... This is the definitive anti-Bond spy movie and the best big-screen adaptation of John le Carré.

Self-consciously dour where the James Bond movies were insouciantly callous.

An excellent contemporary espionage drama of the Cold War which achieves solid impact via emphasis on human values, total absence of mechanical spy gimmickry, and perfectly controlled underplaying.

Martin Ritt's icy direction and Oswald Morris's bleak black-and-white photography make this not just the most authentic Cold War film, but also one of the best.