Spy Game | | Cast : | Robert Redford, Brad Pitt | | Director : | Tony Scott | | Studio : | Universal Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound | | Released Date : | November 21, 2001 | | DVD Released Date : | February 08, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | April 13, 2005 | | Summary | Over-editing Mars An Otherwise Good Film | Content
 | Nathan Muir (Robert Redford), a CIA operative about to retire, receives a phone call from Hong Kong on the morning of his retirement. Hurry to the office and read the cable. At CIA Headquarters, Muir learns that Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) has been taken prisoner by the Chinese government for trying to help a prisoner escape. Muir's supervisors want to hear all about Tom, an operative trained by Muir. Muir quickly learns that Tom may be sacrificed and sets about saving his former protégé.
"Spy Game", the new film directed by Tony Scott and starring Redford and Pitt, is a satisfyingly good film. Almost surprisingly so. Scott is a good director, but he edits his films very fast, almost as though he is catering to the MTV Generation. He may very well be doing that, but if so, the film has a lot of story, seasoned actors, and a complicated story, elements not usually associated with an MTV Generation film.
Redford is very good cast as the aging CIA operative. Much of the film is told in flashback as he recounts the training of Tom Bishop. These scenes are actually the best because they allow the actors to create a relationship, a bond between the characters which is interesting to watch. Redford conveys an authority that Bishop picks up on and almost embraces. He becomes the father figure that Pitt's character needs. He also manages to convey emotion when his character isn't supposed to convey any. It is interesting to watch Redford play against Pitt; I can see the similarities between Redford at Pitt's age and Pitt's acting now. If Pitt manages to create half the library that Redford has, his career will be well-remembered.
A significant portion of the film is set in 1991, present day in the film's timeline. These scenes focus on Muir trying to learn about Bishop's situation and smack of an artificial air. These scenes are interesting but Muir learns way too many things by catching glimpses of things out of the corner of his eye, or holding fake conversations during the middle of an interrogation. All of these scenes are set in CIA Headquarters. They make the rest of the staff working at the CIA appear to be buffoons.
As the story careens back and forth, in both time and between places, I became increasingly involved in the story and was able to overlook the excessive editing. The flashbacks, ranging from the Vietnam War to the conflict in Lebanon, show Bishop as he matures and the relationship with Muir deepens. As they are both spies, outward emotion is frowned upon, so it is interesting to watch Pitt and Redford display what emotions they can and to make these characters empathetic.
The editing is still on my mind. At times, this works. For instance, there will be a master shot, establishing a town square for instance. Then the camera will find an element, move quickly towards it and turn slightly, showing us where Muir is, in a landscape. This seems successfully evocative of an actual spy mission. But this type of effect is carried to extremes and over-done, making it difficult to concentrate on things for very long.
Another interesting thing about the film is the pacing. Most of the flashback sequences are exciting and fast-paced. The scenes set in 1991 are much, much slower.I don't mind this, but it is another inconsistency, especially as the film appears to be geared towards the MTV crowd.
Despite the over-editing and the ease with which Muir finds out confidential information, I recommend "Spy Game" for the engaging characters created by Redford and Pitt.
|
| Rating | | | Date | February 24, 2005 | | Summary | Great Buddy Spy Movie | Content
| In "Spy Games" Robert Redford plays retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir, who is interveiwed on his last day becuase his recruit Tom Biship (Brad Pitt) has been arrested in China. This is really a very intellegent spy thriller. It dose have the usual cleches that you might expect, but it also has a believable heart and very likable chimistry between the two stars. The film is told mostly in flashback, from Muir's recruiting Biship after Vietnam (dosn't Pitt seem a little young to have been there?), their first mission in Communist East Germany, and the long mission in Beruit that finally broke up the team. It is also framed by a countdown to Biship's execution in 24 hours. The movies strengths are in watching Redford manipulate the other questioners into giving him the information he needs to help Biship. The movie is directed by Tony Scott with lots of gusto; one can not accuse him of being lazy! It is an intertaining way to kill a couple of hours, if you're not in the mood for James Bond. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 04, 2005 | | Summary | Redford as foxy old dog fun to see | Content
| I liked this movie more after watching it multiple times. It's not the kind of movie you necessarily enjoy watching over and over, but it is nice to watch after you've already unraveled the sometimes-confusing plot so that you can enjoy the show.
The movie follows two storylines, the first a flashback involving the relationship of CIA Field Manager Redford and his recruit-turned-protégé Pitt. The current storyline involves Redford's efforts to save Pitt from the depths of a Chinese prison while the rest of the CIA is working to bury him.
Redford's character is pretty cool, with the street-smarts of a Harry Bosch combined with a slick comfort in the presence of administrators that Bosch could never muster. He is basically trying to redeem himself for a lifetime of morally ambiguous CIA dealings by putting his career and even freedom on the line on Pitt's behalf.
The camera cuts are gritty and fast-paced, without being so MTV'ed out that they distract from the story. The story is simple and intriguing, with the most pleasure coming from Redford's little tricks that, on the one hand, are so old fashioned that they wouldn't seem out of place in a quaint gumshoe noir, but on the other hand are just clever enough to be believable in foiling the CIA.
The movie bogs down in some of the flashbacks in my opinion, and the cuts from present to past and back again get slightly confusing if you're not paying close attention. |
| Rating | | | Date | November 01, 2004 | | Summary | Hell of an ad for the Boy Scouts. | Content
| I must admit, Tony Scott is one of the greatest action directors the film world has to offer. He not only has the ability to push his actors, but also create these amazing visuals that transport us deep into the setting of the film. He has mastered the cinematography of nearly every picture he has done, giving us these beautiful shots of the world that we may never see in our lifetime. Several of his films enhance my DVD collection like Crimson Tide and True Romance, but sadly Spy Game will not. While Scott does wonders with the actors, scenes, and camera angles, it is the story that is ultimately flaws this film. The lack of coherence, consistency, and structure take this Tony Scott film and transform it into just your average Hollywood spy film. It had the potential to reach new levels, and there were several scenes that I loved, but I just couldn't believe the story. Let me explain.
My biggest issue with this film was the lack of aging from our two main characters. This film spans a timeframe of about sixteen years, and throughout the course of that time neither Pitt nor Redford age. Director Scott chose not to use CGI or younger actors for the parts when they were in Vietnam, so as the time progressed in the film, our main actors did not. This was a huge hurdle to overcome since I wanted to enjoy this film. I did not see the mission where the discovered the fountain of youth, so I can only assume that this was some bad judgment on Scott's part. Redford and Pitt should have aged more than what they did in this film allowing us to see the emotion and sheer force behind their eyes.
Outside of this point it was your average Hollywood action film. Large explosions and violence countered with a sneaky Sneakers-esque style subplot overshadowed the plot. Pitt was nothing more than the muscle of the operation, and Scott gave us nothing to build more upon his character. I fault the writer of this film. I believe that the homework was done correctly, just not structured correctly. Perhaps it was just me, but I had trouble following some of the missions. I realize they were necessary, and possibly not rocket science, but the scene with Charlotte Rampling made no sense. Maybe I missed a part that was crucial in some way, but overall it just seemed like there was more jumping and fighting than actual plot. I felt as if the love interest was randomly placed through the film. I realize that Pitt was not one to follow simple commands, but I felt early on in this film that he would have the ability to walk away from a woman if needed. Spy Game suddenly went from smart espionage film to "master has to fix newbie's mistake". This felt strange to me because throughout the film Redford continued to speak about having the upper hand, and not straying from the point. Yet, when Redford was faced to save his friend, he did just that. Was he learning from his pupil? If so, it was not very well spelled out and a very weak point.
Outside of the story, director Tony Scott gives yet another beautiful film. The cinematography is outstanding. I loved the way that he kept us, the audience, in suspense as to what time it was and how much time they had to save Pitt's character. The black and white flashes followed by the time were inventive and it seemed to work. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Scott controlled this film and it was a pleasure to see that. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the master of the action genre and that more scripts should be coming his way. I hope they are more inventive than this outing and have at least a bit more meat on their bones.
Overall, I thought this was an average film. I am disappointed because there are better than average films that Tony Scott has released, I am ashamed to ask why this film was not one of them. Pitt was solely used for the purpose of his strength (and to capture the attention of a younger female audience) while Redford was used mainly for his dashing good looks (and to capture the attention of the older female audience). Once you realize this point than this film will fall into place. I don't think it deserves more than one viewing, but the cinematography alone was powerful enough to watch once.
Grade: *** out of ***** |
| Rating | | | Date | October 12, 2004 | | Summary | Solid, gritty espionage. | Content
| Despite numerous flaws, Spy Game is a thrilling picture. It also happens to be the most realistic (realistic being a relative term... this is still a Hollywood movie) portrayal of espionage to be put on film; this as close to the real deal as Hollywood has ever gotten, folks.
The screenplay, written by Michael Frost Beckner and David Arata, is a solid effort, if somewhat forgettable. It unfortunately suffers from a few cliches throughout (the aging, retiring mentor syndrome, a melodramatic love affair) but makes up for its off-beat moments with occasionally razor-sharp dialogue and moments of genuine tension. Tony Scott directs, showing remarkable restraint in his usual pension for ultra-flashy camera techniques. Spy Game still has its fair share of camera kinetics, and Scott directs the action scenes with the high-movement and quick editing he's known for. Harry Gregson-Williams provides the film's both intense and subtle score, an electro-symphony mix with flourishes of choral work that's as effective and functional as the film.
Acting wise, Robert Redford plays the same role he's played many times before, and honestly, seems to be almost neutral the whole picture. While utterly convincing, he hardly pushes himself here. No, this is more of a vehicle for Brad Pitt and his rising talent, and while Pitt does well, it is the supporting cast that carries the film.
Spy Game will never win any awards. Still, the film deserves more attention than it's gotten, and is definitely worth a look, and espionage fans should definitely make an effort to see the film. It's a well-made, well-acted picture with some real suspense and tension. |
|
Picture 01 (20)
