We make too much of actors’ looks, and I try not to comment on them in my reviews. At least, I try not to comment on them too much – with the possible exception of the slow-motion landslide that is Taylor Lautner’s forehead.

That said, I cannot avoid making a couple of observations about two of the actors in ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’.

First, Gary Oldman has aged into Donald Rumsfeld – just check out the trailer. I defy you to tell me I’m wrong. He’s great here as uber-Brit superspy George Smiley. The economy of words and gestures, the tiny tells in his face as he processes the intrigues of Cold War MI6, even the subtle cues about his age and vulnerability are all completely unassailable. Yet, likely due to a failing in my own character, I spent the movie waiting for Rummy’s voice to come out of Mr. Oldman. You know, known unknowns and whatnot.

Second, Toby Jones has the most advanced case of BabyHead I’ve ever seen. We need to get that dude a telethon. It’s not his fault, and he’s a fine actor, but damn. You know I’m right.

The movie is slow and deliberate like its hero, and it’s shot with a sort of grimy, earthy color palette that does a good job of evoking the winding-down years of the Cold War in London. The pacing might be difficult for some. The beats are long, and the action is largely internal. In many quite pleasing ways, it’s a throwback to 70s era political thrillers.

Like any whodunnit, the ending is a bit of an anticlimax. You are led to that anticlimax, however, by a veritable who’s who of Brit acting royalty, and you are always in capable hands. Young Sherlock Benedict Cumberbatch gets a few of the really suspenseful moments, and he gets to wear a rather inexplicable Bieber cut in the bargain.

I had a good time, and I don’t hesitate to recommend it for the kind of person who liked ‘The Conversation’. If you require a little more splodey in your spy movies, you should probably pass.