Spy Game is everything we're not supposed to expect from a major Hollywood movie: engrossing, intelligent, well written, acted and directed. But that's just what it is and more, this is definitely the best thing I've seen since Memento. Although Pitt is really good and Redford plays himself as well as he has in years, I think the most credit should go to Tony Scott. In the hands of a lesser director this could have been something more like Mission Impossible. But Scott stays right on target, keeping us interested, developing the characters, and keeping the pacing nearly perfect. Scott also shows us that he's stayed with the times: he employs the full array of modern camera tricks like fast motion, reverse zooms and funky lenses but in a way that actually makes the film better instead of being an annoying distraction. The dialogue feels natural, all the actors do good work, no one tries to steal the show or be the star. The story is interesting and almost never lapses into the kind of hyper violence or sappy sentimentality one has come to associate with modern studio pictures. You get a feeling this is pretty close to how the CIA really operates, a place with fantastic technology at its disposal but who's ultimate effectiveness is determined by the fallible people who run the missions and take the chances. I really enjoyed this film, I hope it's a sign of things to come and not a rarity.
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snake775 December 2001
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lukabrasi18 February 2005Spy Game will probably never be considered among the best spy movies to come out of Hollywood, however, it is a really entertaining movie with quite a few surprises.
The movie is set in the early 1990's. Nathan Muir (Redford) is a retiring CIA officer who learns that his former protégé Tom Bishop (Pitt) has been captured while attempting a prison rescue in China and will be executed shortly. CIA brass want to know what motivated Bishop to attempt this unauthorized action and they interview Muir to find out. Muir tells the story of how he met and trained Bishop: from Vietnam to Berlin to Beirut. While Muir is setting the background, he is also working secretly behind the scenes to free Bishop. Will Muir's cloak and dagger antics be discovered before he has a chance to free Bishop? Overall the movie is not as good as other spy genre films such as Three Days of the Condor, Spy Who Came in From the Cold, or Hunt for Red October. I think Redford does well in the role of the retiring, slightly jaded CIA officer Muir. Pitt does well with what he's given, though I think his character suffers from poor writing, especially near the end of the film. Think of Spy Game as a more sophisticated Mission: Impossible (that's no knock on M:I) and you'll be pleasantly surprised. -
ma-cortes2 December 2021Nail-biting and exciting movie about terrorism , spies and geopolitical issues . The film deals with a spy chief called Nathan Muir (Robert Redford) who's on the verge of retirement from the Central Intelligence Agency. Then the veteran spy learns that his one-time protege Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) , a CIA operative serving in various countries , has been incarcerated. Tom has gone rogue and been taken prisoner after attempting to smuggle a prisoner out of China . Although Muir and Bishop had once been close friends , sharing long periods of thrilling adventures from Vietnam , Berlin , to Beirut where Muir schemed a plot to chase a mastermind terrorist . As in Lebanon , both of whom formed a solid and shaky alliance to break the terrorist ring which previous bombed US military targets with a lot of casualties . Things go wrong when Bishop falls in love with an aid-worker (Catherine McCormack) . As his memories of their friendship come flooding back , Muir sets about managing the rescue of his old friend from a Communist prison . Meanwhile , the super-powerful CIA uses technological-gizmo-surveillance satellites and modern surveillance systems for people spying and hound terrorists relentlessly . It's not how you play the game ... It's how the Game Plays you. It's not how you play the game. It's how the game plays you. "Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his teacher" . In the end, only friendship matters!
Story's core is interesting and script is dense with information and drama . The ultra-brisk editing and rapid scenes movement leaves little time to consider some inadequacies . Regarding a peculiar relationship between two top-of-the-range spies whose long knowledge has developed bad blood and resentment between them , in spite of the two men haven't seen each other in years . Here Brad Pitt is reunited as a co-star with his A River Runs Through It (1992) director Robert Redford for this espionage thriller from Tony Scott , and both of them giving awesome interpretations . Engaging and twisted thriller concerning the spy-world on Middle East , China and other countries . Robert Redford and Brad Pitt sustain interest enough in this tale of friendship , betrayal , sacrifice and terrorism . Brad Pitt is good as tough super-spy as well as sniper operative and Robert Redford 's cool displaying an enjoyable performance as the elderly and regretted CIA agent . The use of geopolitical messages to add weight to a romantic subplot between the spy and the beautiful nurse , well played by Catherine McCormack , though feels a little forced , at times. They are well accompanied by a good cast , such as : Stephen Dillane , Larry Bryggman , Marianne Jean-Baptiste , Shane Rimmer, David Hemmings, Benedict Wong , Ken Leung , Matthew Marsh , Michael Paul Chan , among others .
The film packs adequate , evocative cinematography by Dan Mindel and rousing musical score by Harry Gregson-Williams . The motion picture was well realized by Tony Scott . He was a good filmmaker whose works received some great reviews , his first big hit happened when was asked by producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer to direct Top Gun (1986) starring Tom Cruise . He would work again with Cruise on another high adrenaline film Days of thunder (1990) , which proved less successful . He followed the success of Top Gun with the sequel Beverly Hill cop II (1987) with Eddie Murphy , which was well received . In 1993, he directed the cult movie True Romance (1993) , which was written by emerging director Quentin Tarantino but Scott had a lot of control over the film . While Unstoppable (2010) was Tony Scott and Denzel Washington's fifth and final film collaboration. The others were Red tide (1995) , Man on fire (2004) , Déjà vu (2006) , and Pelham 123 (2009) all of them got big successes . Spy Game(2001) rating : 7/10 . Well worth watching . Above average . The picture will appeal to Robert Redford and Brad Pitt fans . -
Movie-122 January 2002SPY GAME / (2001) *** (out of four)
Tony Scott is known for his big budget, fast-paced, action-packed extravaganzas. His latest film, "Spy Game" is no exception. He takes advantage of a massive budget, but loses sight of human comprehension. It's difficult to grasp his moral when it's awash in a superficial style where individual shots seldom last more than thirty seconds, and where dialogue never exceeds the length of a short paragraph. There's not much time to introduce characters, situations, or even locations-datelines appear on the screen to identify times and places.
Yet, it doesn't just feel as if we are in another movie by Tony Scott-everything feels very real. The danger is real. The characters are real. Many action films are about the action, special effects, and car chase sequences. "Spy Game" does contain those things, but they are in a focused, tight, evocative thriller. This movie is about the characters, not the action. It never forgets that.
"Spy Game" contains a complex structure. We begin in 1991. Veteran CIA officer Nathan Muir (Robert Redford) prepares for retirement. On his last day, he learns that his one-time protégé, Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt), has been captured in a foreign prison on a charge of espionage and will be executed in 24 hours. Fearing international crisis, the CIA decides it would be too risky to save him. But with a new generation in control of the agency, Nathan is no longer an insider. He must outsmart his own agency in order to save his old friend.
Most of the film plays out in flashbacks as the CIA digests valuable information from Muir. The movie spans from the Vietnam war to the end of the Cold War, with years ranging from 1965 to about 1991 (although the characters don't seem to age much). We learn Nathan chose Tom as a sharpshooter in Vietnam. He trained with Bishop. They formed a close bond, until something came between them-a woman.
The forty-year span in time poses no problem for "Spy Game." The engaging screenplay, by Michael Frost Beckner and David Arata, focuses on only the necessary characters. The soundtrack, by Harry Gregson-Williams, masterfully captures the various time periods, spicing the scenes with a slick sense of style and intrigue. The cinematography by Daniel Mindel makes the differences in location clear. Christian Wagner's editing gives the movie a frenzied, almost rushed emotion, that puts us right in the middle of the race against time.
Pitt and Redford retain their ground, despite a thick style. Redford creates a character out of nothing. We know little about him at the beginning, and we know little about him at the end. But he somehow gives his character a conscience, human values, and a lot of interest. We care about him because we do not like the black and white CIA operatives. Thus, we care about Pitt's character as well. Pitt gives his character an immature nature. He is in a stereotypical young hotshot role that might have fit him better a few years ago, but he still creates a grave sense of panic and fear.
With a structure like this, we expect subplots to evolve from the flashbacks. There is an intriguing terrorist story. A love story. Themes about betrayal, trust, position, friendship, commitment but "Spy Game" never slows down and allows us to absorb these important details. By the end, we feel exhilarated, and we know we just watched a very smart, well-crafted film, but the most we can take from it is that it is a very smart, well-crafted film. I think, beneath all the style and surface, there is a little more to the movie than that. -
Steve-17627 January 2002You can rely on Robert Redford and Brad Pitt for polished performances and action director Tony Scott (Crimson Tide, Enemy Of The State, True Romance, Top Gun) will always keep the pace of a movie galloping along, but will the mix necessary produce a quality movie?
Spy Game is essentially about the foibles of humanity. Even seasoned hard nosed spies can have softer moments you know.
Nathan Muir (Redford) is on his last day as a spy with the CIA when his protégéé Tom Bishop (Pitt) gets nabbed on an unauthorised mission trying to break someone out of a Chinese Prison. Bishop is going to be executed in 24 hours unless Muir can do something.
Muir realises that the CIA is going to dump Bishop for the sake of impending trade talks. We are treated to a series of extended flashbacks to Vietnam, Berlin and Beirut which chronicle Muir and Bishop's relationship.
Spy Game is mostly a boys own story with lots of explosions showing smart men outwitting the opposition. As Muir teaches Bishop his tradecraft we're introduced to how spies are taught to case a restaurant, fix a radio, vomit on demand.
We're told how they are trained to be callous, to look at the big picture, to stay remote, to sell out people if that's of use. They're taught how to kill.
And we're shown again and again the CIA assassinating people, causing civil unrest, authorising explosions, arranging murders. The film makes no apologies for this but implies that for the good of the free world, well someone has to do it. Spy Game certainly surfs sweetly on American patriotism.
Spy Game is predictably interesting though mainly because of Robert Redford who still has that million dollar smile and Brad Pitt who mixes boyish charm with a slight degree of angst.
Tony Scott's film making style however really needs to slow down. Relentless pace and swooping cameras are eventually tiring and they don't give time to contemplate. Still, Spy Game is slick and informative. I'm damn glad I don't live in a war zone.
3 Blown Apart Flys -
Hypotheses29 November 2001What is wrong with some of you people? Hollywood feeds you the same crap over and over and yet you gobble it up indiscriminately just the same.
1. Robert Redford is friggin' 65 years of age for God Sakes. No amount of soft lighting is going to change that.
2. Use some Goddamn makeup. If we are to believe that Brad Pitt's character was back in Nam, he shouldn't look EXACTLY the same many decades later.
3. Just because Redford's character is "old school" shouldn't mean that all of his "new school" superiors should be posed as complete idiots.
4. I neither give a damn about the cliche of Pitt's character risking it all for a woman.
5. Nor do I give a damn about Redford's character coming to the realization that he's become emotionally hardened by the spy game and should make an attempt at redeeming himself.
6. Flashbacks are rarely a convincing plot device. Hence, don't use them!
7. This film creeps at a snail's pace.
8. Mr. Scott, we already saw all of that amazing (but frenzied) aerial camera work in Enemy of the State (1998). There it was creative and useful. Here, in Spy Game, it's just silly and distracting.
9. In all, I found Spy Game so totally uninvolving, I was ready to walk out the theatre after the first 20-minutes. Too bad I didn't.
6/10 -
In 1991, CIA agent Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) is captured trying to help Elizabeth Hadley (Catherine McCormack) escape Chinese PLA Su Chou prison. Nathan Muir (Robert Redford) on his last day before retirement tries to navigate the politically sensitive situation. He recruited sniper Bishop back in '75 Vietnam for a mission.
Director Tony Scott is making a slick espionage movie with two of the greatest stars in the universe. This should be better but it's only passable. Scott is pulling out all the editing tricks to artificially juice up the excitement. I'm not sure it fits the material but it's perfectly watchable. It wants to be an action movie when it's more of a tense chess game. -
imdb-com-1094 April 2006I made the mistake of only watching this film once the first time around. I did end up buying it, though I was never sure why. Then, years later, I got around to watching it again... and again... and again... While Spy Game is so fast-paced that it's difficult to keep up the first time around, I think that's what makes it such a great DVD.
There are performances in this movie that defy description. You almost get a sense that if you were to meet him in the street, you'd get someone named Nathan Muir playing the part of Robert Redford - the transformation is that complete. In several scenes, but especially the scene on the Berlin rooftop, Redford gives a performance that is unlike almost anything I've ever seen in cinema. It's that perfect. Brad Pitt also does an amazing job, but Redford steals the whole movie.
I had to re-watch Spy Game three times before I felt I got a complete understanding of everything going on. There is almost nothing given away for free in this movie - none of the standard Hollywood "shove-it-in-your-face-so-you're-sure-to-get-it" fare. Every decision, most plot points, and a lot of what would normally be called "meaningful looks" are written on Muir's face for a split second, then they're gone.
This is one of the few movies that's intellectually challenging to watch. It takes patience and a quick assessment of each scene to understand and keep up. None of the acting is over the top or explicit; most everything is controlled, subtle, and delicately handled.
All in all, Spy Game is an exceptional movie, IMO, to watch and in some ways to study. -
perfectbond9 February 2005Spy Game is an entertaining enough espionage thriller helmed by action film director Tony Scott who has made some very polished films in the past. Here, an aging Robert Redford is appropriately cast as the mentor to Brad Pitt, or Burapi as the Japanese call him, Redford's star field agent. When I was watching this film I got the impression that the CIA, undoubtedly the preeminent espionage organization on the planet, was being glorified for its interference in foreign conflicts. I couldn't help but remember Benjamin Franklin advising his fellow Republicans to stay out of conflicts that do not threaten America's vital interests. Paraphrasing, he said interference in affairs that do not concern us would be the "bane" of our Republic.
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CRTF18 August 2002I can't believe some of the nonsense I've read here. People are complaining that Redford looked too old in the flashback scenes -- for one, I thought he looked believable. Secondly, Hollywood hasn't cloned Redford in a vat yet so we'll just have to live with scenes like this. So get over it. Others complain that the movie is somehow BORING, which blows my mind, considering it's non-stop, fast paced action and dialogue. If you're attention span is too short for this movie I'm sure you'll enjoy crap like "XXX". Others complain about messy plot logic (how did a CIA operative get into a Chinese prison? Huuu duhh, I dunno! It's a popcorn flick you morons! It's not a 900 page novel or a documentary). The plot takes a few leaps here and there, but a Snake Eyes or Face/Off this film is not. I read complaints about the 'arty', flashy 'MTV' style editing and filming techniques -- I actually thought the movie was filmed and edited superbly and the contemporary, TV-commercial style actually complemented the film. It's crisp, tight, taut and entertaining. You get the feeling this is a high-quality production, whereas with something like "Mission Impossible 2" the same type of style is implemented but it comes off feeling cheap. Not here, not with this movie. As with Enemy of the State, it works. I have a feeling some of the people that thought it was boring simply couldn't follow what was going on. The plot does make sense if you have the attention span to keep up.
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jianbbao1 February 2018Is there anyone from China writing reviews about how nonsense details they have in the movie? the script writer and even the whole crew need much much more homeworks to do.
I mean geographical details at least. I knew that the script writer wanna to set the coincidental maps between Bahamas shore and east China coast shore. but you'd better put the Amrican military base in Okinawa, Japan. there is no base in Penghu, Taiwan, and Okinawa is shorter flying to Shanghai. and they need to set the prison site at Tilanqiao prison in Shanghai, the Suzhou pirson is far inland of China, I do not think that the helicopters can fly over the Shanghai air-defense zone unless you cut all the power grid of eastern China rather than only Suzhou city.
it's the year of 1991, why there are so many cultural revolution slogan on the prison wall. which had taken place in 60s-70s. do you think it's the graffiti wall in a bar. and the accent of those Chinese actor are cantonese ,not standard mandarin. it might be not easy to find a group of Chinese actors who from mainland China to speak the local accent or mandarin as I guess. I believe that there might be no one knows about it, to the western audiences and the movie crews, they are all the same. and those uniform of prison guards is big farce, the crew might not know the details too. I do not want elaborate more on this.
The van used in the film in Suzhou prison, then used the same van in Beirut, Lebanon. I do not think you are short of budget, which then you can rent several helicopters to film. and the scence that all prisoners knock their rice bowl on the cell fence togehter, that only will happen in american movie, it doesn't look like China at all.
Despite those weakness which I do not want list them all, I also want to say it's standard and good hollywood movies though, no big mistakes on other elements of the film. from this point of view, the only way can explain all this is that the u. s. film industry or amrican hoi polloi have little knowledge about China, even they want to work hard on it. so I also begin to doubt about American movie that depicts Middle East, Russia and Africa then, it's all your own imagary pictures of them. -
kosmasp7 July 2021Or is it? Maybe it is easier to ... play it, if you consider it a game? One thing is for sure, Tony Scott is a masterful player ... behind the camera. You can tell with this movie, how he likes to shoot movies and how he likes to create tension, even in a simple scene, where Redford is only holding a cup of coffee and going from one room to another ... insert, camera moves with him, towards him, cut little snippets in and make it seem like something urgent ... masterclass in shooting and editing I'd say.
But that is not all we have here. You also have two wonderful actors ... two people who surely admire each other and play off each other very well. Even if their characters may not agree on many things ... there is some level of respect even in the movie and their playing off each other.
The Spy Game is not something that can be seen lightly ... and something that plays with human life. Where certain scenarios are considered wins, even if a lot has been lost ... you'll know once you see this. I'm surprised I never had seen this before the other day ... but there is only so many movies one can watch, right? -
Despite pairing together two Hollywood heavyweights in Robert Redford and Brad Pitt, "Spy Game" never manages to escape from mediocrity.
Redford and Pitt play CIA agents with Redford the experienced professional and Pitt his young understudy recruited during the Vietnam War. The duo fall out and separate during one of their assignments, until Pitt many years later blows one of his missions and ends up being thrown into a Chinese prison.
With Pitt set to be executed for espionage in 24 hours, it's up to Redford on hs last day before retirement (how many times hasn't that been used before???? ie Lethal Weapon 3) to save his former companion from the Chinese and the rest of the CIA who don't want to get involved.
It's fascinating to see the long winded plan Redford concocts from his office to save Pitt without his overzealous superiors finding out. Without a doubt, the unfolding of this plot is the highlight of "Spy Game". Unfortunately, in order to make this work, much time is needed to be spent on flashbacks showing the forging of Pitt and Redford's relationships, and their relationship with a mysterious woman (Catherine McCormack) who comes between them. After a while, this becomes downright tedious and is drawn out much longer than necessary.
Also a little difficult to ascertain is the motives of Robert Redford's character. At one point he shows little remorse in accidentally killing 70 civilians in order to complete a mission, but then gives up his entire retirement savings and risks possible litigation to save one person. Redford is nevertheless not too bad, and neither is Pitt despite little screen time, but a bit tighter scripting may have helped both of them elevate this film.
As a side note, although "Spy Game" is advertised as an action movie, there is precious little action to be seen. Director Tony Scott seems to be trying more to make a "thinking man's" flick, which is probably not his forte and doesn't particularly suit his stylised direction with fast forward sequences and drained out colours (very similar to the way his brother Ridley shot "Black hawk Down").
Overall, don't expect to see anything overly remarkable with "Spy Game". It's good enough to pass the time as a Saturday afternoon rental, but it certainly won't be a film you'll be discussing for days afterward.
6/10 -
Alex-Tsander26 February 2005You should expect a few anachronisms and factual errors in any film set more than ten years in the past. But this movie is completely full of them from beginning to end, and it was made not even ten years after when it was set. That's the first howler, the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 not 1992! Where do we start with the rest: if Brad Pit had been a tasty young hunk in 1992 how could he have also been a hardened assassin in Viet Nam, probably before he'd had time to have been born. How come the folk's in Beirut were chatting on cell-phones in 1982, years before they were available in the rest of the world, and when a car phone was literally that, a phone that required a car to move it! And what about the natty 2001 style thin monitor computer on the agent's Beirut office desk! Then what about the gigantic ten year gap in the plot between Brad character's girlfriend being caught and his going to rescue her, which is presented as an act of passion? Not only did it simmer well but she looked not a day older after ten years in a Chinese prison! Then that rescue.Who but an idiot would imagine that a p3 in the CIA has the authority to authorise an act of war on China! And if they did, only two choppers! And clapped out 40 year old old Huey's, when the USMC have been flying Black Hawk's since the Eighties. A stupid error made all the more glaring by the pilot of one referring to his machine as "Black Hawk One." Oh, I geddit, they are the same two Huey's they used in the Viet Nam scenes. Or maybe they are meant to be THE SAME TWO HUEYS that appeared in those scenes. You see, I don't know, in a film this full of temporal worm-holes anything is possible! Or maybe they should have spent more money on hiring choppers and less on the ridiculous overblown sound-track with its tiresome clichés comprising plaintiff choirboy's and Arabian vocal pirouettes and a clumsy abuse of themes from Vaughn-Williams.
As you may well imagine, my only reason for sticking to the end of this film was to see what more "howlers" were in store.
It seems to have been written by a twenty-something with an absolutely shameful and absolute ignorance of anything before the present. It is an appalling indictment of this director that he would put his name to such a thing. -
tedg23 November 2001Tony delivers something I would have expected from brother Ridley -- a set of images about images:
--the photographic and editing style is one of successive photographs often shifted/zoomed with the shutter click; some black and whites, many color deprived.
--the hero's cover story is as a photo journalist and his photos are shown the same as the CIA's, Redford's recollections, and the 'narrator's.'
--The agency is primarily about images in real life, images and action and that's self-referentially played up here. Scott uses a style of zooming in and out by jump cuts that he developed on his last film -- also about images and the intelligence community. Lots of cameras and binoculars here.
--the dramatic action is global, involving several hotspots with lots of action. When viewing that action, the cameras are hand-held. When watching the calm, controlling scenes at headquarters, we see them more statically as they are being videotaped, often spying through blinds. (Spy = see.) Often the images have digital tags.
--Some of the field scenes with Redford and Pitt are shot as though from a spy plane (as in that swooping, sweeping shot on a roof) or if interior as seen through a hole.
--Lots of helicopter shots, and lots of helicopters. It seems every combination was employed among the following: ground, interior of heli, interior of second heli, front of heli, heli POV, above heli. This by itself is self-referential when you notice how many of the 'ordinary' shots are from helis.
There is also a clever self-reference in the casting. Pitt was hailed as the 'new Redford' when he appeared in 'Thelma and Louise,' by brother Ridley. Then in 'River Runs' he was directed by Redford, in a Redfordlike role, underscoring the relationship. Here, he also is mentored, but in my opinion outacts Redford at every turn. I believe Scott intended to use Redford's limits as a tired actor to the advantage of this reference. Pitt has been working hard in relatively minor but challenging roles and the results show.
The only real complaints are the clumsy plot mechanics: the last day before retirement -- a clear 24 hour to doom clock -- a wily and complete outwitting of the pencilnecks -- all the CIA analysts and technicians as outwittable dimmies -- a senior character says 'get everything we have on so and so' and 10 seconds later a secretary appears with the files in multiple copies -- a helicopter is shot down: it disappears behind the trees and then we see a fireball. Fortunately we gloss over all that stuff. Couldn't in 'Enemy of the State.' -
johnnyboyz14 July 2002I certainly haven't seen a film like this for a long time! It's an
interesting one. Redford is on top form but Brad Pitt was maybe a
little bit of the opposite. The directing is superb and so is the
script, they got it just right. The film unravels slowly, all most to
slowly at times and then speeds up when you don't want it to. This
is the only disappointing factors. You need to be very awake to this
film so I'd recommend it. -
gruenig22 November 2001At the end of this film the woman sitting behind me said "Good
little spy film" in a tone of voice that would be appropriate for
encouraging a pet after it had done a trick. I agreed.
This film worked pretty well on the whole, though much of it is told
through flashbacks, so some may find the temporal discontinuities tiresome. However, the flashback vehicle seems
fitting since it's about a witty CIA operative's (Robert Redford) last
day on a job of 30 years, and most of the flashbacks are integral to
understanding what's happening in the film -- not to mention
serving character development. Some great soundtrack work, and
some wonderful cinematography in places.
I didn't find it quite as emotionally engrossing as I had hoped. I
liked the "real time" intensity of Training Day better. But I enjoyed
Spy Game. I give it 3 out of 4 stars. -
Spy Game is an interesting movie. The first half of the movie is incredible. This is for two reasons: the main one being Robert Redford, in a performance that garners 10 out of 10, he is just incredible in this role and almost singlehandedly makes this movie better then average.The second reason is the electric soundtrack heard constantly that is quite apropriate for this movie and never fails to keep the movie tense, exciting and involving. The problems start, however in the second half of the film.
There, the music is noticeably less, the explosions grow quite frequent and a minor love story is thrown into the equation. Things also start to get confusing. This is a very tough movie to follow, many times I had no idea what the heck was going on(and still don't.) In spite of those flaws, however, there is something (strangely) likable and compelling about spy game, the electric atmosphere and Redford's intensity make you want to see it through and know what happens next.Pitt's good here, though better in other roles quite honestly, Redford clealy steals the show here.
This is a movie that, as mentioned by many, could have been done a lot better. I'd still call it a good movie though, in spite of it's flaws. It grips you from the start and is pretty well paced even though the first half is clearly better then the second.
If nothing else, see it for Redford's incredible performance, he's as good here as anything I've ever seen him in and his character will suck you in from the beginning.
When I think a movie's really good I give it an 8 or above-when I think it's alright but not great it gets a 7. Spy game is not an 8 but somehow is above a 7 as well. I guess I'd rate this around a 7.7 or so. If you can get through the feeling of "what's going on?" that comes up quite frequently, you can become really involved in the atmosphere and action packed story line. -
hapiores31 March 2005There are many reasons why we like a movie or not. For me, this is the case in witch small things were enough to like it: the two main actors, the places in which the action occurs, and the fact that it has more to do with a love affair, in a tragic atmosphere than about spies. Well, of course this is about spies - two of them - and mostly about the relation between them; if they are similar enough to understand each other, they are also different enough to generate some tension in the relation.
Maybe this is more about how the characters move around each others than about action or intrigue. In fact this is so obvious that the way in which the story is told is mostly in flashback, with Muir (Robert Redford) introducing all of them and narrating part. So, the story is the story and the spy game is what Muir does within the CIA, in 24 hours or so. The distinction is important because if you think of this as a traditional spy movie (maybe like the Bourne Identity or Supremacy) it has two obvious flaws for the genre: the plot is very simple (maybe predictable) and there's no bad guy, no one to kill or to revenge; there's also almost no genuine action, and, as far as I can remember, Bishop (Brad Pitt) only fires one weapon in the whole movie. Maybe what mislead most of the people was the title of the movie, and maybe that's why most of them didn't like it. However, in my opinion, this is a very good movie, with strong leading roles and a compelling story.
No gadgets, no arms, no villains, no action...oh, no,this is a whole different game, and it's a serious and a dangerous game: the game of people and their relations. -
A more or less by the numbers spy thriller. Saying that though by focusing the plot on Robert Redfords character (the older, wiser and soon to retire) 'old-school', desk bound CIA operative the film doesn't fall into the stereotypical action-cum-spy thriller with pyrotechnics every couple of minutes or rooms full of spy-geeks staring at screens showing the latest satellite 'intel' to cover plot ground.
The film demonstrates that good old fashioned cunning and guile (plus knowing how the system works) is still enough to ensure that the right thing gets done. In this case the right thing is to try and ensure Brad Pitts character (the younger CIA field operative and Refords protégé) is freed from a Chinese prison instead of being left to the executioners in the name of political expediency from powerful people in suits high up in the US Administration and CIA.
This is, in a nutshellm, the film - Redfords must spend his last day at work fighting against the system and senior 'men in suits' to try and get his errant protégé Pitt released from a foreign jail.
Unfortunately the script and plots/sub-plots are never more than efficient, albeit fairly obvious. Brad Pitt hasn't too much to work with (and again he's efficient with what he has). The love interest in this film (and ultimately the reason Pitt's character ends up in the Chinese prison) is really quite weak - there's no on-screen chemistry and it stretches ones credulity a bit much for something so crucial to the story.
All-in-all worth a view. In it's favour the film doesn't fall into the crash-bang-wallop category of other films in this genre, and therefore remains believable, and induces a little empathy for the characters. On the down side there's nothing new here from the actors or the story and it's quietness and averageness will probably ensure you've forgotten you've even seen this film after a couple of weeks. -
sauravjoshi858 November 2021Spy Game is an action thriller film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, Stephen Dillane, Larry Bryggman and Marianne Jean-Baptiste.
CIA agent Nathan Muir is retiring and learns that his friend is incarcerated in China, he takes it upon himself to free him from the Chinese.
One of the most underrated films of Tony Scott, the film is very much engaging and the viewers who likes espionage spy thrillers will surely like the film. We have seen many edge of the seat spy thriller but this film is quite different from other films, the film will demand your patience due to it's slow speed but will not disappoint you.
Acting is superb and both Redford and Pitt were quite impressive in their respective roles. The screenplay of the film is slow but still have the ingredients to keep you engaged.
Climax of the film is good and satisfying, this film is not the typical spy thriller film but still a great entertainer. A Must watch underrated film. -
filmbuff197018 May 2002Starts ok but becomes quite dull until the finale.The movie isnt helped by it being predictable. Redford is good but in the flashback scenes he looks ancient. it tries hard to be another Clear and Present Danger but fails. in truth The Tailor of Panama was a lot better than this.so just 6 out of 10 for this movie.
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leonardozeligbrazil23 July 2002Spy Game is funny,interesting and action of first category.The story is about the rescue of Tom Bishop(played by Brad Pitt)a spy who is in jail in a prison in China.Everything happens in a terrible time when the US is in negotiations of peace with China.So the CIA doesn't mean to save the body of the agent, who is ward, of Nathan Muir(Redford,the best in the picture).So Muir has to rescue Bishop in 24 hours so he's going to be executed by the chineses.
The story is all told in flashbacks.But Tony Scott was very competent telling the story in a very modern way,as usual!He is used to do a very interesting game with the cameras.Showing quick scenes and a fast rythman.The story is incredible and you won't be disapointed!If you liked Enemy of the State which was made by the same director you'll like a lot this motion picture.Two thumbs up!!! -
Tony Scott's latest suspense film is a on and off crackerjack suspense thriller with covert ops, down to the clock thrills and other good things. Sometimes it's slow but it's never intolerable with Redford and Pitt delivering fine performances (I didn't know Redford could still act this good) as two spies, one retiring which is Redford, and the other (Pitt) is in a Chinese prison in detainment for espionage and while trying to save him in a 24 hour period Redford goes through their history together for a group of suspicious CIA types.
Some fine and definitely appropriate cinematography by Daniel Mindel and a good all around feel (the atmosphere is perfect as I mentioned earlier, as that the film creates situations and scenes where your eyes don't want to wander the screen for a second in fear of missing something that could be important) delivered by Scott and company; not anything that will win awards, but it is worthwhile for adults and other mature folks who might actualy go against the tide of Harry Potter and see this while the kids see that. B+ -
The most interesting and remarkable part of "Spy Game" is the opportunity to observe how much Brad Pitt resembles Robert Redford in his (much) younger days. The rest is a fatuous and banal waste of time (I saw it on a transcontinental flight and had no choice but to suffer through it).
The movie seems to have been thrown together simply as a vanity piece for Mr. Redford, who walks through the very familiar role of the "renegade" CIA man, reluctantly forced into doing good and outsmarting the bad guys (at the CIA of course). Banal devices such as locations and times printed across the bottom of the screen to accompanying urgent typewriter sound effects cannot save this "B Movie" from the drastic holes in its plot, and outrageously far-fetched scenarios. Mr. Redford's character looks remarkably the same in scenes supposed to be thirty years apart (Vietnam in the late '60s and ultimately during his final days before retirement from the CIA in the '90s). Brad Pitt's character does not appear to age at all from a young sergeant in Vietnam (about 20 years old) to a CIA "contact employee" who would thus be at least in his mid-forties during the film's setting in the 1990's. The film's producers and directors seem to be of the opinion that movie fans there to see poster-boys Redford and Pitt will overlook the preposterously flimsy storyline, and lack of any coherent plot. Pitt's character's training as a cold war CIA operative appears to consist of nothing more challenging than a series of fraternity initiation pranks ("I want to see you get in that building and standing on that balcony in fifteen minutes"). Redford's tweed-jacketed CIA Far East analyst strolls through the CIA headquarters making secret calls on his cell phone on his last day at work and cleverly arranges for an armed attack inside of a foreign country with a hand forged paper(apparently without any consequences or international reprecussions) to serve his own purposes. (Remember how agitated the Chinese got when one of their jets crashed into that US surveillance plane? What do you think they'd do if armed helicopters and soldiers attacked an installation well within Chinese territory?) The ostensible romance between Pitt's character and an English social worker is pivitol to the plot, but is barely addressed. Poorly conceived, and badly written, "Spy Game" is as idiotic as it is inept.