Gary Oldman as Smiley? The actor who 25 years ago embodied the anarchic, addicted Sid Vicious in Sid & Nancy, now as the donnish defender of the realm? It works for me. That early role and others in the actor's résumé, wild and tormented characters for the most part, linger in the mind, suggesting that the bland face of Smiley masks a stormy soul. One performance in particular, which has been seen by more people than all others, might resonate the most: Sirius Black, the Prisoner of Azkaban in the Potter series. Black, like Smiley, recognizes that victory for the cause likely means personal oblivion.
