Spy Game

Starring: Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, Stephen Dillane, Larry Bryggman
Directed by: Tony Scott
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama
2001

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A soon-to-be retired CIA operative (Robert Redford) spends his last day in the office in a frantic struggle working against the CIA to try and save his protege (Brad Pitt), who has only a few hours left before he will be executed as a spy by China.

Review:

Tim: This is a well made spy thriller that has always felt a little weak to me. It is clever and interesting, but unfortunately, a bit choppy. The scenes from present to past are oftentimes clunky and not nearly as smooth as they need to be.

Robert Redford is fairly decent in the role. His skilled manipulation of the CIA is the most fascinating part of the movie. These are the most clever scenes and if the whole movie was comprised only of these, than it would be a fantastic movie.

Brad Pitt is decent, but this is not in the top half of his roles. He is very often boring and the love relationship he's in happens to be the weakest aspect of the entire film.

I always have a difficult time thinking about this film because when I contemplate on many specific scenes, I'm amazed at how great they are. The problem comes when the scenes are put together in a linear form- the bottom of the movie nearly falls out.

Fans of spy thrillers might really enjoy this movie. Others should at least be entertained throughout. The film needed to be a little bit tighter to be really great. As is, Spy Game is a decent ride.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Black Hawk Down, Man on Fire, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Enemy of the State