Spy Game (2002, VHS)

Ah-h, yes-s... there's nothing like a good old-fashioned spy thriller to get the old heart pumping. Back in those good old Cold War days of the 1950s through the early '80s, it seemed like there were plenty of spy movies around... films usually pitting the good guys (anyone stealing state secrets on behalf of the forces of Democracy and Freedom) against the bad guys (any one of the old Communist Bloc countries... especially the Soviet Union.)

In the past few years it seems like there are fewer spy movies being made. Yes, there's the obligatory James Bond movie that comes out about one every two years... but not much else. Until now, that is...

Recently I rented the DVD version of Spy Game, an espionage thriller set in the early 1990s, right around the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union and Communism in eastern Europe. Starring Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, and Steven Dillane, Spy Game is the story (kinda-sorta) of how a young, impetuous Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent named Tom Bishop (Pitt) manages to get himself caught red-handed engaged in an act of espionage against Communist China, and of how the CIA reacts to the knowledge of Bishop's capture and impending execution.

There! I have now given you a brief synopsis of Spy Game. Because that's just how simple and straightforward the film's premise is. At the outset, we find a beaten and bloodied Bishop languishing in a hell-hole Chinese prison. Meanwhile, back at "company" headquarters in Langley, Virginia, the CIA brass is busily scratching its collective head trying to figure out what to do about the situation. They decide to consult with the guy who recruited and mentored Bishop, retiring CIA field supervisor Nathan Muir (Robert Redford.)

There are things good and bad to say about Spy Game in about equal measure. The overall quality of the acting, the film's premise, and the cinematography are all pretty good. Not Oscar caliber, mind you, but certainly good enough to keep viewers entertained for the Spy Game's two-plus hours running time.

Robert Redford, always the consummate professional in every film in which he appears, turns in another solid performance as Nathan Muir. His character is, in turn, tough, compassionate, sagacious... and a completely cold-blooded CIA field supervisor, a man capable of ordering the death of another human being without so much as a second thought. At the same time, Redford imbues Nathan Muir with a marvelous sense of dry humor that allows him to seem, on the surface, at least, totally "human."

Brad Pitt is excellent as the hot-headed, unpredictable Tom Bishop. I have to confess that I haven't seen Pitt in very many films, so it's hard for me to draw comparisons between his work in Spy Game and his performances in earlier movies. Having said that, this is undoubtedly a very good performance. He shows a considerable range in his acting, and makes his character seem totally believable.

The scenes between Redford and Pitt are excellent. From the very first scene in which these two excellent actors appear together, there exists a tension that's almost palpable. Redford, the wise old pro, demanding absolute obedience from his prot g , and Pitt, the "young Turk," bridling and chafing under Redford's tutelage.

Other actors in Spy Game don't fare quite so well as Redford and Pitt. Catherine McCormack turns in a barely credible performance as Elizabeth Hadley; Stephen Dillane is barely tolerable as Nathan Muir's supervisor and b te noir Charles Harker; and Larry Bryggman, with his chronic "deer-in-the-headlights" stare in many scenes in which he appears, is even worse as CIA Director Troy Folger.

The story line in Spy Game is a kind of mixed bag. The film's basic premise is very good... and has the potential to fascinate audiences. It's a story of how a young man, at loose ends in the world, suddenly finds himself recruited by the CIA, how he's trained to play the "Spy Game," and how his human weakness leads him so far astray that he ends up in mortal danger.

Spy Game's story line, so full of potential... on paper at least... falls down badly in its execution. For some reason, screen writers Michael Frost Beckner and David Arata opted to tell their story through a series of flashbacks that are long-winded, frequently disjointed, and, more often than not, confusing. I mean, here we are, with Tom Bishop, one of our protagonists locked in a Chinese maximum security prison, practically disavowed by his own government, and only hours away from being executed by his captors... and the people responsible for saving him from certain death are spending their time sitting around a conference table inside CIA headquarters "chewing the fat" about how Bishop became a CIA agent in the first place. It just doesn't make any sense! The almost non-existent sense of urgency to rescue Bishop robs the film of most of its tension.

There are other less important but equally distracting problems with Spy Game. One of its earliest distractions (and one that causes the film to lose a lot of credibility in my eyes from the very "git-go") is the preponderance of high-tech equipment in the scenes at CIA Headquarters. Very high-tech equipment. So high-tech, in fact, that some of it (the large 19- and 21-inch color computer monitors, the state-of-the-art computers, and the video taping equipment, to name but a few examples) weren't even developed until well after the film's 1991 time frame. A small error, to be sure, but hey, Tony Scott... if you want to give your film an air of authenticity, you gotta pay attention to these kinds of detail.

MY VERDICT: Oh, to be able to award half-star ratings here at Epinions-dot-com! Spy Game is truly deserving of a good, solid * * * rating from me. It's saved from total mediocrity only by the excellent performances of Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. The story line, so full of potential, and yet so lacking in execution, robs the film of the kind of tight cohesiveness necessary for a world-class spy thriller. Yes, there are some good moments in Spy Game, and the movie is entertaining enough... but it's not the kind of film I would go out and deliberately add to my DVD collection.

THE DVD:

"Extras" provided: Lots of "goodies" included on this DVD:

* Widescreen (2.35:1 aspect ratio) formats.
* Filmmaker commentary with director Tony Scott
* Clandestine OPS: "A unique viewing experience that puts you in control."
* Alternate versions and deleted scenes
* Script-to-storyboard featurette.
* Theatrical trailers, filmographies, and production notes
* Web link to official Spy Game website (DVD-ROM)

Video Quality: Superb!! Clear and sharp resolution, little evidence of "pixellization." Beautifully rendered colors and natural flesh tones.

Audio Quality: Superb! Clear, crisp, and vibrant, with all frequencies clearly audible. Wonderful stereo imaging.