A movie review written by: Lee Sonogan
(2001) 2h6min/ Actions, thriller, crime
This movie stars Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. IMDB describes this movie as retiring CIA agent Nathan Muir recalls his training of Tom Bishop while working against agency politics to free him from his Chinese captors. With a budget of 115 million this move made 145 million in the box office. I had not ever seen a Robert Redford movie before and now I understand why people hold him in such high regard.
Tony Scott the director of the film was nervous to work with Robert Redford since he was also a director he really admired. Scott said that Redford’s Quiz Show is one of his favourite movies. 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. Robert Redford was drawn to the film because “It’s a thinking man’s action film. That was the basic draw to the project.”
When the film was previewed in the summer of 2001, Brad Pitt said that it dealt with blowback from unsuccessful CIA operations and suggested that it might mean America had been the world’s leading power for too long. However, after the 9/11 attacks, Pitt was quoted as saying the movie indicated that CIA operatives were needed “now more than ever”. Brad Pitt turned down the lead role in The Bourne Identity in 2002 in order to star in this film.
Part of the film was originally set to have been filmed in Israel, but due to the sudden escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in September-October 2000, and following the requirements of the actors’ insurance companies, the filming took place in Morocco instead. Dedicated to the memory of Elizabeth Jean Scott who died in 2001, mother of Tony Scott and Ridley Scott.
Overall, it was better than I thought It was going to be. The movie is told in stories in different years. Cameo of the actor who plays Stannis in Game of thrones. Robert Redford narrates and stars are the two are both entwined in war and spy games. The two great actors display some good on-screen chemistry and you want to learn more about their characters. It has a good soundtrack and just really interesting dialogue. I recommend this movie to everyone who likes spy movies and people fans of Tony/Ridley Scott films.
6.8/10
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