No Smiley, just Sir Alec.

Rating: 8/10 (7 January 2012)

Ever since I had heard they were shooting a new "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" I have been anxious to see it. How I was disappointed. I mean the photography, and the acting, and all that is wonderful. The production sets the seventies wonderfully, I think. They actually did a better job than the TV-series, that was shot in the late seventies. It is just that I couldn't stand the stand-in for Sir Alec. Gary Oldman is a great actor. You need a great actor to impersonate Sir Alec Guinness. But. I was hoping Mr Goldman would invent his own Smiley. He didn't, alas. The movie would be a solid 9 if not for this. As I am a great fan of both actors, this is a real miss. The character wasn't written for Sir ALec. For the rest it is a must see. If just for the scenes in which Mr Oldman is a better Sir Alec, than Sir Alec himself. THe closing scene is a gem. Although one needs knowledge of the book to get up with the speed of it all. Anyway, the first of my top 10 for 2012. Absolutely.