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Spy Game (2001)
Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins
Synopsis: Robert Redford stars as veteran CIA agent Nathan Muir in this thriller from Tony Scott (TOP GUN, ENEMY OF THE STATE). Set in 1991, Muir expects his last day before retirement to be an easy one. Instead, he finds that his protégé, Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt), is being held on espionage charges in a... Robert Redford stars as veteran CIA agent Nathan Muir in this thriller from Tony Scott (TOP GUN, ENEMY OF THE STATE). Set in 1991, Muir expects his last day before retirement to be an easy one. Instead, he finds that his protégé, Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt), is being held on espionage charges in a Chinese prison will be executed in 24 hours. A seasoned agent, Muir has played spy games for a long time and quickly realizes that the CIA may not be acting in Bishop's best interest. Even as an agency committee is grilling Muir, he is secretly working to secure his former charge's freedom. Action-packed flashbacks establish the relationship between the two men: their first meeting during the Vietnam War, Muir's recruitment of Bishop following the war, Bishop's training and early missions in Berlin, and an important operation in Beirut. Similarly, the flashbacks trace the evolution of Bishop from an eager, brand-new agent in 1975 to a disillusioned veteran in the mid-1980s who is at odds with his mentor, Muir. This last layer of conflict adds extra suspense to SPY GAME, as Muir must decide whether to help his old friend or take the easy way out. [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, Stephen Dillane, Larry Bryggman
Screenwriter: David Arata, Michael Frost Beckner
Producer: Douglas Wick, Marc Abraham
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
DVD Info
Release:
Oct 8, 2007
HD-DVD Features:
- Red HD Case
- Widescreen - 2.35
Audio:
- Dolby Digital Surround Sound Plus 5.1 - English, French, Spanish
- Subtitles - English SDH, French, Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Material:
- Trailers - 1. Theatrical Trailer
- Commentaries - 1. Tony Scott - Director
- 2. Marc Abraham, Douglas Wick - Producers
- Featurettes - 1. Deleted Scenes
- 2. Alternative Versions of Existing Scenes
- 3. Script to Storyboard Process Featuring Director Tony Scott
- 4. SPY GAME Soundtrack
- 5. "Requirements for CIA Acceptance"
- 6. "Clandestine Ops"
Reviews
It just isn't thrilling enough -- an impression compounded by Scott's tiresomely overenthusiastic and gimmicky camerawork.
Wittily scripted and wonderfully played by the veteran blond bombshell, Redford's HQ scenes sparkle.
... afterwards I realized that I had been maneuvered into rooting for a dangerously reckless and presumptuous man.
...takes the spy formula and dilutes it with wholly unnecessary plot twists and a flashback structure that's more confusing than anything else.
This is Brad Pitt, for crying out loud! Where can you send him undercover? In the CIA's Beverly Hills bureau?
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