2karl- This brad pitt and rob redford spy thriller directed by tony scott he makes this film one of the thirllers of 2001 and one its one hour 15mins it flies by as there was a time when Cia officer nathan muir he play as wise character y redford and his wingman tom bishop played by brad they were inseparable travelling the world and tasting every thing it had to offer from vietnam to beirut in a profession fraight with danger and uncertainty muir and bishop forget an uncommonly close friendship but that was years ago, now in 1991 on the brink of retirement from the agency muir learns that bishop has gone rogue jailed overseas on espionage and is scheduled to die in the next 24 hours muir decides to take on the most dangerous mission and personal mission of his life as bishop got sucked in to the one game that he taught he wouldn't get caught doing as he played the game but game got him instead as muir bishop finds out the hard way operation dinners out is a go go go go . enjoy

Paul J. Nemecek Director Tony Scott is no newcomer in directing military thrillers and stories of political intrigue. His past films include Top Gun, Crimson Tide, and Enemy of the State. This is not new ground for actor Robert Redford either. Redford plays Nathan Muir, a CIA operative on his last day on the job. At different points, Redford's character reminded me of his previous characters in All The President's Men, Three Days of the Condor, and Sneakers.In Spy Game, both actor and director live up to the standards set by these previous works, and on occasion even manage to transcend. Redford's Nathan Muir is recruiter and mentor for protégé Tom Bishop (capably portrayed by Brad Pitt). Like this year's Training Day the center of the film is the tension between the cynical, somewhat jaded veteran and the starry-eyed idealist rookie. Like this year's Tailor of Panama or Oliver Stone's Salvador there is a love interest that complicates the relationship between the two men. In an odd twist of casting fate, Catherine McCormack (Braveheart, Dangerous Beauty) plays the love interest in this film and in Tailor of Panama.The central debate that drives the film is the ethics of espionage. What means are justified by particular desired ends? The question is certainly a relevant and important question in the current political context. The plot, in brief, is protégé becomes a rogue spy in order to save his love interest, and veteran becomes a rogue in order to save his protégé.Any good thriller has to have sufficient twists and turns to keep us guessing, and Spy Games does not disappoint. The story is well written and director Scott does a good job of making the story come to life. The performances by Pitt and McCormack are solid performances, but Redford's Nathan Muir is the central character and Redford makes the most of the part. In fact, I have difficulty imagining another acting playing the part after watching Redford at work. The Redford persona that started with the Sundance Kid comes through in the world-weary, somewhat cynical Nathan Muir.I was tempted to review Harry Potter this week (I liked it). For engaging fantasy and escape, Harry Potter is hard to beat. I suspect, however, that Harry Potter fans have already seen the film and Harry Potter detractors will see it when Hogwarts Academy freezes over. If you are ready for a film that will keep you engaged and stimulate conversations about realpolitik in the modern era, or if you want to see Redford at the top of his game, Spy Game is worth a look.

HotToastyRag The title of Spy Game is perfectly suited to the film; half of it is an action thriller, and the other half is a cheesy comedy. If you watch the preview, you'll hear tons of one-liners flying back and forth between Robert Redford and his younger self, Brad Pitt. If you're chuckling, go ahead and rent it. If you think it's silly, skip this movie and stick to Three Days of the Condor.Bob and Brad are CIA agents; the former trained and taught the latter. The most memorable line from the film is when Brad gestures for Bob to go ahead in a shoot-out: "Age before beauty." This line demonstrates the real problem with the film. Let's face it, you're either a Robert Redford fan who thinks Brad Pitt is a young upstart, or you're a Brad Pitt fan who thinks Robert Redford should retire. It's not possible to root for both of them! So, in the film, when Brad gets captured by the Chinese and Bob sets out to rescue him, you're either thinking, "Stay home, don't risk your neck for that kid!" or, "You don't need any help from that old timer!" My advice is to watch the preview. That's as good as it's going to get. Then, rent your favorite film from whichever blond beauty you're partial to. I know what I'm watching tonight, old sport!

Leofwine_draca Here's an atypical but enthralling thriller from sure-hand director Tony Scott which plays out most of its tale in various flashbacks, but is held together through an excellent leading turn from Robert Redford. Redford is an ageing CIA agent and on his last day of work before retirement (gee, where have we heard that one before?) he learns that his young protégé has been captured for spying in a Chinese prison and is due to be executed the following morning. Much of the film consists of him relating previous experiences and adventures to his superiors as the clock ticks down towards his partner's imminent death. Whilst this might not sound to be very interesting viewing, the flashbacks are invariably exciting and involve lots of secrecy, death, and open warfare in some cases (an excellent interlude in Beirut for example), elements all woven together well.The present scenes of Redford using his own contacts and methods to help his captured chum are excellently portrayed and even if the film comes a little loose towards the ending, it still engages the senses through the quality of the acting. Here's a film with some fleshed-out characters brought to vivid life through the strong actors playing them. Redford and Pitt are excellent in their two very different roles, and we also get strong support from Catherine McCormack as Pitt's love interest and Stephen Dillane, excellently snide as an enemy of Redford's at the intelligence agency. Flashily directed by Scott and never lulling for a moment, this is an exciting and intelligent movie with plenty of incident and dynamism to recommend it.