Amazing cast help to overcome flaws

Rating: 7/10 (11 October 2015)

The cast here is so exceptional - easily one of the best ensembles this century - and the story crafted so meticulously, that it overcomes the fact that for most of its runtime I was only comprehending it on the margins. This is 20lbs of story stuffed into a 10lb sack, but by the end most of the tumblers had fallen into place and the end result was an intense, white-knuckle spy thriller without one car chase or shootout.
As I said, the cast is amazing, but not more so than Gary Oldman. The man is a chameleon, and this may be the finest performance of his career. But he's only one of a dozen great performances that help to shove aside any flaws and make 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' a fantastic spy thriller.