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Gary Oldman is a brave man. Alec Guinness was a consummate Smiley for the Beeb, all the way down to cleaning his specs with his tie-end, and looking like a Bassett hound that had been pushed around by a benign but careless owner. Above all, Guinness remains an all-around legend for the variety of parts he'd played during his career. He ran the gamut. I'd not want go up against Sir Alec even if I thought I possessed the talent to do so. Yet Oldman did, and it wasn't suicidal hubris. The result is a different, yet highly convincing George. Equally, John Hurt stands up as an equally convincing Control. As for the rest of the cast, however, the movie format does not do either the actors, or the characters they play, justice. For instance Ciarán Hinds as Roy Bland (though I found Hinds’ Caesar wanting in the US series Rome) seemed almost invisible after the introductory scenes. Even Colin Firth (as Bill Hayden) looks almost like an incidental spear-carrier. Forget Tinker, Tailor… this is all about Beggar Man George Smiley. And I’m okay with that. Oldman convinced me that there’s an alternate ‘real-life’ version of Smiley to Guinness (and yes, I’ve read the book too, and Smiley’s People, before I get whinged at by pedants). These Georges live in parallel universes, and so each is as valid as the other in their own time. Which would I watch again? Both, happily, but I confess that I’d be more likely to reach for the BBC version first. Read full review
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I realy enjoyed the book by J.Lec. and i was inerested to see if this much hyped film was as good as the critics said, and i have to say it was very good. Gary Oldman is a superb actor and can play any roll,(remember Leon?)its not the fastest paced film you will ever see, but after awhile you find yourself getting caught up in the story and trying to figure out who are the bad guys. Not much blood and guts, but a great story and well worth a look.
Another great performance by G Oldman . a very good story and it's worth adding to your collection .
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I have this film on record for several years. Couldn't resist purchasinf when seeing it for sale on Ebay.
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Classic and intruding story
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