Spy Game (2001)

Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors.

Director:

Tony Scott

Writers:

Michael Frost Beckner (story), Michael Frost Beckner (screenplay),

Stars:

Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Redford	...	Nathan D. Muir
Brad Pitt	...	Tom Bishop
Catherine McCormack	...	Elizabeth Hadley
Stephen Dillane	...	Charles Harker
Larry Bryggman	...	Troy Folger
Marianne Jean-Baptiste	...	Gladys Jennip
Matthew Marsh	...	Dr. William Byars
Todd Boyce	...	Robert Aiken
Michael Paul Chan	...	Vincent Vy Ngo
Garrick Hagon	...	CIA Director Cy Wilson
Andrew Grainger	...	Andrew Unger
Bill Buell	...	Fred Kappler
Colin Stinton	...	Henry Pollard
Ted Maynard	...	CIA Administrator
Tom Hodgkins	...	CIA Lobby Guard

Storyline

CIA operative Nathan Muir (Redford) is on the brink of retirement when he finds out that his protege Tom Bishop (Pitt) has been arrested in China for espionage. No stranger to the machinations of the CIA's top echelon, Muir hones all his skills and irreverent manner in order to find a way to free Bishop. As he embarks on his mission to free Bishop, Muir recalls how he recruited and trained the young rookie, at that time a sergeant in Vietnam, their turbulent times together as operatives and the woman who threatened their friendship.

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Plot Keywords:

cia | china | retirement | espionage | rescue | 

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Taglines:

It's not how you play the game. It's how the game plays you.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some violence and brief sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

Germany USA Japan France

Language:

English German Arabic French Cantonese

Release Date:

21 November 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Juego de espías

Filming Locations:

Beirut, Lebanon

Box Office

Budget:

$92,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$170,187 (Brazil) (2 August 2002)

Gross:

$982,874 (Brazil) (9 August 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Beacon Communications, Kalima Productions GmbH & Co. KG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min 114 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dutch Oscar-winning director Mike van Diem was once attached to the project.

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Goofs

When the rescue helicopters are landing on the prison room, there is someone in the bottom right corner waving them in. It couldn't have been a guard because they were taken by surprise, and it couldn't have been one of their own, since none of the helicopters had landed yet.

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Quotes

Robert Aiken: Patricia?
Nathan Muir: Yeah, my third wife.
Dr. William Byars: My God, how many wives have you had?
Nathan Muir: Four. You want to hear about them or Bishop?

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, many of the credits are each preceded by a jumble of letters flickering on the screen. This may be a reference to the opening credit sequence of one of Robert Redford's earlier spy movies, Sneakers.

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Connections

References La Femme Nikita (1997)

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Soundtracks

"The Bad News"
Written by Cory Cullinan
Performed by Cory Cullinan
Courtesy of Marc Ferrari / Mastersource

User Reviews

Quality movie...

This is a very neat and intelligent movie. Everything about is perfect, no flaws really. Pitt shines better than in Fight Club here! But what really makes it even better than it is, it is the soundtrack which is absolutely stunning. You could feel european quality approach...Highly Recommend!