Agreed; the plot is all about who knows what about who else, and the subtlety of the ways that Smiley makes breakthroughs means that the film feels rushed and confusing by comparison.
Also, while neither actor really looks the way that Smiley is described in the book, Guiness gets the behaviour right in ways that Oldman can't manage.
Thinking about it, this kind of plot – about who knows what and about who – is the kind of thing that David Fincher is really into (as described very well in Every Frame A Painting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPAloq5MCUA). I wonder if we'll ever see him do an adaptation of something by Le Carré?
Thinking about it, this kind of plot – about who knows what and about who – is the kind of thing that David Fincher is really into (as described very well in Every Frame A Painting at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPAloq5MCUA). I wonder if we'll ever see him do an adaptation of something by Le Carré?