CCC Reviews

Spy Game

Robert Redford is old. Robert Redford is very old. In fact, why isn't Robert Redford dead yet? Okay, well maybe he isn't that old but it's been a LONG while since he's been in an incredible movie. Not since his glory days sharing the screen with Paul Newman has Redford been at his best, I mean seriously, The Horse Whisperer? Pffft.

All of a sudden Redford has re-entered all of our lives, most recently with The Last Castle starring opposite James Gandolfini. Spy Game tries to put Redford's chemistry with other good actors to work. Brad Pitt has been simply amazing in every film he's been in. While some of the movies weren't good, Pitt has proven to be the shining point of each film. From Fight Club to Se7en and even The Mexican he has been a great actor.

Now this isn't the first time Redford and Pitt have teamed up, you mustn't forget that Pitt starred in A River Runs Through It where Redford directed. So here we've got an acting combination of one of the best actors of yesterday and one of the best of today.

Spy Game initially starts off intense, with Bishop infiltrating a Chinese prison to rescue an inmate. However things turn sour and he is caught at the door. Nathan Muir is a top rank CIA agent at the end of his career. He is getting ready for the last day of his career. However, word of Bishop's capture gets to him. Bishop is Muir's old field operative that he picked up during the Vietnam War.

Most of the movie is told through flashbacks on how Muir and Bishop worked together on a series of operations, the differences in their characters is portrayed how Muir is strictly by the book and Bishop is willing to make sacrifices to his own benefit. These sequences were great, full of energy and entertaining. Redford and Pitt have great chemistry together but their scenes together are extremely lacking.

All in all the movie is fun and has a great job done by both Redford and Pitt, but Pitt definitely steals the show. Redford is good alongside somebody, but by his lonesome he suffers. 

Scores for Spy Game
Slacker711 - - "Incredible story, but the duo needs more screen-time."

Cast
Nathan Muir - Robert Redford
Tom Bishop - Brad Pitt
Elizabeth Hadley - Catherine McCormick
Charles Harker - Stephen Dillane
Troy Folger - Larry Bryggman
Gladys Jennip - Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Dr. Byars - Matthew Marsh
Robert Aiken - Todd Boyce
Vincent Vy Ngo - Michael Paul Chan
Cy Wilson - Garrick Hagon
Andrew Unger - Andrew Grainger
Fred Kappler - Bill Buell
Henry Pollard - Colin Stinton
Harry Duncan - David Hemmings
Mitch Alford - James Aubrey

Crew
Director - Tony Scott
Story - Michael Frost Beckner
Screenplay - David Arata
Producer - Marc Abraham
Producer - Douglas Wick
Executive Producer - Armyan Bernstein
Executive Producer - Thomas Bliss
Executive Producer - James Skotchdopole
Executive Producer - Iain Smith
Original Music - Harry Gregson-Williams
Cinematography - Daniel Mindel
Film Editing - Christian Wagner
Casting - Lucinda Syson
Casting - Bonnie Timmerman