reprise. The original TV series, though it moved turgidly, had more depth. Remakes are rarely an improvement on the originals (though it depends which you see first) and in this case it didn't bring anything new to the story.