Ponderous, self-conscious, over-played, pseudo-atmospheric, centrally miscast tale of betrayal

Rating: 3/10 (22 January 2012)

I was very much looking forward to this film. I am a big fan of the book, and an even bigger fan of the TV series from the late 70s. I was utterly gripped by the TV series; mainly because I was so fascinated by the character of Smiley (as played by Alec Guinness). As far as I remember, Smiley was someone in whom almost none of the other characters had any genuine interest, nor had any love for. All his colleagues were tripping over themselves to betray him and each other. His wife treated Smiley like dirt, and was carrying on an affair with one of Smiley's colleagues, but I (the viewer) loved Smiley and his quiet determination, I hung in there, episode after episode, in the hope that Smiley, the underdog would have his day. The moment this film began and John Hurt appeared, wildly overacting, my heart sunk. It continued to sink as the camera lingered on the appalling overacting of all those other usually fine lead actors, and rejoiced in the drabness of 70s England and its civil service interiors. Gary Oldman, who plays Smiley seems so determined not to overact that he's overacting at under-acting. He is so self-consciously withdrawn, he seems to be screaming 'look at me being enigmatic'. He has no character whatsoever, except that of a quiet, smug man in a raincoat, who notices things. I didn't care about him at all, or about anyone else, because I didn't believe for a second in their reality so I didn't care whether Smiley found out who the mole is or not. The story moved so slowly with such an inflated sense of its own importance, that I fell asleep and woke up just as someone was being shot. It doesn't matter who.