Too much to fit in

Rating: Null/10 (22 September 2011)

I fear that even at over two hours long, it's too short for such a complex story, but has been additionally obscured by extra story lines that have been edited down in the cutting room to mere scenes. Characters with much promise - eg retired Special Branch cop played by Roger Lloyd Pack - have become cutouts. Guilliam is left by his male partner, to his distress, but to absolutely no plot development. That character was specifically hetero in the original - the change is pointless. Told in flashback, but sometimes the only thing that tells you so is that Smiley has different glasses - they even include a short early scene showing him getting new ones to make the point. Disappointing; Oldman does a good job as Smiley, though sometimes he's so thoughtful as to be catatonic.
John