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Spy Game (2001)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
21 November 2001 (USA) moreTagline:
It's not how you play the game. It's how the game plays you. morePlot:
Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
3 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(47 articles)
J.J. Abrams Back in the TV Spy Game (From Beyond Hollywood. 1 October 2009, 8:21 AM, PDT)
Channel Surfing: J.J. Abrams Back in Spy Game, Aylesworth Briefed for "Damages," FX Orders "Terriers," "Lights Out" to Series, and More
(From Televisionary. 1 October 2009, 7:31 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Not just another Tony Scott action film--it's complex, thought-provoking. *** (out of four) more (327 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Robert Redford | ... | Nathan D. Muir | |
| Brad Pitt | ... | Tom Bishop | |
| Catherine McCormack | ... | Elizabeth Hadley | |
| Stephen Dillane | ... | Charles Harker | |
| Larry Bryggman | ... | Troy Folger | |
| Marianne Jean-Baptiste | ... | Gladys Jennip | |
| Matthew Marsh | ... | Dr. William Byars | |
| Todd Boyce | ... | Robert Aiken | |
| Michael Paul Chan | ... | Vincent Vy Ngo | |
| Garrick Hagon | ... | CIA Director Cy Wilson | |
| Andrew Grainger | ... | Andrew Unger | |
| Bill Buell | ... | Fred Kappler | |
| Colin Stinton | ... | Henry Pollard | |
| Ted Maynard | ... | CIA Administrator | |
| Tom Hodgkins | ... | CIA Lobby Guard |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for language, some violence and brief sexuality.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
126 min | Turkey:114 min (TV version)Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Brazil:12 | USA:R (certificate #38577) | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15Fun Stuff
Trivia:
In a nod to The Godfather (1972), where oranges signify disaster, Catherine McCormack's character is seen purchasing oranges right before she is abducted. moreGoofs:
Continuity: Muir's breakfast switches around between different shots when Bishop gives him the flask. moreQuotes:
Nathan Muir: I take it you didn't get to be a marksman putting food on your mama's table.Tom Bishop: No, sir. We have a Safeway back home.
Nathan Muir: Where'd you leard to shoot?
Tom Bishop: Boy scouts, sir.
Nathan Muir: What, are you kidding me?
Tom Bishop: No, sir.
more
Soundtrack:
Brothers in Arms moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (327 total)
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SPY 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.