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IMDbPro

Spy Game

  • 2001
  • R
  • 2h 6m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
161K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,788
156
Brad Pitt and Robert Redford in Spy Game (2001)
Spy Game: About To Get Benched
Play clip0:42
Watch Spy Game: About To Get Benched
7 Videos
90 Photos
ActionCrimeThriller

Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors.Retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors.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
    • David Arata
  • Stars
    • Robert Redford
    • Brad Pitt
    • Catherine McCormack
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    161K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    4,788
    156
    • Director
      • Tony Scott
    • Writers
      • Michael Frost Beckner
      • David Arata
    • Stars
      • Robert Redford
      • Brad Pitt
      • Catherine McCormack
    • 423User reviews
    • 76Critic reviews
    • 63Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 nominations

    Videos7

    Spy Game: About To Get Benched
    Clip 0:42
    Watch Spy Game: About To Get Benched
    Spy Game: You're Going To Miss It
    Clip 0:58
    Watch Spy Game: You're Going To Miss It
    Spy Game: Where'd You Learn To Shoot
    Clip 0:37
    Watch Spy Game: Where'd You Learn To Shoot
    Spy Game: I Never Said He Was A She
    Clip 0:38
    Watch Spy Game: I Never Said He Was A She
    Spy Game: Happy Birthday Nathan
    Clip 0:44
    Watch Spy Game: Happy Birthday Nathan
    Spy Game: You'd Be Working With Me
    Clip 0:34
    Watch Spy Game: You'd Be Working With Me
    Spy Game: B-Roll
    Clip 0:08
    Watch Spy Game: B-Roll

    Photos90

    Brad Pitt and Robert Redford in Spy Game (2001)
    Brad Pitt in Spy Game (2001)
    Brad Pitt and Robert Redford in Spy Game (2001)
    Brad Pitt and Robert Redford in Spy Game (2001)
    Robert Redford in Spy Game (2001)
    Robert Redford in Spy Game (2001)
    Brad Pitt in Spy Game (2001)
    Brad Pitt in Spy Game (2001)
    Robert Redford and Stephen Dillane in Spy Game (2001)
    Spy Game (2001)
    Brad Pitt, Robert Redford, and Catherine McCormack in Spy Game (2001)
    Brad Pitt and Robert Redford in Spy Game (2001)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Robert Redford
    Robert Redford
    • Nathan Muir
    Brad Pitt
    Brad Pitt
    • Tom Bishop
    Catherine McCormack
    Catherine McCormack
    • Elizabeth Hadley
    Stephen Dillane
    Stephen Dillane
    • Charles Harker
    Larry Bryggman
    Larry Bryggman
    • Troy Folger
    Marianne Jean-Baptiste
    Marianne Jean-Baptiste
    • Gladys Jennip
    Matthew Marsh
    Matthew Marsh
    • Dr. Byars
    Todd Boyce
    Todd Boyce
    • Robert Aiken
    Michael Paul Chan
    Michael Paul Chan
    • Vincent Vy Ngo
    Garrick Hagon
    Garrick Hagon
    • Cy Wilson
    Andrew Grainger
    • Andrew Unger
    Bill Buell
    Bill Buell
    • Fred Kappler
    Colin Stinton
    Colin Stinton
    • Henry Pollard
    Ted Maynard
    • CIA Administrator
    Tom Hodgkins
    • CIA Lobby Guard
    Rufus Wright
    • Folger's Secretary
    Demetri Goritsas
    Demetri Goritsas
    • Billy Hyland
    Quinn Collins
    • OPS Center Security Officer
    • Director
      • Tony Scott
    • Writers
      • Michael Frost Beckner
      • David Arata
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The scene where Robert Redford's character asks Brad Pitt's character if he knew anybody in 'this apartment house' and tells him to be up on one of the balconies in five minutes is from a book by former Mossad agent Victor Ostrovsky who describes this test as part of the training of a Mossad agent.
    • Goofs
      When Duncan is negotiating with Deng, he clearly tells Muir "Deng wants five-hundred-thousand YUAN for the power out in Su Chou." In 1991, this would have been about $95,500 U.S. dollars, so when Muir counter-offers and says "No way. Tell him $100K and I'll pay him in dollars," he is offering more than Deng asked for. The final price, $282,000USD, would have been approximately 1,500,000 yuan in 1991.
    • Quotes

      Nathan Muir: [inside a CIA briefing room] When I was a kid I used to spend summers on my uncle's farm. And he had this plow horse he used to work with everyday. He really loved that plow horse. One summer she came up lame. It could barely stand. The vet offered to put her down. You know what my uncle said?

      Charles Harker: [inside a CIA briefing room] No, Muir, what did he say?

      Nathan Muir: [inside a CIA briefing room] He said, why would I ask somebody else to kill a horse that belonged to me?

    • 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 (1992).
    • Connections
      Featured in The Making of 'Spy Game' (2001)
    • Soundtracks
      Rocky Mountain Way
      Written by Rocke Grace, Kenny Passarelli (as Ken Passarelli), Joe Vitale (as Joey Vitale), Joe Walsh

      Performed by Joe Walsh

      Courtesy of MCA Records

      Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

    User reviews423

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Moving espionage thriller from Tony Scott with suspense , thrills , intriguing events and great performance
    Nail-biting and exciting movie about terrorism , spies and geopolitical issues . The film deals with a spy chief called Nathan Muir (Robert Redford) who's on the verge of retirement from the Central Intelligence Agency. Then the veteran spy learns that his one-time protege Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) , a CIA operative serving in various countries , has been incarcerated. Tom has gone rogue and been taken prisoner after attempting to smuggle a prisoner out of China . Although Muir and Bishop had once been close friends , sharing long periods of thrilling adventures from Vietnam , Berlin , to Beirut where Muir schemed a plot to chase a mastermind terrorist . As in Lebanon , both of whom formed a solid and shaky alliance to break the terrorist ring which previous bombed US military targets with a lot of casualties . Things go wrong when Bishop falls in love with an aid-worker (Catherine McCormack) . As his memories of their friendship come flooding back , Muir sets about managing the rescue of his old friend from a Communist prison . Meanwhile , the super-powerful CIA uses technological-gizmo-surveillance satellites and modern surveillance systems for people spying and hound terrorists relentlessly . It's not how you play the game ... It's how the Game Plays you. It's not how you play the game. It's how the game plays you. "Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his teacher" . In the end, only friendship matters!

    Story's core is interesting and script is dense with information and drama . The ultra-brisk editing and rapid scenes movement leaves little time to consider some inadequacies . Regarding a peculiar relationship between two top-of-the-range spies whose long knowledge has developed bad blood and resentment between them , in spite of the two men haven't seen each other in years . Here Brad Pitt is reunited as a co-star with his A River Runs Through It (1992) director Robert Redford for this espionage thriller from Tony Scott , and both of them giving awesome interpretations . Engaging and twisted thriller concerning the spy-world on Middle East , China and other countries . Robert Redford and Brad Pitt sustain interest enough in this tale of friendship , betrayal , sacrifice and terrorism . Brad Pitt is good as tough super-spy as well as sniper operative and Robert Redford 's cool displaying an enjoyable performance as the elderly and regretted CIA agent . The use of geopolitical messages to add weight to a romantic subplot between the spy and the beautiful nurse , well played by Catherine McCormack , though feels a little forced , at times. They are well accompanied by a good cast , such as : Stephen Dillane , Larry Bryggman , Marianne Jean-Baptiste , Shane Rimmer, David Hemmings, Benedict Wong , Ken Leung , Matthew Marsh , Michael Paul Chan , among others .

    The film packs adequate , evocative cinematography by Dan Mindel and rousing musical score by Harry Gregson-Williams . The motion picture was well realized by Tony Scott . He was a good filmmaker whose works received some great reviews , his first big hit happened when was asked by producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer to direct Top Gun (1986) starring Tom Cruise . He would work again with Cruise on another high adrenaline film Days of thunder (1990) , which proved less successful . He followed the success of Top Gun with the sequel Beverly Hill cop II (1987) with Eddie Murphy , which was well received . In 1993, he directed the cult movie True Romance (1993) , which was written by emerging director Quentin Tarantino but Scott had a lot of control over the film . While Unstoppable (2010) was Tony Scott and Denzel Washington's fifth and final film collaboration. The others were Red tide (1995) , Man on fire (2004) , Déjà vu (2006) , and Pelham 123 (2009) all of them got big successes . Spy Game(2001) rating : 7/10 . Well worth watching . Above average . The picture will appeal to Robert Redford and Brad Pitt fans .
    helpful•4
    0
    • ma-cortes
    • Dec 2, 2021

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    FAQ6

    • How many wives did Nathan Muir actually have?
    • Who is Harry Duncan?
    • What was Operation Sideshow?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 21, 2001 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Germany
      • Japan
      • France
      • United Kingdom
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Arabic
      • French
      • Cantonese
    • Also known as
      • Spygame
    • Filming locations
      • Budapest, Hungary
    • Production companies
      • Universal Pictures
      • Beacon Pictures
      • Kalima Productions GmbH & Co. KG
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $115,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $62,362,560
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $21,689,125
      • Nov 25, 2001
    • Gross worldwide
      • $143,049,560
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 6 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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