"This is a whole other game. And it's serious and it's dangerous. And it's not one you want to lose." (Review)

My friend Vince is somewhat obsessed with the American military, particularly the American intelligence network. Although he’s a proud Canadian, I know he’s a little upset that his chances of being a CIA spook are fairly limited. It made perfect sense, then, that one of his Christmas gifts to me would be a copy of Spy Game, one of the best CIA movies I’ve ever seen.

Robert Redford stars as Nathan Muir, a CIA agent responsible for the recruitment and training of field operative Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt). Stationed first in Europe, then the Middle East, Bishop and Muir conduct a number of covert operations ranging from mole hunts to assassinations. When Bishop goes 'off the reservation’ and attempts to rescue an asset from a Chinese prison, Muir is summoned by his CIA superiors to explain.

What first looks like a basic spy movie, and sounds like one due to the movie’s simple title, is really an in-depth, intriguing look at how spy games really work. The real cat and mouse action takes place within CIA headquarters as Muir attempts to both beguile his superiors and gain more information about Bishop’s location and motives. Robert Redford’s portrayal of the continually surprising Muir is what makes the film so enjoyable to watch. As the audience we are privy to a number of Muir’s trade secrets but he still manages to keep us guessing as the film progresses. It’s easy to see why Vince likes this film so much. It’s an informative and revealing look at how the CIA truly operates. Or rather, how it used to operate during Muir’s ‘old school’ days.

Spy Game combines plenty of fast-paced action and espionage with equal amounts of cunning subterfuge and misdirection. Aside from the film’s tense opening sequence, virtually all of Brad Pitt’s performances take place during flashbacks where his character is explained. These scenes incorporate most of the action while Robert Redford’s wily games take place mainly through dialogue alone. And it’s these clever verbal exchanges that make Spy Game the intelligent and entertaining movie that it is.

The picture itself looks quite good, although a number of the scenes are intended to look grainy and washed out, particularly the European sequences. Colors are crisp and the detail is sharp. I didn’t notice any problems with the video at all and was quite pleased with the 2.35:1 Anamorphic transfer. The DTS 5.1 track is a welcome bonus and I’m happy to say that the sound is fantastic. The surrounds are used quite frequently and help create the right ambience, whether you’re in a Chinese prison or flying over Vietnam in a helicopter. Overall the DVD presentation is very good.

Among the special features are a couple of commentaries, alternate versions, deleted scenes, a script-to-storyboard featurette and behind the scenes information. The most interesting feature is a section which displays the requirements for CIA acceptance. Do you have what it takes to be an operative? Of course, I haven’t actually watched all the special features and I really intend on doing that one day. Maybe I’ll designate one month to be Special Features Month and I’ll watch nothing but special features and blog about them here. Ooh, I bet you’re looking forward to that!
Spy Game is a well-directed film with great acting and a compelling script. If you’re a fan of the spy genre at all then this movie is a must-see. While it may not have the high tech gadgetry of the Bond films or the ultra-classified nature of a Treadstone operative, Spy Game is one of the most realistic depictions of the CIA. Of course, there’s no way to know for sure if Spy Game is completely accurate. We could get the folks down in Langley to tell us, but then they’d have to kill us.

Spy Game gets 8 levels of eyes-only classification (out of 10).

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