Spy Game
reviewed by: ReelReviewz@aol.com

MOVIE BIASES: Mildly interested in the Redford-Pitt pairing, but REALLY interested in any Tony Scott film.

MAJOR PLAYERS: Robert Redford (The Last Castle), Brad Pitt (The Mexican), and director Tony Scott (Enemy of the State).

Life isn't a game. Rules are frequently broken, there are no do-overs, and there's rarely a clear winner. For our entertainment, Tony Scott & company present the espionage industry in "Spy Game" as a game, one where rules need to be followed, the nimble and savvy can fix mistakes, and the clear winner is he who survives long enough to "die someplace warm." Fortunately, for our entertainment, watching the game unfold in "Spy Game" makes the audience the clear winner.

It had to happen that the biggest crisis of Nathan Muir's (Redford) career is, literally, on his last day on the job. Tom Bishop (Pitt), Nathan's CIA spy protégé, has been caught trying to free someone from a Chinese prison. Not only is he stuck there, but also he's mercilessly tortured, with only twenty-four hours to go until execution. Meanwhile, Stateside, Muir is called in to give background on his operative in an Agency effort to find a way to let the Chinese kill Bishop. With a deadly ticking clock, a game of wits unfolds between Muir and the Agency suits as he tries to maneuver a rescue while in a political and logistical straitjacket, set against a backdrop of flashback sequences that show just how valuable Bishop is to the Agency - and to Nathan.

Redford and Pitt are in fine form. As the subtle, cunning, soon-to-be CIA retiree Nathan Muir, Redford has painted a picture of a man who is preternaturally in control even when he isn't, using gentle dabs of humor, sarcasm, and wit instead of broad, showy, dramatic brush strokes. Just like his character, Redford is a confident, crafty veteran comfortable in his veteran skills. This is never more evident than when he plays opposite of Pitt, who himself demonstrates the faux-restraint of a young hotshot who thinks he has it all in control but is really only steps ahead of his own youthful forthrightness. These main ingredients - young versus old, precision versus passion -drive the integral story and relationship, as well as Nathan's sense of responsibility for his former charge.

All the pieces are there. A crackling, nuanced script by Michael Frost Beckner that features a severely ticking clock and emotion at the heart of policy and technology, gives Tony Scott more than enough to play with. Master of tension Scott (Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, The Fan, Top Gun) employs a haunting and, at times, pulsating musical score, quick jump cuts and slick editing reminiscent of his use of satellite imagery in "Enemy of the State," and even borrows brother Ridley's cinematographic use of washed out gray and blue hues to further ratchet up the mood. Even the wardrobe department is on point, as the clothes for the two leads accurately model the stylish trends of the times in this three-decade spanning story.

There's something to be said about doing a job and making sure that job is well done. Something about taking responsibility for your product, your people, for seeing a project through to the end that Nathan Muir obviously connects with. "Spy Game" is a rare Hollywood case of a job well done. In this case, life, disguised as entertainment, is a game that is very well played.

@@@ REELS (THREE REELS)
It's pretty hot - go give it a shot.
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