Spy Game

This is a film with sober ratings and average reviews, but for me, it is Tony Scott's best film and one of those rare cases of action-packed spy drama that I can really appreciate. It's quite typical that this film has much lower ratings than a series of absurdly exaggerated action-packed films. Of course, the screenplay has its flaws here and there, which is why I am not giving it a five-star rating, but Robert Redford is excellent, the film maintains tension practically throughout, with dynamic editing that has nothing to do with choppiness, and especially the parts set in Beirut are precise in terms of action. Overall impression: 85%. (17/04/2009)

Tony Scott's bravura spy thriller, whose predatory and dynamic pacing precisely matches the shakily unpredictable world of the clandestine services. The stunning narrative style, which maps out previous important missions alongside the current storyline and gradually fleshes out a complete picture of the close relationship between two key agents, is almost perfect under Scott's direction. The execution itself and especially the use of camera filters, including all the other visual flourishes, is very reminiscent of the best of the 90s, which warms the heart twice over. [85%] (07/02/2022)

Robert Redford sits down in his office at the beginning and, reminiscing about the espionage adventures he experienced with his partner Brad Pitt, doesn’t get up again for the rest of the film. With its sophisticated main characters and without a proper amount of action, Spy Game is a mosaic of flashbacks that thinks it’s enough to have an intelligently written screenplay to be appealing. And that’s a mistake. Drawing so much of the viewer’s attention to an overwrought 130-minute screenplay that doesn’t in any way really reward me… That’s a game I’m not willing to play. (21/05/2002)

An amazing old-school gem that beautifully recreates the late 80s-early 90s with a fantastic Robert Redford, a few creative script tricks, and numerous fabulous dialogues and situations. The thing to appreciate about this film is that Tony Scott put everything here. It is truly a "Game", nothing more, nothing less. Tremendously entertaining and attractive. (16/04/2013)

I can have all the reservations I want about the script, but the fact is that Scott is an excellent craftsman, his direction is dynamic, and the plot moves forward quickly. That's why the two hours went by like water and I didn't have the feeling of plot fragmentation thanks to the frequent flashbacks. I must also praise the production design, the realities of Beirut with streets full of chaos looked really convincing. And the actors? Redford is still awesome and a great actor, even at his age, and Pitt is just Pitt. Again, he didn't forgo his typical acting mannerisms in places, but he won't change. All in all, an above average thriller, but only for one viewing. Three and a half stars. (18/03/2004)