After a mission goes wrong in Budapest, the head of the British Secret Service and his chief agent, George Smiley, are forced to retire. One year later, in 1974, Smiley is called back in by MI6: one of his five direct colleagues, disillusioned international spies who have come to quietly hate each other over the years, is a double agent working for the Russians...

It has all the making of a tour de force: impeccable acting, elegant directing, tight dialogues, a magnificently reconstructed period, intoxicating music (highlighted by a superb funk version of Charles Trenet's «La Mer» by Julio Iglesias!) and even a strong ending. But all this is not enough for a good film if the audience can't identify with the lead character. In effect, the story, taken from spymaster John Le Carré's novel, is too convoluted to move or interest the public. Too bad for Gary Oldman, who reminds us once again just how mind-blowing he can be.