Even if you have never read the book....

Rating: 8/10 (26 November 2011)

A remarkable film. I know the book well, and thoroughly enjoyed following all the tiny references. But all the way through I was thinking that my wife, who's never read Le Carre, would find it convoluted and impenetrable, if not just boring. I need not have worried; she loved it too, but I'm still not quite sure how they managed to serve two quite different audiences.
The acting, direction, and cinematography were, of course, superb. Gary Oldman, like Kevin Spacey or Johnny Depp, only seems to make memorable films. John Hurt was a perfect Control. To my mind, Simon McBurney didn't quite match the oiliness of Anthony Bate's Lacon in the TV series. Firth's Haydon, a bit more subdued than Ian Richardson's, helped to keep the suspense going. Toby Jones made a fine Alleline. What have the Scots ever done to Mr Le Carre?