My wife suggested that Oldman is slightly more believable as Smiley than was Guinness. As much as she likes Guinness, she could never understand how Ann would ever fall for him.Originally Posted by monogroover
In any case, I didn't think that Oldman played Smiley poorly. There was a lot going on there, but it was pretty subtle. For example, when he sends Ricki Tarr to Paris, Ricki asks Smiley to promise to get Irina back. You can tell from from what Smiley says "he will do everything he can to get her back", the way that he says it, and his facial expression that he knows she is dead. It was all there in Oldman's acting, but very, very understated. He also let the steel show a few other times. But, they were just brief glimpses.
Best wishes,
Bob