A very well put together spy thriller where people thinking serves as the film's action. Direction was solid - good but not great. Acting - especially Gary Oldman - was phenomenal. His scene where he's recounting meeting Karla while talking to an empty chair had such a great depth to it.

I also appreciate how the sets, costumes, and specifically the eyewear, made this feel like a period piece (though I am not enough anything close enough to an expert to acknowledge whether it was accurate to period or not), and used Smileys eyeglasses a means to differentiate actions that happened before or after the Budapest shooting.

I do recall thinking the story was twisty when originally watching it, that was the impression that it left me with. However, on second viewing with most of my memories long faded, I found the plot not only very straight forward, but also exceptionally compelling, even riveting.

Glad this one's in my collection. Prior to last night, I'd mentally drawn comparison between this and the 2006 film 'The Good Shepard,' though I highly suspect that one wouldn't hold up nearly as well.