Just saw it at the Everyman Theatre, Baker Street. Matinee, all pensioners in the audience, drank two pints, sitting on a sofa-like chair. And the film’s super slow pacing? Not gonna lie - all these factors nearly put me to sleep. Considering this is very likely my favorite novel, the possibility of nodding off was really getting me down.
I think I’ve mentioned before that the casting choices puzzled me and you know, some choices work and some don’t. Mark Strong as Jim Prideaux for instance, was a surprise, but he brings such a warmth to the role that you don’t really get from the book’s character. An individual take on it and a good choice. Colin Firth as Bill was just as I expected, a dissapointment - and I really enjoy Firth, but I think the problem is actually that the character development for Bill is not substantial enough. Firth conveys the confidence and charm of the ‘tailor’ but the background to his relationships with Jim, George and Ann are not fully fleshed out and therefore the hurt he causes does not have it’s full emotional impact for the audience. When Prideaux and Smiley get their sad forms of justice or rewards in the book, my heart was full of melancholy, but I cheered for them nonetheless. In the film, their payoff is wrapped up too speedily to make me care.
The book is about two things, spies and their emotions. The intricate plot is fascinating and the dense details are bolstered by the potential for characters we care about to get hurt. Especially in terms of loyalty being questioned or not upheld. The film drops so many details of the plot that had I not read the book, I’m sure I would have had no clue what was going on.
Another problem is the pacing. It’s slow, which works in that it matches George Smiley’s spirit of observing, studying and calmly uncovering so many deceptions, and it also matches the tone in terms of creating an unsettling environment in which any action or character could be a threat. That said, it fails to match the book’s ability to surge forward, while the reader races to learn everything, take note of every detail, to assist George (or I suppose, follow George) to the ending of an exciting intrigue. When combined with a lack of characters’ relationships being fully fleshed-out (their intricacies and emotional weight) made for a very drowsy watch. Had I not loved the novel, I might have fully given in to sleep.
That said, the film does have some very strong aspects. A major change for the character of Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a surprise, but well-played. The scene in which he has to relinquish a ghost from his closet just in case he is investigated, was a shock but a display of some very fine acting. The same goes for Tom Hardy as Ricki Tarr (RICKI TARR - I shout his name inside my head everytime I read it. What a great character and a great name to boot!) - I thought he was miscast. Hardy almost entirely drops Tarr’s cocksure attitude, but again, he’s strong in every scene, especially when he, like Guillam, get’s personal.
Gary Oldham. What can I say that hasn’t been said by other reviewers? Plus, we all know he’s brilliant. Perhaps he really shines here because the performance, like his character, is low-key and that’s a departure from the usual stuff that makes Oldham so memorable (every morning when I take my vitamin, I think of him popping those pills in Leon. FACT.) George Smiley’s got the confidence that we’re used to seeing in Oldham’s performances, but not the charm. As said, had I not read the book, much of the film would have lost my interest, but I think Oldham’s performance is so strong, I would have thought of him as a hero still.
The film just looks great. Directed by Tomas Alfredson, he brings the same amazing palette from Let The Right On In. It’s all moody and grey with bursts of colour. Wonderful set design. One especially good shot of two trains diverging.
Oh, a small criticism, I just want to note this in case no one else ever does: the kid who plays Roach - what the fuck was that whole performance about? Weird lispy, single-expression child actor. Terrible.
Anyway, as I said, the film isn’t all bad, but until it’s finale, I was ready to write it off as a total letdown.
The finale is nothing short of fucking genius. Begins absurdly (the song, the tear, my knowledge of a backstory not fully presented) and ends triumphantly, with a Ricki Tarr-like cockiness. And it ends with applause that are hard to distinguish from the audio or the audience. I’ve never seen such a wonderful sequence at the end of a film. I left the theatre grinning, and wondering how that scene could have been so good, and the rest of the film so uneven in it’s strengths and weaknesses.
Point is, go see it.
Been in London two days, and this is what I have to report.
