Tony Scott proves himself as a director in his newest film Spy Game (2001). Although he built his reputation working with top-producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer in Top Gun (1986), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), and Crimson Tide (1995), his directing talent has been long overlooked due to his more popular older brother, Ridley Scott, until now. .
Spy Game gives us an in depth view of the world of espionage. On Agent Nathan Muir's (Robert Redford) last day in the CIA (of course), he gets news that his old protégé and friend Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) has been captured by the Chinese government on a mission and is scheduled to be executed within the next twenty-four hours. The CIA refuses to risk saving Bishop, so Muir decides to take the task upon himself. In the process of uncovering more information about Bishop's whereabouts, Muir unravels his and Bishop's past together, and puts himself at odds with top CIA officials, who are trying to keep him in the dark. .
Despite the fact that the story takes place mostly in the present, Muir narrates, in a series of flashbacks, how he recruited and trained Bishop in the past. He points out Bishop's one flaw of becoming overly involved with his "assets-, the people he befriends to get on the inside, instead of putting himself first. Throughout the film, Muir remains a step ahead of the CIA as the clock counts down to Bishop's execution. Ironically, the "game- ends up playing Muir and the mentor learns the lesson here; he disregards his own rules to save Bishop. .
As usual, there is a woman involved in the plot. However, Tony Scott does not overdo this element of the film and stays focused, keeping us interested, developing the characters, and switching off between action scenes and witty dialogue. Some feel that the constant flashbacks intend to distance us and make it hard for us to identify with Bishop, but I feel it is essential for character development.