Spoilers
I’ve seen this film 3 times now & im still not 100% sure that i completely get all of it.Id like to say 90% but nah there are still moments when i sit there going hang on what just happened. Maybe im not the correct generation for this film, maybe i need to be about 15 years older than i am. Never the less its still a good film.
Gary Oldman you are just a legend you deserved your Oscar nomination for George Smiley, (the artist is better though sorry) but you just brought such presence to the movie which is already filled with classy as fuck actors. Without Garys performance as George the film would definitely fall apart. There are points even now when i watch that i know he is the good guy that i sit there going, is it actually him thats the issue. Is he the corupt one?
& The rest of the cast wow, Cumberbatch, Hardy, Strong, Hinds, Firth (who isnt a very good bady by the way), Jones & of course John Hurt, which is why i watched this film when i did as it was the same week that he passed away god bless him. We wont see his type again.
Even the likes of Cathy Burke, Roger Lloyd-Pack & Stephen Graham is minor supporting cast just make you feel the grit of it all. No one has a bad showing in this film they are all on there A game.
The way its shot is so retro & cool & classy it looks properly 60s & 70s vibe even down to the dirt & style of london including the beaten up old garages.
If some one would like to put me into the scene where the Cumberbatch & Hardy have fight i would be more than happy to break that up & look after the two of them. Both at the time werent full a list in hollywood & this just lifted them to the next level.
Mark Strong with hair still freaks me out & i dont quite understand why he has to sever all ties with that kid at the school. Thats a bit off on the kid dont build up that relationship if you know theres a likely hood people will come looking for you.
Why didnt they tell him that she was already dead, its a bit stupid isnt it. Im sure he would want revenge for her anyhow.
Its a very cleaver film which is actually quite hard to review. The bottom line is, that its a classy british film with some out standing performances, who you just dont quite know who to trust. Hats off to the BBC & BBFC for making it.