History Film / SpyGame

* [[ShootTheShaggyDog Blow Up The Shaggy Dog]]: All that crazy driving and effort by Bishop to get the doctor to his appointment on time so that he can poison the target, only to see [[NoKillLikeOverkill the entire apartment building get blown up by truck bomb.]]

* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler: There's a quick scene where this happens to Bishop, but it was AllJustADream]].

* NotAGame: Inverted. Bishop says this in response to one of Muir's controversial calls, [[spoiler:(telling Bishop to abandon an informant to certain death)]], and Muir retorts that a game is exactly what it is, and [[SeriousBusiness a very serious one at that]].
* OhCrap: For the CIA, the penultimate line of the movie [[spoiler:when Muir's interrogators have their previously-assuaged suspicions of Muir's duplicity confirmed too late via phone call after Muir had left the building.]]

--> "When did Noah build the ark, Gladys? [[CrazyPrepared Before the rain]]."

--> "You know this would go a lot faster you guys if you would tell me a little something about the op. What's it called? [[CodeName SIDESHOW]]?"

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Muir sacrifices a low-level informant [[spoiler:to lure out an American double-agent.]] Of course, Muir also claims the informant was [[spoiler:a double-agent for the Russians who was planning to betray Bishop, so it was ok to get rid of him]]. Given his status as an UnreliableNarrator and a ManipulativeBastard, it's unclear if Muir was telling the truth or just trying to get Bishop to calm down.

* TheAtoner: [[spoiler: The whole reason Muir decides to orchestrate Bishop and Hadley's rescue; all the years of being a ManipulativeBastard finally caught up to him and he decides to make it up to his former protege]].

* CaliforniaDoubling: Budapest for West Germany, Morocco for Beirut, a prison in Oxford for the chinese prison, and a building in England for the CIA [=HQs=]. And an in-universe example with satellite imagery of the Bahamas for satellite scans of the island where the Chinese prison is located.

--> '''Muir''' (hiding behind rubble to avoid gunfire): This better be the best damn breakfast I've ever had.
--> '''Bishop''': Oh, it's delicious; you'll love it.

* HeroicBSOD: Bishop seems to be going through one immediately after the bombing in Beirut. He went through another minor one earlier in the film, accompanied with a ThousandYardStare, after being forced to abandon the contact he was trying to smuggle across out of East Germany.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Hadley calls Bishop out on accusing ''her'' of playing him by demanding to know his real name.

* LaserGuidedKarma: The mole, [[spoiler: Ann Cathcart]], was beaten to death two months after defecting to the Russians. It is heavily implied Bishop and/or Muir were involved, but the movie leaves it ambiguous.

* PubliclyDiscussingTheSecret: During the TrainingMontage, Muir and Bishop discuss spy techniques on public streets, inside full restaurants, and in front of bartenders. A bit justified though, considering that they're in a foreign country and not everyone around them speaks fluent English, which makes it slightly less risky.

--> '''Muir''': [points to a nearby apartment building] "Know anyone who lives there?"

* TheSpook: Muir doesn't share his personal information with anyone, to the extent that his own co-workers don't find out until too late that [[spoiler: he's not currently married, and in fact has only been married once]] (see RunningGag). Troy Fogler - who came up together with Muir - admits to Harker in an early scene that no one really knows him, while Bishop remarks in a flashback that Langley has ''seven'' different incorrect birth-dates on file for him, and the KGB and Mossad apparently have several more.

!!!!''Spy Game'' contains examples of:

!!''Spy Game'' contains examples of:

* HeroicBSOD: Bishop seems to be going through one immediately after the bombing in Beirut. He went through another minor one earlier in the film, accompanied with a ThousandYardStare, after being forced to abandon the contact he was trying to smuggle across the wall.

* RansackedRoom: Harker has security officers search Muir's office while Muir is busy being interrogated. Gladys alerts Muir to what is happening, and he excuses himself to go get something from his office, deliberately letting the suits [[IKnowYouKnowIKnow know that he knows]] what they've been doing.

* ThousandYardStare: Bishop suffers from one after being forced to abandon the asset he was trying to smuggle out of East Germany.

--> "You know this would go a lot faster you guys if you would tell me a little something about the op. What's it called? [[CodeName Sideshow]]?"

--> '''Muir''': "Know anyone who lives [in a nearby apartment building]?"

[[quoteright:285:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spy_game_poster.jpg]][[caption-width-right:285:They didn't age a day in sixteen years.]]

{{CIA}} operative Nathan Muir (Redford) is on the brink of retirement when he finds out that his protege Tom Bishop (Pitt), who he hasn't seen in six years, has been arrested in China for espionage. No stranger to the machinations of the CIA's top echelon, [[TheChessmaster Muir]] [[RockBeatsLaser hones all his skills]], resources, and [[RefugeInAudacity irreverent manner]] in order to find a way to rescue Bishop. In the process, Muir recalls how he recruited and trained the younger man -- from their first meeting in Vietnam, through their [[StudentAndMasterTeam turbulent days together as operatives]], and finally to the woman who threatened their friendship.

** Bishop as well, since he decides to [[spoiler:rescue Hadley from prison, since she ended up there because he got involved with her.]]

----

{{CIA}} operative Nathan Muir (Redford) is on the brink of retirement when he finds out that his protege Tom Bishop (Pitt), who he hasn't seen in six years, has been arrested in China for espionage. No stranger to the machinations of the CIA's top echelon, [[TheChessmaster Muir]] [[RockBeatsLaser hones all his skills]] and [[RefugeInAudacity irreverent manner]] in order to find a way to rescue Bishop. In the process, Muir recalls how he recruited and trained the younger man -- from their first meeting in Vietnam, through their [[StudentAndMasterTeam turbulent days together as operatives]], and finally to the woman who threatened their friendship.

* ArcWords: "Dinner Out"
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler: The whole reason Muir decides to orchestrate Bishop and Hadley's rescue. All the years of being a ManipulativeBastard finally caught up to him and decides to make it up to his former protege. Bishop as well, since he decides to rescue Hadley after getting involved with her -- which ended in his capture as well.]]

* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler: There's a scene where this happens to Bishop, but it was AllJustADream]].

* CasualDangerDialogue: Bishop is taking Muir out for breakfast at a Mexican restaurant...in war-torn Beirut.

* CodeName: Tom Bishop is referred to as "Boy Scout" during a conversation on an unsecured phone line.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Muir's first scene shows him being woken up by a phone call at home, alone, an early hint that [[spoiler: all of the talk about his wife is a lie]].
* HeelFaceTurn: Muir, arguably. He was never really a villain, but did several questionable things while working for the CIA. He makes up for it while orchestrating Bishop's rescue.

* NonActionGuy: Muir mostly serves this role on the missions we see him take part in, with Bishop obviously filling the ActionGuy role.

* OnceMoreWithClarity: The quick scene of a woman being kidnapped is later shown to be [[spoiler: Hadley]], and the scene where [[spoiler:Bishop is dragged from his cell is later revealed to take place during his rescue]].

* SherlockScan: Muir at times employs this method to figure out what the CIA suits don't want him to know, like when he figures out the name of the op by spotting a reflection of Harker's notepad on the tabletop.

* SirSwearsALot: Bishop, compared to the other characters; he has most of the "F" bombs in the film.

* TheSpook: Muir doesn't share his personal information with anyone, to the extent that his own co-workers don't find out until too late that [[spoiler: he's not currently married, and in fact has only been married once]] (see RunningGag). Troy Fogler - who came up together with Muir - admits to Harker in an early scene that no one really knows him, while Bishop remarks in a flashback that Langley has seven different incorrect birth-dates on file for him, and the KGB and Mossad apparently have several more.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The fate of the two Chinese doctors who assisted Bishop in the initial jailbreak is never mentioned. They're last seen after Bishop is discovered, being surrounded by guards with guns.
* WhatTheHellHero: Bishop calls Muir out several times [[spoiler: on how casual he is at manipulating the lives of others, not even batting an eye if those manipulated lose their lives]] -- all for the [[KnightTemplar greater good of the US]].

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Muir sacrifices a low-level informant [[spoiler:to lure out an American double-agent.]] Of course, Muir also claims the informant was also [[spoiler:a double-agent for the Russians who was planning to betray Bishop, so it was ok to get rid of him]]. Given Muir's status as an UnreliableNarrator and a ManipulativeBastard, it's unclear if he was telling the truth or just trying to get Bishop to calm down.

{{CIA}} operative Nathan Muir (Redford) is on the brink of retirement when he finds out that his protege Tom Bishop (Pitt), who he hasn't seen in six years, has been arrested in China for espionage. No stranger to the machinations of the CIA's top echelon, [[TheChessmaster Muir hones all his skills]] and irreverent manner in order to find a way to rescue Bishop. In the process, Muir recalls how he recruited and trained the younger man -- from their first meeting in Vietnam, through their [[StudentAndMasterTeam turbulent days together as operatives]], and finally to the woman who threatened their friendship.

* {{Badass}}: Bishop definitely qualifies. His method of infiltrating the Chinese prison involves electrocuting himself with enough voltage to get himself declared dead.

* LaserGuidedKarma: The mole, [[spoiler: Ann Cathcart]], was beaten to death two months after defecting to the Russians. It is heavily implied Bishop and/or Muir were involved, but they never really figure out who did it.

* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Muir, initially.

* SherlockScan: Muir at times employs this method to figure out what the CIA suits don't want him to know.
--> "You know this would go a lot faster you guys if you would tell me a little something about the op. What's it called? Sideshow?"

--> '''Muir''': "It's just like breathing. You breathe don't you?"

* DistressedDude: Bishop, in the present day scenes.

* NotAGame: Inverted. Bishop says this in response to one of Muir's controversial calls, [[(spoiler:telling Bishop to abandon an informant to certain death)]], and Muir retorts that a game is exactly what it is, and [[SeriousBusiness a very serious one at that]].

* OnceMoreWithClarity: The quick scene of a woman being kidnapped is later shown to be [[spoiler: Hayley]], and the scene where [[spoiler:Bishop is dragged from his cell is later revealed to take place during his rescue]].

* TheSpook: Muir doesn't share his personal information with anyone, to the extent that his own co-workers don't find out until too late that [[spoiler: he's not currently married, and in fact has only been married once (see RunningGag)]]. Troy Fogler - who came up together with Muir - admits to Harker in an early scene that no one really knows him, while Bishop remarks in a flashback that Langley has seven different incorrect birth-dates on file for him, and the KGB and Mossad apparently have several more.

* VomitIndiscretionShot: Bishop, who is pretending to be drunk, ducks into a bathroom and ingests something from a vial that causes him to immediately retch into the nearest toilet, right as one of his pursuers walks in to see what he's doing.

* XanatosSpeedChess: [[spoiler: Muir]] manages to stall the CIA, bribe Chinese officers and set up a successful rescue mission using the US Navy, using [[MundaneMadeAwesome only a phone, an electric typewriter, a fax machine and various other office supplies]].
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Muir sacrifices a low-level informant [[spoiler:to lure out an American double-agent.]] Of course, Muir also claims the informant was also [[spoiler:a double-agent for the Russians who was planning to betray Bishop, so it was ok to get rid of him.]] Given Muir's status as an UnreliableNarrator and a ManipulativeBastard, it's unclear if he was telling the truth, or just trying to calm Bishop down.

{{CIA}} operative Nathan Muir (Redford) is on the brink of retirement when he finds out that his protege, Tom Bishop (Pitt), has been arrested in China for espionage. No stranger to the machinations of the CIA's top echelon, [[TheChessmaster Muir hones all his skills]] and irreverent manner in order to find a way to free Bishop. In the process, Muir recalls how he recruited and trained the young rookie, at that time a sergeant in Vietnam, their turbulent times together as operatives, and the woman who threatened their friendship.

--> '''Muir''' (while the two are ducking behind rubble): This better be the best damn breakfast I've ever had.
--> '''Bishop''': Oh, it's delicious, you'll love it.

* DistractedByTheSexy: How Muir (through his contact) [[spoiler:gets the Chinese official to come down on his price to where Muir can personally pay him]] - the official is trying to watch [[Series/{{Baywatch}} Pamela Anderson]] and the contact gets in his way.

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Muir, arguably]]. He was never really a villain, but did several questionable things while working for the CIA. He makes up for it while [[spoiler:orchestrating Bishop's rescue.]]

* NotAGame: Inverted. Bishop says this in response to one of Muir's controversial calls, ([[spoiler:telling Bishop to abandon an informant to certain death]]), and Muir retorts that a game is exactly what it is, and [[SeriousBusiness a very serious one at that]].

-->[[spoiler:"There's been an incident in China."]]

* RockBeatsLaser / MundaneSolution: Muir claims that although technology is always evolving, the best intelligence is better obtained through mundane mediums and simple plain hard work. [[spoiler: He proves this by using the technological bureaucracy of the CIA against itself.]]
--> "Technology gets better everyday. That's fine. But most of the time all you need is a stick of gum, a pocket knife and a smile."

* TrainingMontage: Of Bishop's early days with a CIA agent.

* VomitIndiscretionShot: Bishop, when pretending to be drunk, ducks into a bathroom and ingests something that causes him to immediately retch into the nearest toilet, right as one of his pursuers walks in to see what he's doing.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Muir sacrifices a low-level informant [[spoiler:to lure out an American double-agent.]] Of course, Muir also claims the informant per se was also [[spoiler:a double-agent for the Russians, so it was ok to get rid of him.]] Given Muir's status as an UnreliableNarrator and a ManipulativeBastard, there's no way to know if he was telling the truth.

* DistractedByTheSexy: How Muir (through his contact) [[spoiler:gets the Chinese official to come down on his price to where Muir can personally pay him - the official is trying to watch [[Series/{{Baywatch}} Pamela Anderson]] and the contact gets into his view.]]

* FlashbackEffect: There's a different one for each time period: the Vietnam flashbacks are sepia toned and heavily contrasted, the Cold War flashbacks in Germany are blue toned with less contrast, while the coloring in the Beirut flashbacks is closer to the present day scenes, though a bit brighter. Bishop's hairstyle and Muir's glasses also change in each one.

* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: The reason why Muir decides to save Bishop. [[spoiler: Even though in the past, he was willing to play with other people's lives and discard them when they were of no use anymore]].

--> '''Muir''': "Within five minutes, I want to see you standing on one of those balconies."
* SmugSnake: Harker.

* TheSpook: Muir doesn't share his personal information with anyone, to the extent that his own co-workers don't find out until too late that [[spoiler: he's only been married once, and he's also not currently married (see RunningGag)]]. Troy Fogler - who came up together with Muir - admits to Harker in an early scene that no one really knows him, while Bishop remarks in a flashback that Langley has seven different incorrect birth-dates on file for him, and the KGB and Mossad apparently have several more.

* TrainingMontage

[[quoteright:285:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spy_game_poster.jpg]]

{{CIA}} operative Nathan Muir (Redford) is on the brink of retirement when he finds out that his protege Tom Bishop (Pitt) has been arrested in China for espionage. No stranger to the machinations of the CIA's top echelon, [[TheChessmaster Muir hones all his skills]] and irreverent manner in order to find a way to free Bishop. As he embarks on his mission to free Bishop, Muir recalls how he recruited and trained the young rookie, at that time a sergeant in Vietnam, their turbulent times together as operatives and the woman who threatened their friendship.

* FlashbackEffect: There's a different one for each time period: the Vietnam flashbacks are sepia toned and heavily contrasted, the Cold War flashbacks in Germany are blue toned, while the coloring in the Beirut flashbacks is closer to the present day scenes. Bishop's hairstyle and Muir's glasses also change in each one.

* NotAGame: Inverted. Bishop says this in response to one of Muir's controversial calls, ([[spoiler: telling Bishop to abandon an informant to certain death]]), and Muir retorts that a game is exactly what it is, and [[SeriousBusiness a very serious one at that]].

* SoundtrackDissonance: The loud classical music playing over Bishop trying to bring an East German defector across the wall.

* TheSpook: Muir doesn't share his personal information with anyone, to the extent that his own co-workers don't find out until too late that [[spoiler: he's only been married once, and he's also not currently married (see RunningGag)]]. Bishop remarks at one point that Langley has seven different incorrect birth-dates on file for him (the KGB and Mossad apparently have several more), and in another scene Troy admits to Harker that no one really knows him.

{{CIA}} operative Nathan Muir (Redford) is on the brink of retirement when he finds out that his protege Tom Bishop (Pitt) has been arrested in China for espionage. No stranger to the machinations of the CIA's top echelon, Muir hones all his skills and irreverent manner in order to find a way to free Bishop. As he embarks on his mission to free Bishop, Muir recalls how he recruited and trained the young rookie, at that time a sergeant in Vietnam, their turbulent times together as operatives and the woman who threatened their friendship.

---> '''Muir''' (while the two are ducking behind rubble): This better be the best damn breakfast I've ever had.
---> '''Bishop''': Oh, it's delicious, you'll love it.

* SmugSnake: Harker.
* SpyFiction: Of the Stale Beer kind.
--->'''Bishop''': I thought spies drank martinis.
--->'''Muir''': Scotch, and never less than 12 years old.
* TheSpook: Muir doesn't share his personal information with anyone, to the extent that his own co-workers don't find out until too late that [[spoiler: he's only been married once, and he's also not currently married (see RunningGag)]]. Bishop remarks at one point that Langley has seven different incorrect birth-dates on file for him (the KGB and Mossad have several more), and in another scene Troy admits to Harker that no one really knows him.
* ThousandYardStare: Bishop suffers from one after being forced to abandon the contact he was trying to smuggle out of East Germany.

* TricksterMentor: Muir to Bishop.

''Spy Game'' is a 2001 American spy film directed by Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and BradPitt.

* BavarianFireDrill: Miur uses this several times in order to manipulate people into giving otherwise-restricted information.

---> '''Bishop''': Oh, it's great, you'll love it.

* ColdSniper: Bishop, before becoming a CIA Agent.
* ConfessToALesserCrime: Muir spends most of the film using CIA resources to plan an unauthorized operation to rescue Bishop. When the CIA discovers he's been accessing satellite data, Muir admits to misusing agency resources... to research retirement properties. While a huge offense in and of itself, it's not considered as big a deal because he's retiring, the satellites were passing over the Bahamas anyway (so he didn't restage a satellite), and quite frankly, they're just glad to be rid of him and Bishop.

* {{Determinator}}: Bishop on several occasions (continuing on his mission to snipe the NVA official despite his spotter insisting there's no shot, initial resistence to Muir over aborting his attempted smuggling of someone into West Berlin, racing to get the doctor to his appointment in Beirut because he hated the backup plan of using local militias and explosives)
* DistractedByTheSexy: How Muir (through his contact) [[spoiler:gets the Chinese official to come down on his price to where Miur can personally pay him - the official is trying to watch [[Series/{{Baywatch}} Pamela Anderson]] and the contact gets into his view.]]
* DoubleTake: One of the Wardens in the Chinese prison, when he finds a prisoner chewing bubblegum.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler: Ann Cathcart is beaten to death two months after defecting to the Russians. It is heavily implied Bishop or Muir were involved, but they never really figure out who did it.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Muir. Arguably. He was never really a villain, but did several questionable things while working for the CIA. He makes up for it while orchestrating Bishop's rescue.]]

* ManipulativeBastard: Muir, and Bishop after his training, but nowhere as bastard as Muir.

* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: The reason why Muir decides to save Bishop. [[spoiler: Even if in the past, he was willing to play with other people's lives and discard them when they were of no use anymore]].
* NotAGame: Inverted. Bishop says this in response to one of Muir's controversial calls. [[spoiler: Telling Bishop to abandon an informant to certain death]], and Muir retorts that a game is exactly what it is, and [[SeriousBusiness a very serious one at that]].
* OhCrap: For the CIA, the penultimate line of the movie [[spoiler:when Muir's interrogators have their previously-assauged suspicions of Muir's duplicity confirmed too late via phone call after Muir had left the building.]]

* RunningGag: The many wives of Muir. [[spoiler: Is actually a plot point - Miur's interrogators realize too late he isn't currently married, and all his previous "wives" were actually agents he recruited.]]

* WhatTheHellHero: Bishop calls Muir out several times [[spoiler: on how casual he is at manipulating the lives of others, not even batting an eye if those manipulated lose their lives]] -- All for the [[KnightTemplar greater good of the US]].
* XanatosSpeedChess: [[spoiler: Muir]] manages to stall the CIA, bribe Chinese officers and set up a successful rescue mission using the US Navy, using [[MundaneMadeAwesome only a phone, an electric typewriter, a fax machine and other office supplies]].
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Muir sacrifices a low-level informant [[spoiler:to lure out an American double-agent.]] Of course, Muir also claims the informant per se was also [[spoiler:a double-agent for the Russians, so it was ok to get rid of him.]]
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Happens to Muir. He [[CantStopTheSignal leaks the fact]] that Bishop is in a Chinese prison on the eve of US-China trade talks to CNN to try to force them to negotiate for his release, but as he's about to leave Langley for the last time [[SubvertedTrope CNN issues a retraction]] by stating Bishop had been dead for ten years - Muir's higher-ups presumably leaned on them in order to allow Bishop to die in prison without public backlash.

* RockBeatsLaser / MundaneSolution: Muir claims that although technology is always evolving, the best intelligence is better obtained through mundane mediums and simple plain hard work.
* RunningGag: The many "wives" of Muir. [[spoiler: Is actually a plot point - Miur's interrogators realize too late he isn't currently married.]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Muir is a somewhat rare [[UnscrupulousHero anti-heroic]] example, justifying his actions as being neccessary to protect democracy. It's left ambiguous whether he actually is justified or not.

* ColdWar

* [[spoiler: Potentially UnreliableNarrator: All of the flashbacks are told by Muir, one cannot help but wonder how much of them is true, and how much is changed/added/omitted to manipulate the other men in the room.]]

* ConfessToALesserCrime: Muir spends most of the film using CIA resources to plan an unauthorized operation to rescue Bishop. When the CIA discovers he's been accessing satellite data, Muir admits to misusing agency resources... to research retirement properties.

* WhamLine: For the CIA, the penultimate line of the movie [[spoiler:when Muir's interrogators have their previously-assauged suspicions of Muir's duplicity confirmed too late via phone call after Muir had left the building.]]
-->[[spoiler:"There's been an incident in China."]]

* WhamLine: For the CIA, the penultimate line of the movie [[spoiler:when Miur's interrogators have their previously-assauged suspicions confirmed of Miur's duplicity too late via phone call after Miur had left the building.]]

* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Happens to Muir. He [[CantStopTheSignal leaks the fact]] that Bishop is in a Chinese prison on the eve of US-China trade talks to CNN to try to force them to negotiate for his release, but as he's about to leave Langley for the last time CNN issues a retraction by stating Bishop had been dead for ten years - Muir's higher-ups presumably leaned on them in order to allow Bishop to die in prison without public backlash.

* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: Happens to Muir.

* DistractedByTheSexy: How Muir (through his contact) [[spoiler:gets the Chinese official to come down on his price to where Miur can personally pay him - the official is trying to watch [[{{Baywatch}} Pamela Anderson]] and the contact gets into his view.]]

* DoubleTake: One of the Wardens in the chinese prison, when he finds a prisoner chewing bubblegum.

* RunningGag: The many "wives" of Muir. [[spoiler: Is actually a plot point.]]