“Spy Game” is Tony Scott's first grown-up movie. That's not to say his previous flicks can only be appreciated by the young or the immature, but those films are mostly entertainment for its own sake. “Spy Game” has its share of car chases and shoot outs, but it stands apart from Scott's other work for the reason Robert Redford was drawn to the project in the first place: “It's a thinking man's action picture.”
Like any good spy story, it's a puzzle the audience slowly puts together, but not so convoluted that it's a challenge to follow. There's a lot going on here that has to be organized and disseminated without being dull or tedious. Tony Scott shines in how he makes scenes where people are talking on the phone or looking through files feel like action set pieces. It's also his first demonstration of using suspense and tension with subtleties because the characters have to play it cool as they simultaneously try to find things out while keeping their own secrets. Tony Scott said he tried to make the scenes in the CIA conference room feel like a high-stakes poker game.
Also, because the film is so dialogue-heavy, Scott really flexes his muscles in directing actors to act. The performances in his other films are all sound, so he clearly knows how to extract great acting. In a film like “Spy Game,” though, it's a bit more delicate because the characters have to be, not just convincing, but intriguing. The complexity of the players has to really show through particularly because, as I said before, they're trying to reveal as little as possible.
Scott also plays around a lot with cameras and cinematography in this one. In probably the most pivotal scene in the movie, Robert Redford and Brad Pitt have a tense exchange on a circular rooftop. They verbally spar, not knowing if they can rely on each other as the camera rotates the perimeter of their arena. The scene was so expensive to shoot, Scott paid for the helicopter rental out of his own pocket to do it right. Totally worth it.
With the exception of “The Hunger” (and possibly “The Fan”), every one of Tony Scott's films could predominantly be labeled as an action flick. “Spy Game” fits into that category as well, but it exhibits a real adept filmmaker executing a mature, thoughtful, and nuanced movie that would be lost on the frivolous and the mundane. It's ambitious for Scott to pick material that doesn't necessarily appeal to the masses. Don't get me wrong, I love his more mindless, over-the-top, rollercoaster pictures, but “Spy Game” makes me wish he would've tried his hand at a few more this smart.
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