Review of Spy Game (2001) by Filipeneto — 14 Jan 2020

On his retirement day, Nathan Muir, a veteran CIA agent, must respond to an informal inquiry about his former protégé Tom Bishop, who was captured on a mission on China. For the US, which is in the throes of delicate trade negotiations with that country, the situation could not have been more inconvenient. Abandoned by the agency because of political concerns, its Muir's job to try to help his colleague.

This movie is not excellent but it was within what I expected. The pace is good, there is a good tension and a very nice suspense throughout the movie. There are also some action scenes, punctually. Nevertheless, the story told has flaws and problems with logic, which become increasingly evident as the film moves to its conclusion. The ending is truly unlikely.

Robert Redford is the actor who best disentangled himself in this movie. He is a veteran and the character is tailored for him. Without ever losing his pose and composure, he has a very good collaboration with Brad Pitt. The dialogues are good and work well, especially between the two actors. What didn't go well was the movie's romantic subplot, which is bad considering the relevance that will be given to it. Simply, that part of the story was never credible.

Good photography, good sets and costumes, a discreet soundtrack, good sound and visual effects, some good special effects, used with moderation. It's not the movie we're going to see because of its technicalities, despite meeting Hollywood's standards. Its a movie that is worth it for the interesting story it brings us and for the good work of the two main actors, very particularly Redford. But in fact there are better movies out there, and these will probably prove quite forgettable over time.