Company Business (1991)

Director:

Nicholas Meyer

Writer (WGA):

Nicholas Meyer (written by)

Release Date:

6 September 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

You can't judge a man by the company that keeps him!

Plot:

Rogue CIA agent Sam Boyd is called back by "the Company" to do some work. Namely a hostage trade of...

Plot Keywords:

CIA | Spy | KGB | Berlin Germany | Double Agent

Cast

Gene Hackman	...	Sam Boyd
Mikhail Baryshnikov	...	Pyotr Ivanovich Grushenko
Kurtwood Smith	...	Elliot Jaffe
Terry O'Quinn	...	Colonel Pierce Grissom
Daniel von Bargen	...	Mike Flinn
Oleg Rudnik	...	Colonel Grigori Golitsin
Géraldine Danon	...	Natasha Grimaud
Nadim Sawalha	...	Faisal
Michael Tomlinson	...	Dick Maxfield
Howard McGillin	...	Bruce Wilson
Louis Eppolito	...	Paco Gonzalez
Toby Eckholt	...	Nerdy Young Man
Elsa O'Toole	...	Receptionist Maxine Gray Cosmetics
Kate Harper	...	Secretary
Shane Rimmer	...	Chairman, Maxine Gray Cosmetics

Also Known As:

Dinosaurs (USA) (working title)
False Passports (USA) (working title)
Patriots (USA) (working title)
Russian Roulette (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Finland:K-10 | Germany:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Anguilla

Company:

Pathé Entertainment

Trivia:

During post-production, the Soviet Union ceased to exist.

Goofs:

Continuity: At one point Sam Boyd turns off the car engine and the windshield wipers stop partway up. In the next shot the wipers are all the way down.

Quotes:

[About East German car.]
Sam Boyd: Is it alarmed?
Pyiotr Grushenko: Only if you frighten it.

Movie Connections:

References E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Soundtrack:

The Boys In The Back Room

Surprisingly Fun

Sometimes you rent something that you think will be bad just for the sheer campiness of it. That's what I thought I'd done with Company Business as I'd been browsing through the Blockbuster and couldn't remember the film at all, despite being a Baryshnikov fan. I figured what the heck and rented it anyway. I was quite surprised to find myself really enjoying this film even though you sometimes have to really work at suspending your disbelief. I'm still trying to figure out how exactly Baryshnikov could have been successful as a mole with his accent.

This film has two things really working for it though -- the dialogue and the stars. The dialogue is wonderful. Throughout the movie there are great one line bits that leave you chuckling. Mind you, most of those lines wouldn't have worked if Hackman and Baryshnikov hadn't had such great chemistry. You really don't watch this film for the plot, but for the interaction between these two. It certainly wasn't a pairing I expected, but it worked.

With all that said, my one complaint about the movie has nothing to do with whether or not it was a believable plot, but where it left off. I wanted more resolution. My husband agrees. We got to the end of the film and he looked at me and said "That's it? It was just getting good." It leaves too many things up in the air.

All in all, I would say if you are expecting a spy movie, don't bother. If, on the other hand, you want a fun little buddy movie, rent it and enjoy.