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 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. Byars
Todd Boyce	...	Robert Aiken
Michael Paul Chan	...	Vincent Vy Ngo
Garrick Hagon	...	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.

---

Plot Keywords:

cia | espionage | shanghai china | task force | rogue agent | 

---

Taglines:

In the end, only friendship matters!

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some violence and brief sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Redford was baffled by Tony Scott's use of helicopters to shoot the intimate conversation on the roof. But when he saw it, he was impressed by how dynamic it made the scene.

---

Goofs

When Nathan needs money to rescue Tom Bishop, he calls his broker's (Mitch Alford) office in London to liquidate his accounts. The time is a little after 9 PM Washington time, which would be after 2 AM in London, but the office is open and a secretary answers the phone.

---

Quotes

Charles Harker: Maybe the payoff went to
[peruses paper]
Charles Harker: ... Digby Gibson, when you tipped off the press.
Nathan Muir: Troy?
Troy Fogler: Leave Digger outta this! His paper's a front; he's MI6's man in Hong Kong!

---

Crazy Credits

The film is dedicated to Elizabeth Jean Scott, Tony Scott's mother, that died that year.

---

Connections

Referenced in Das Kommando (2004)

---

Soundtracks

Ti Zitas
("Nour El Chams")
Written by Nikos Terzis, Tassos Vougiatzis
Additional lyrics for "Nour El Chams" by Adel Raffoul
Performed by Pascale Machaalani
Courtesy of Music Master International

User Reviews

High quality Hollywood thriller

Spy Game is everything we're not supposed to expect from a major Hollywood movie: engrossing, intelligent, well written, acted and directed. But that's just what it is and more, this is definitely the best thing I've seen since Memento. Although Pitt is really good and Redford plays himself as well as he has in years, I think the most credit should go to Tony Scott. In the hands of a lesser director this could have been something more like Mission Impossible. But Scott stays right on target, keeping us interested, developing the characters, and keeping the pacing nearly perfect. Scott also shows us that he's stayed with the times: he employs the full array of modern camera tricks like fast motion, reverse zooms and funky lenses but in a way that actually makes the film better instead of being an annoying distraction. The dialogue feels natural, all the actors do good work, no one tries to steal the show or be the star. The story is interesting and almost never lapses into the kind of hyper violence or sappy sentimentality one has come to associate with modern studio pictures. You get a feeling this is pretty close to how the CIA really operates, a place with fantastic technology at its disposal but who's ultimate effectiveness is determined by the fallible people who run the missions and take the chances. I really enjoyed this film, I hope it's a sign of things to come and not a rarity.

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

Germany USA Japan France

Language:

English German Arabic French Cantonese

Release Date:

21 November 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

SpyGame

Filming Locations:

Queens Lane, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$115,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$21,689,125, 25 November 2001

Gross USA:

$62,362,560

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$143,049,560

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Beacon Communications, Beacon Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min 114 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1