Electrifyin', Shockin' & Rockin', but down to earth!!!!!!!!!!

avatar007

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

The story starts of with Tom Bishop (Aka Brad Pitt) holed up in a Chinese prison trying to recruit his ASSET Liz Hadley (played by enchanting newcomer, Christine McCormack, whose performance yet again is way above brilliant. Things go awry, the rescue attempt fails. It is 14 April 1991. Zoom in on The US Embassy in Hong Kong, and we find out the man at the pinnacle of Tom Bishop's life. This is the man who will haunt him forever. Zoom into Langley, HQ of the world's cleverest individuals, the Central Intelligence Agency. Nathan Muir, the rogue agent is asked to explain his actions in dealing with Bishop and this is how his narration goes:

Bishop is a Staff Sergeant with the US Marines and is serving in Vietnam (around the time of April 1975), when he's approached by none other than the great Nathan Muir the CIA's most conniving, rogue agent. Muir deceives Bishop in a number of ways throughout the movie, in order to teach him how life as a spy really is. Throughout the movie the immense scenes of war torn Vietnam, Berlin & Beirut capture us. Along with the horrifying reality portrayed in the scenes accompanies a score second to none composed by Hans Zimmer's protégé, a young lad by the name of Harry Gregson-Williams (whose other credits include Shrek, Chicken Run, As Good As It Gets, Enemy Of The State, Replacement Killers, Peacemaker, The Fan, The Rock & Crimson Tide).


From the jungles of 'Nam we are transported to Berlin, East Germany in 1976. Bishop learns the hard fact of life as a spy, that in order for him to succeed, it will cost lives other than his own. Bishop is morally confronted and shaken when he leaves behind an East German he has to save from certain death, and he fails.

Cut to Beirut, Lebanon in 1985. Bishop & Muir are again on the front lines of death and despair. This time they have to slay a well-known terrorist. In the process, Bishop falls in love with his "ASSET", the beautiful Liz Hadley (this is the pinnacle of the film where the story ultimately changes). Apart from a few misguided sex romps, Bishop finds out his "ASSET" is truly a fanatic from an extremist group based in London, and that she has been part of a bombing which has taken the life of the Chinese ambassador's nephew (something that was not expected!). What he doesn't know is that he's been played for a fool. Eventually he finds out Hadley is a scam artist, but still finds it hard to forgive her as well as Muir who exposes her during a regular chat over whisky in a sleazy Lebanese bar.

Meanwhile back at Langley, As Nathan Muir narrates his hellish ordeal, he intends to take the CIA for a ride, and does it in a very clever unknowing manner which has the other members of the CIA guessing right till the end. Everyone in the agency knows Muir is about to retire, but nobody knows he has foreign assets worth $282,000.

The twists of the film just get better and better with every passing second., and eventually Muir saves Bishop's life by putting his life savings on the line. He has taken the help of his trusty mate, Harry Duncan at the US Embassy in Hong Kong to corrupt 10 employees at Su Chou prison where Bishop was being held.

What ensues is one of the best endings I've seen since ENEMY OF THE STATE (Another badass TONY SCOTT flick!).

At Langley, Muir alters the thermal imaging maps of the Bahamas with China, and the CIA echelon quiz him about his property interests. Little do they know they've been conned.

Muir in the meantime, figures out a very good way to save Bishop - he forges the CIA Director's signature and authorises a band of rag tag Marines to go to Su Chou prison to rescue Bishop and Hadley, who he is forced to think about since he delivered her to the Chinese government in exchange for a US official taken as a hostage. The rescue attempt takes place after a blackout occurs courtesy of the 10 employees of the prison who have gleefully been double-crossed by Muir.

In the end though, Muir gets back his USD 282,000. And everyone realises its too late, the incident in China surprises the CIA. And Muir, Hadley and Bishop walk the earth.....free from their chains.

The moral of the story is: "WHO DARES, WINS".

My Final Verdict: The Movie:10/10; The Music (Score   Other Titles):10/10; Tony Scott (He always delivers!):10/10; Robert Redford:9/10; Christine McCormack:8/10; Brad Pitt:7/10.

score 10/10

avatar007 13 March 2002

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0775927/