Rating: 
Summary: Have they heard of testing the products?
Review: I have that same caption issue as everyone else; and it's not the normal subtitles, either. That, I could deal with.These are all over the screen. Someone at Universal screwed up, methinks, and I won't be keeping this DVD. It takes a lot for me to return one, but I can't stand watching it [I, too, had to switch and watch it on a cheesy early model rca]. I'll bet it would be a good movie, but, ewwww. Were they trying to make them distracting?
Rating:
Summary: To Toshiba DVD Player Owners:
Review: If you have a Toshiba DVD player beware, because on many models (including Mitsubishi derivatives) it is IMPOSSIBLE to turn off the subtitles for the hearing impaired for more than a couple minutes at a time. It very difficult to watch the movie with these subtitles popping up all the time. You can also try contacting Universal as they may (should!) soon come up with a fix or a re-release. If you have to own this movie RENT IT first to make sure it works.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good movie but I had problems.
Review: This movie has been one of the best spy movies to come out in the last 5 years. But the DVD had problems, I dont know if it was with my DVD player or it was the DVD, but my version of this movie kept popping up the damn english captions. It was a huge pain, I tried putting it in my iBook but the same problem came up. I have no idea what the problem was, but that is why I only gave it 3 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad
Review: I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would; I really love action films, but the trailers just didn't grab me for this one. I'm also not especially fond of Robert Redford, but I did like him in "Spy Game." This is a war-buddy film, and it's somewhat predictable; at one point relatively early on, Redford makes a statement about Never Ever Doing A Certain Thing, No Matter What, and No Matter For Whom, whereupon you immediately know that this will likely happen. Still, despite the blase cinematography and almost complete lack of color in the film (which I realize is of course deliberate,) I did enjoy it more than I thought I would.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie, Plot, Cast, Loved It
Review: This is one of the best spy movies i have seen in a long time. Robert Redford is phenominal in this movie. Never a really big Brad Pitt fan but i have to say that he played a very good Tom Bishop. I like the realism in this movie, it's a real spy movie none of these fancy James bond gadgets(although i love those) It's a great movie i would recommend this movie to everyone, especially if you like spy movies.
Rating: 
Summary: Good spy thriller is also interesting character study
Review: "Spy Game" brings back the espionage thriller in a big way. It also brings back Robert Redford, who has been largely absent in the last decade due to his commitments to the Sundance Film Institute. The spy genre is still viable, and certainly so is Mr. Redford. Redford plays Nathan Muir, a CIA agent who, on the day he is supposed to retire, finds out that he has one more job left. His boss asks him to fill the agency in on Tom Bishop [Brad Pitt], a spy who has been caught trying to break a woman named Elizabeth [Catherine McCormack] out of a Chinese prison. Bishop is to be executed in 24 hours, and the CIA has decided not to interfere in order not to jeopardize a trade agreement the US and China are about to sign. The movie uses flashbacks to show the relationship between the three characters. Muir first meets Bishop in the 1960s in Vietnam. Later, in Berlin, the two meet again, and Muir begins a successful campaign to recruit Bishop into the CIA. During the training process, Muir teaches the younger man many tricks. He also explains to him that spies often have to stand idly by as basically decent people get hurt in order to achieve some greater goal. This is difficult for Bishop to accept because he is basically an all-American kid who just wants to get the bad guys, but as time goes on, he seems to accept this aspect of the job. He also meets and falls in love with Elizabeth in Beirut. The affair ends, partly because of Bishop's work. Now, years later, Muir must decide if he can overcome his own corrupt moral code, as well as an indifferent CIA, in order to save his star pupil. Some critics have said that Redford and Pitt are too blandly good-looking to be believable as secret agents, but I disagree. These two could charm their way into any situation, and this seems to me to be a great assets for any spy. Director Tony Scott uses stylish, MTV-like camera techniques. While they make the movie visually brilliant to look at, they sometimes distract from what is basically a character study. Fortunately, Redford and Pitt's acting abilities, as well as the very decent script, override this problem. "Spy Game" came out two months after the 9-11 terrorist attacks, and it shows how quickly attitudes can change. Before 9-11, many of us would have agreed that the CIA's tactics are often unscrupulous and embarrassing. Now, though, Muir's Machiavellian point of view seems almost well reasoned and somewhat just. Note, however, that the film shows what a devastating effect such a philosophy can have on those who practice it.
Rating:
Summary: Great story but the presentation is too funky
Review: Robert Redford was in two films that were released at pretty much the same time: The Last Castle and Spy Game. Both are good films, but although Spy Game is more significant, I found that I preferred the Last Castle because the story is told so straightforwardly. I'm not complaining about the flashbacks in Spy Game -- this film had an excellent concept and script. But Spy Game's director plays around with odd camera angles and visual effects that show up well in video games but that greatly interfere with the story. Some of these angles and effects work well, especially on the big screen in the theatres, but a number do not. Film being a visual medium, the director should have given some consideration to the fact that human eyes can only see so much or handle so much shifting before they start to weary or the audience starts getting annoyed and disaffected. These effects are only worsened when played on your TV screen. In places, the electronic soundtrack is raucous, also detracting from the story and also seeming like video game material. Extras on this DVD are pretty run of the mill -- deleted scenes and an alternate ending that really only had one or two more scenes at the end of the hero's Porsche driving off into the sunset but not an alternate storyline, as the idea of an alternate ending imples. There are multiple commentaries from director and producers, if you like that sort of thing. I was hoping for a "The Making of..." documentary. There is one,in a way, but it is embedded in the film. You have to turn on the Ops feature, then page through the film. Each chapter has a Classified icon. Press enter when you see it and some details or some films of the set play with various crew members or the director speaking. This paging through chapters in search of these scenes gets old pretty fast. The story in this film, though, is fantastic -- a very deep drama with superb acting. I'd forgotten how good an actor Brad Pitt was! Redford was smoother in The Last Castle -- in Spy Game, he tends to use his habit of pausing, pausing, pausing to let the camera stay on his closeups a bit too long, and he is awkward in a few scenes, but for the most part, he takes over this story and runs with it, giving us a solid and convincing performance. Pitt is perfect, playing a moral man caught in an immoral world, knowing his reason for doing what he does but hating the subterfuge and betrayals more and more. His sensitivity shines through the character. If this film had not suffered from the camera effects and the soundtrack, I do believe it would have been a smash at the box office. Small details rankle though. An intro scene is supposed to be set in Washington DC but it looks exactly like London, England -- you'll find out from the OPS section that it was actually filmed in London. Why? The Vietnam era flashbacks are shot in an orange tint, which played well in theatres but makes them difficult to see on the small screen. Other flashbacks, thankfully, are in normal colors. Note that Catherine McCormack does an excellent job in her small role as an aid worker caught, like the two male leads are, in a world where right and wrong are indistinct and where no one is really certain who are the good or bad guys any longer. A very dramatic film, worth owning.
Rating:
Summary: A Smart Spy Thriller!
Review: Spy Game is a very film, with a great cast, and great directing. Redford and Pitt, both gives great performances with Scott's great directing. You all know what the film is about, so I won't go on about that. Spy Game is a smart thriller with good humor. If you like Scott's style of directing in Enemy of the State, you'll love this film. This DVD packs a lot of great features with great menus! The quality of the film is amazing with great sound as well. We get alternate endings, deleted scenes, behind the scenes feature, and a great director's commentary. This DVD is a must!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing piece of Work
Review: There are very few Movies that I really admire as Complete Motion Picture Experience... like:
Lawrence of Arabia, The English Patient, Saving Private Ryan etc:- and surely the only movie last year in my opinion that was complete in every aspect was the master piece namely Spy Game... The musical score is excellent,aerial photography is technically amazing, locations are great and above all the theme and the acting makes this movie a must keep item......
Rating:
Summary: A Great Spy Game
Review: I really liked this movie..I don't know if I can explain the reasons for it clearly but I think it was one of the better movies I have seen.And clearly one of the best among its kind. This is the story of two CIA agents,one young and the other one old,one a rookie and the other an experienced professional,a theme becoming quite popular.Nathan Muir (Robert Redford),on his last day working at CIA,finds out that Tom Bishop (Bradd Pitt) is captured by the Chinese while attempting a rescue mission unapproved by the headquarters.Bishop was recruited and trained by Muir,but at one time,their relationship came to an end because of some disagreements.This and the development of Bishop and Muir's past is explained with some long Flashback scenes,which make up more than half of the movie.And on the non-flashback scenes,Muir is fighting with the CIA system,the Chinese and also the clock ticking,to save his old pupil. The plot is quite interesting and the story is beautifully told with the help of flashbacks.The performances,especially Redford's,are top notch.I am not a big fan of Pitt but I must admit he plays his character pretty well.I also should mention Tony Scott,because I'm a big fan of his unique style.Scott's visual style makes the movie what it is,and people who have seen "Enemy of The State" will easily recognize the similarities.The part of the movie where Bishop is trained by Muir is the highlight of Tony Scott in my opinion.Other than that,although the ending can not be counted as a surprise,you still will watch Muir's battle with a lot of excitement. The DVD's picture and sound quality are almost perfect.I especially recommend the Widescreen edition because that is the only way you can taste the movie's visual value.The extras are quite satisfactory,but my only complain is that you can not watch some behind the scenes features without watching the movie.I also want to mention that the DVD contains the movie's trailer,as opposed to the feature listing on the cover.I love trailers,a funny area of interest I know,and this movie's trailer is one of the best of all times. It may not be the best spy movie of all time,but I think it ranks among the top 5.
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