Robert Redford and Brad Pitt team up in this thriller flick that I call a story of vicious no-holds-barred espionage with a heart.  It's fast paced with action, violence and a funny undercurrent of caring.  The present story takes place in Su Chon Prison in China, but most of the footage is the back-story to the events surrounding the Su Chon incident.  A lot of clichés come to mind: The end justifies the means, we do this for the greater good, damn the torpedoes-full speed ahead, and so on. 

            Redford plays Nathan Muir, a seasoned super-clever CIA agent who knows the ropes and has all the connections.  He conscripts Tom Bishop.  Brad Pitt plays Bishop, a natural super agent who can be deployed for high profile ops, the kind you would never hear about even in the history books.  On the day that Muir is retiring from the Agency, Bishop gets himself in big trouble and that's the problem-conflict that kicks off the plot.

            The storyline gathers steam, the stakes pile ever higher and the end game is not exactly what you might expect.  There are lots of deceptions along the way to keep things interesting, so you have to pay attention.  The plot doesn't have the depth or complexity of a Tom Clancy novel, but it's close.  It's a pretty good tale with twists and turns. 

            I thought that Redford was great as the tough old CIA agent, but that was no surprise.  Pitt was also good in his role, a lot better than he was in The Mexican (2001).  I was surprised to discover that both films were released in 2001.  I'm sure the difference came from working with Redford and it was also a better plot.  Catherine McCormack plays Elizabeth Hadley, a love interest (I won't tell you whose.) but it's a small support role.  I was more impressed by Marianne Jean-Baptiste in her brief support role as Gladys, Muir's secretary. 

            Reviewed May 12, 2005

            MPAA: Rated R for language, some violence and brief sexuality.