An espionage flick with heart and a jumpy disposition. Tony Scott (Domino, Man On Fire) unleashes his frenetic, washed-out filmmaking style on the story of a retiring CIA spook (Robert Redford) who discovers on his last day at Langley that his protege (Brad Pitt) has landed in a Chinese prison and faces execution in T-Minus 24 hours… 22 hours… Reveling in jump-cut/freeze-frame heaven, Scott infuses his race against the clock with lots of meaty backstory, taking us around the globe for spy training and undercover ops. It’s a story of the individual vs. bureaucracy, old school vs. new, and it’s a heck of a ride, ranking up there with Clear and Present Danger in terms of enjoyment and repeat watch-ability. B.
Jul 27, 2006