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.

Tony Scott's Spy Game is a kinetic yet heartfelt espionage thriller that sees the director maintain considerable shards of his assaulting sensory overdrive of style, whilst pausing along the way for a story that is really rooted in the personal story of the bond and friendship between two men. A lot of his films are predominantly visual and auditory, a bullet train of sound and fury, with plot and characterization as passengers onboard. Here those elements are cogs in the machine, resulting in a very touching, extremely exciting outing and perhaps the director's most overlooked piece. Robert Redford used to be the younger, more naive faction in a lot of cinematic pairings, especially with Paul Newman. Here he flips the coin, taking on the grizzled mantle of both father figure and mentor to Brad Pitt. Pitt is Tom Bishop, an operative taken under the wing of veteran agent Nathan D. Muir (Redford). Nathan no doubt sees some of himself in the lad, and takes a shine to him, grooming him with all the skills and cunning that a lifetime in the business has given him. Life throws curveballs though, and more often than not they involve love. Bishop has gone rogue in an attempt to rescue relief worker Elizabeth Hadley (the brilliant Catherine McCormack, who needs to be in more movies) from a Chinese prison. In his eagerness he is captured, leaving Muir to make some tough decisions, pull some hidden cards and use all of his talent and resources to extract them. Now in many films like this there would be several blistering action set pieces to show how it's done. Scott instead chooses to give Redford the intellectual grit and subversive genius to pull hidden strings and come up with a wicked fun solution that is endlessly more satisfying than an explosion ridden shock and awe campaign. His struggle to get his friend back is laced with flashbacks of his training, with a 70's flavour that feels authentic and writing that lovingly builds the blocks of their dynamic. Stephen Dillane provides wonderfully understated work as a quietly smarmy CIA prick, and watch for a quick appearance from the great Charlotte Rampling. To see Scott's frenetic aesthetic hired for a script that takes its time and plays out less like a conventional thriller and more like the paced, elliptical spy thrillers of years past (vaguely reminiscent of aspects of Le Carré) is a somewhat rare treat. Terrific thriller with Redford at his best, highly, highly recommended.

Spy Game (2001): Dir: Tony Scott / Cast: Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack, David Hemmings, Stephen Dillane: Superb film about our attitude towards violence and danger. Shown mainly through flashbacks regarding the relationship between Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. When an operation goes wrong an agency wishes to give reason for the Chinese to execute Pitt whom is captured and tortured. Redford acts on behalf of Pitt and is questioned but underneath he is thinking beyond them. We learn that they met in Vietnam and were involved in many combat operations. Pitt became involved with a woman whom Redford viewed as bad news. While formula in structure the film is entertaining and directed with insight by Tony Scott who also made True Romance and The Hunger. Here he does a war film that is a far cry to that overrated farce he made called Top Gun. Redford is clever in his dealings around the corrupt officials who are applying pressure. Pitt is seen mainly through torture segments but flashbacks broaden his back story. Catherine McCormack plays the mysterious woman involved with Pitt whom Redford cannot quite trust. David Hemmings is a fine actor but wasted in a flat role. The film is well made visually but its message doesn't seem to be as played up as the action. The result is an insightful and entertaining film at best. Score: 9 ½ / 10

Frankly, the 7.0 average rating is a gross annoyance, because 7.1 is the minimum for IMDb to classify it as "liked". So I only just got around to seeing it and only because I couldn't find anything I hadn't seen in the genre with a higher rating.Fact is that this is one of the best spy films I have seen. It keeps your attention from the get-go. Well worth seeing.Also it has a rich mix of intrigue, action, politics, spy-technicality, you name it!Could it be that the genre as a whole is just too complicated for the average reviewer? Possibly looking at some of the other ratings for top spy films!