plodding

Rating: 4/10 (5 December 2015)

An aging MI6 agent is tasked with uncovering a mole in the higher echelons of the outfit. This update of an iconic TV series is wonderfully atmospheric and rings with authenticity for anyone raised in the 1970s. But the look of the film is no compensation for a dense, unfathomable narrative that consists of people walking into rooms, talking through stiff upper lips, and staring expressionless at the aftermath of horrific violence. An incredible cast, a beloved novel, and an astute director and yet they fail to inject this with any pace, mirth or empathy. Quite what younger audiences, those who did not live through the Cold War, make of this opaque period piece is a mystery. Oldman's somnambulistic performance is infectious; I literally had trouble staying awake through this film. There is a line between a storyline that is challenging, and one that is remote. I favour the former. TTSS resolutely displays the latter. Disappointing.