Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

This modern rendition of the John le Carre Cold War masterpiece can not hold a candle to the1979 British mini-series with Alec Guinness but, for people who know the story well, it does offer plenty to enjoy.  First and foremost is an amazing performance by Gary Oldman, who embodies the world-weary George Smiley and gives him as much dimension as Guinness did in the same role.  This is a career highpoint for this amazing actor who, like Paul Newman, seems to have discovered in mid-career the less-is-more power in restraint.  In terms of production value, the film is sumptuous to look at, and the screenplay gives insight into the small, sad lives that real-life spies lead--which le Carre wrote about so masterfully.  But two hours is not a sufficient amount of time to tell this complex story--no feature film could hold up against the seven hour BBC version. Still, the filmmakers do an admirable job of rendering a solid picture for audiences who already love the story.  That’s just not enough, however, to make a film great.