Spy Game (2001)
Grade: C-
Cast: Robert Redford, Brad Pitt, Catherine McCormack
Director: Tony Scott
Rated R for language and violence

The Last Castle (2001)
Grade: C
Cast: Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo, Steve Burton, Delroy Lindo
Director: Rod Lurie
Rated R for language and violence


Wow. 2001 sure sucked for Robert Redford.

The aging star, at 65, has attempted to make a comeback in the cited year with the insanely boring "Spy Game" and the amiably obvious "The Last Castle". Both films were below-par action flicks that prove Robert Redford has the Peter Pan syndrome—he doesn’t want to get older. He tries to appear young and tough in these films, but it’s awkward because…well, mainly because we know he’s 65-year-old Robert Redford. But even the greatest (and most age-appropriate) of actors couldn’t have saved these sloppy messes—"Spy Game" alone got my money’s worth out of the clock above my TV, and "The Last Castle" ALMOST but not quite had me groaning in a way I hadn’t since the disgustingly patriotic "Men of Honor". Not quite, though—it wasn’t that bad.

"Spy Game" revolves around Nathan Muir (Redford), soon retiring from the CIA, who gets caught in the middle of an inane movie when his skilled trainee Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) is arrested for espionage in China, and will be put to death in mere hours. The film consists of non-stop action and excitement. Right…uh-huh. There’s more action in McDonalds’ drive-thru order lane.

Actually, what the film consists of are flashbacks to the days when Muir was training Bishop, and we don’t get much of anything to get excited about—the flashbacks aren’t eventful, and the only reason we even remotely care about Bishop’s fate is because he’s played by Brad Pitt. And by that criteria alone, his character’s sympathy is walking a fine line.

"Spy Game", at 126 minutes, is both too long and too briskly paced; it is too boring to have such a long running time, so I was bored, and it is too quick because of the hyper, seizure-inducing editing by Christian Wagner. This is MTV music video stuff, or Jerry Bruckheimer stuff. I suppose that’s appropriate, though—Bruckheimer produced "Enemy of the State", which is directed by "Spy Game"’s Tony Scott. Scott probably learned some stuff from Bruckheimer and carried it over to this film. I’m not sure a real filmmaker would follow Bruckheimer’s advice, and that statement holds up, since "Spy Game" proves Scott isn’t a real filmmaker.

There are some nice moments. I liked the scene where Bishop was practicing some of his techniques (“I want to see you on that balcony in two minutes”). If the film was that much fun through the whole thing, this might not be a negative review. Also, some of the cinematography was cool, and as much as I loathed the editing, there were parts of the movie where it worked.

All of these redeeming factors fail to redeem. "Spy Game" is a slow, dull slog through clichés and visions of Brad Pitt being tortured before, half a second later, we cut to Robert Redford talking to hotshot CIAers. So much, over these 126 minutes, happens, but we feel very strangely at the end of "Spy Game" because it seems as if nothing has. It reminds me of "Proof of Life": so much promise in the premise, but so much disappointment in the execution.

Slightly more watchable is "The Last Castle", directed by former film critic Rod Lurie ("The Contender"). I just have to ask this: why would a guy that used to be a film critic direct a film so filled with things critics hate? Can he imagine himself putting this film in his 2001 top 10? If he can…well, his credibility just went down the drain in my eyes. While occasionally entertaining, "The Last Castle" is not a work to be proud of.

Redford (who is a little better here than in "Spy Game", I guess, but still not 100% impressive) plays Eugene Irwin, a respected Lieutenant General, so respected that I suspect there was even more prison sex than in "The Shawshank Redemption", but Lurie didn’t want to film it. He is in jail because of something that’s a secret, so I won’t tell you, but he’s under the command of James Gandolfini’s Colonel Dick Winter (note: Dick is not his name, but a description), who is as corrupt as anyone this side of "The Green Mile". The two don’t get along very well, and soon Irwin is plotting to take over the prison, as Winter is allowing the murder of inmates. The dumbest logic in the film comes from Irwin’s rebelliousness—yes, what Winter is doing is wrong, but he’s the boss. Taking over the prison is a good way to join that list of murdered inmates. Why not try to report him again?

All of this is quite enjoyable, and there are good performances from Gandolfini and Mark Ruffalo ("You Can Count On Me"), but something about it seems tired and routine. We’ve seen it all before, and "The Last Castle" doesn’t seem to understand that. The least it could do is come up with a clever or innovative way to present its story, but everything on the screen has been used in one way or another in other films. If you ever want a perfect encyclopedia of clichés, "The Last Castle" will work wonderfully.

It saves itself by being somewhat likable. I was watching all of this, not worrying about how it would turn out, but wondering how it was going to be handled. I suppose that’s a good thing. But the best movies challenge us, and this one does anything but. Well, actually, some of the best films are just extremely entertaining, but this doesn’t excel in that area either, only mildly so. Some virtues save it from being terrible, but nothing keeps it from mediocrity. It’s too knowingly patriotic and “perfect” for it to rise above its average demeanor.

So, in conclusion, I have a message for Robert Redford, if he is reading this… Mr. Redford: Congratulations on churning out crap and releasing it into cinemas rather than flushing it down the toilet. Yes, I disliked "Spy Game" and "The Last Castle". If you want a real comeback, do the following: a low-budget drama (not big budget actioner) in which you act your age and stop trying to be pretty. It might work. These two certainly didn’t.


-Alex, July 2002