Spy
Game Cast : Brad Pitt,
Robert Redford, Catherine McCormack
Director : Tony Scott
Written By : Michael Beckner, David Arata and John
Lee Hancock
Trailer: Quicktime
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The secret world of espionage has long been romanticized in
film and print. The dashing deeds of such agents as James
Bond, The Saint, and even Austin Powers have delighted readers
and moviegoers the world over for decades. Images of exotic
locales, deadly super villains, gorgeous women, and danger
around every corner are how the public opinion of agents has
been shaped thanks to numerous works of popular entertainment.
In reality, the world of espionage is often far less glamorous,
and at times a thankless profession that is conducted by a
special breed of person. In the film Spy Game
director Tony Scott gives us a look inside the secretive and
dangerous world of the CIA and in the process creates an entertaining
and well-crafted tale.
The film opens with a covert operation gone wrong in a Chinese
prison in 1991. In the aftermath an agent named Tom Bishop
(Brad Pitt), has been captured and sentenced to be executed
the following morning. Complicating matters is that the U.S.
and China are a week away from a Presidential visit to China
that will pave the way for increased trade between the two
nations.
Shortly after Bishop is captured, a phone call is made to
agent Nathan Muir (Robert Redford) to inform him of Bishops
plight. It is bad timing for Muir as he is about to spend
his last day at the CIA before retiring to his dream house
in the Bahamas. Undaunted by the unexpected news, Nathan is
soon trying to learn all he can about the situation and is
dismayed at being left out of the loop by his superiors and
co workers. Nathan however has more than one trick left and
this is what provides the tension and drama for the film.
It is revealed that Nathan was the agent that recruited and
trained Bishop starting in Vietnam in 1975. Since Nathan has
a solid understanding of Tom, Nathan is able to get in on
the task force by withholding information saying that there
are few documents as he kept the related information in his
head. Before long, Nathan starts to see that there is far
more to the story than he is being told, and that his former
partner is being set aside in the interest of a much larger
picture, and for matters that few in the agency are willing
to discuss.
Nathan sets out to use all the tricks of his trade to learn
the truth about Tom, what the agency is not willing to tell
him, and most importantly, save Tom before time runs out.
Redford does a fantastic job in the film as his sly smile
shows how is he always thinking a few steps ahead of his opponents
and that he is manipulating the game according to his plan
like a chess master toying with a novice. The majority of
Pitts role is shown through a series of flashbacks as
Nathan recounts various operations the two worked on ranging
from Vietnam, East Germany and Beirut amongst countless others.
It is through the flashbacks that the audience learns of Bishops
transformation from soldier, to spy and the changes that happen
to him as a result of his work experiences as well as his
relationship with Nathan. While Bishop does not like not always
being informed, and the cold and often brutal nature of the
business, he respects Nathan and is very loyal to him not
only for his expert training, but also for his friendship
and commitment. In many ways it is a father-son relationship,
as Nathan seems to be grooming Tom in his own image to be
his successor.
Division comes between the two men in the form of a medic
named Elizabeth (Katherine McCormack), that Tom has become
involved with during an operation in Beirut. Nathan sees her
as an asset to be used and discarded, and a potential threat
to the mission. Tom believes that Nathan has no place in his
personal life and that he is capable of doing his job and
can take care of himself. It is this division that comes into
play, as Nathan has not seen Tom in many years at the time
of the films opening.
What follows is an interesting mix of suspense, drama, and
action as past missions are recounted and Nathan is racing
against the clock for one final mission. The film also gives
a solid look at the lives of the operatives as Nathan is a
man who believes that many of the people they deal with are
assets to be used and if necessary discarded in order to survive
and accomplish the mission. At one point in the film, Nathan
tells Tom if it ever comes down between you and an asset,
send flowers. Like a game of chess, people are to be
pawn in the larger game and they are to be manipulated and
sacrificed for the good of the overall goal. For years Nathan
has believed and practiced this rule, and now he is faced
with the end of his espionage career and he is having a hard
time letting some things go.
The film is first rate and moves along at a solid pace. The
cast is solid and Redford once again shows why he is a modern
master of his profession. Pitt gives a strong performance
and shows Tom as an individual with passion, devotion, and
loyalty. Spy Game is a strong, well-acted film
that not only entertains, but also makes you think about those
individuals who makes sacrifices daily in order to protect
our nation and in these difficult times, the message is even
stronger.
4.5
stars out of 5
Gareth Von Kallenbach
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