bnorthup
11-22-2001, 12:32 PM
Spy Game (R) at the Gaslight
Three Stars
Rambo with brains
Review by Brent Northup
Once I figured out that “Spy Game” wasn’t a “Mission Impossible” clone, I started warming up to this Robert Redford/Brad Pitt thriller. Eventually, as the movie ended, I was a believer – I truly enjoyed this Cold-War throwback simply because it had surprised and fooled me.
“Spy Game” starts like a hundred other espionage movies. Brad Pitt is on a secret mission in China. His meticulous raid of a Chinese jail is impeccable until the final second when he is captured at the prison gate.
Back in the USA retiring CIA operative Robert Redford hears of his friend’s capture and begins contemplating his rescue. No surprises so far – Redford will become a blond-haired Rambo and head for China with his six-shooters blazing. Or so I thought.
Instead, Redford discovers that his CIA colleagues are opposed to rescuing Pitt. They’d rather let Pitt be executed at dawn than to rock the diplomatic boat at a fragile point in US/Chinese relations. Incensed, Redford decides to take matters into his own hand – without ever leaving intelligence headquarters.
Thus “Spy Game” becomes an intra-agency thriller where a savvy old agent pits wits against all the upper brass. Can Redford use all his CIA connections to plot and carry out a clandestine mission without ever leaving the building? Can his superiors, who are suspicious, stop him using all their tricks?
What unravels is a refreshing mind-versus-mind adventure. I am so very tired of thrillers that end with bloody violence. It’s an insult to smart readers and viewers to have a spine-tingling cerebral tale dissolve into bullets and parachutes – but that’s the Hollywood formula.
“Spy Game” has a myriad of flashbacks which have action-packed scenes and, yes, bombings. But these are simply historical footnotes to retrace the Pitt/Redford friendship over the years. The real drama is inside Redford's head as he seeks to outwit some very able CIA colleagues.
In the endgame of this CIA chess game, it’s Robert Redford, alias Bobby Fisher, checkmating a worthy but mortal opponent.
Reviews of “Spy Game” are positive, but mixed, with many skeptics focusing on how hard the movie tries to pretend it’s not just another Cold War spy thriller. I’ll grant one reviewer’s premise that this is not of the vintage of “Three Days of the Condor”, but it’s also not a tired remake of the spy genre, either.
I’m allergic to remakes and Hollywood formula films, but I never sneezed once during this intriguing thriller. (With apologies to Will Rogers, I never met-a-phor I didn’t like.)
END
Three Stars
Rambo with brains
Review by Brent Northup
Once I figured out that “Spy Game” wasn’t a “Mission Impossible” clone, I started warming up to this Robert Redford/Brad Pitt thriller. Eventually, as the movie ended, I was a believer – I truly enjoyed this Cold-War throwback simply because it had surprised and fooled me.
“Spy Game” starts like a hundred other espionage movies. Brad Pitt is on a secret mission in China. His meticulous raid of a Chinese jail is impeccable until the final second when he is captured at the prison gate.
Back in the USA retiring CIA operative Robert Redford hears of his friend’s capture and begins contemplating his rescue. No surprises so far – Redford will become a blond-haired Rambo and head for China with his six-shooters blazing. Or so I thought.
Instead, Redford discovers that his CIA colleagues are opposed to rescuing Pitt. They’d rather let Pitt be executed at dawn than to rock the diplomatic boat at a fragile point in US/Chinese relations. Incensed, Redford decides to take matters into his own hand – without ever leaving intelligence headquarters.
Thus “Spy Game” becomes an intra-agency thriller where a savvy old agent pits wits against all the upper brass. Can Redford use all his CIA connections to plot and carry out a clandestine mission without ever leaving the building? Can his superiors, who are suspicious, stop him using all their tricks?
What unravels is a refreshing mind-versus-mind adventure. I am so very tired of thrillers that end with bloody violence. It’s an insult to smart readers and viewers to have a spine-tingling cerebral tale dissolve into bullets and parachutes – but that’s the Hollywood formula.
“Spy Game” has a myriad of flashbacks which have action-packed scenes and, yes, bombings. But these are simply historical footnotes to retrace the Pitt/Redford friendship over the years. The real drama is inside Redford's head as he seeks to outwit some very able CIA colleagues.
In the endgame of this CIA chess game, it’s Robert Redford, alias Bobby Fisher, checkmating a worthy but mortal opponent.
Reviews of “Spy Game” are positive, but mixed, with many skeptics focusing on how hard the movie tries to pretend it’s not just another Cold War spy thriller. I’ll grant one reviewer’s premise that this is not of the vintage of “Three Days of the Condor”, but it’s also not a tired remake of the spy genre, either.
I’m allergic to remakes and Hollywood formula films, but I never sneezed once during this intriguing thriller. (With apologies to Will Rogers, I never met-a-phor I didn’t like.)
END