Spy Games (1999)
A romantic suspense-comedy about CIA agent Harry (Bill Pullman) and SVR agent Natasha (Irene Jacob) fighting to save the world, their lives and secret love in the post cold war Helsinki
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Such a frustrating disappointment
Captivating movie !
if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
This is one of the most enjoyable movies I have seen in a long time. Also great scenes of real Finland, not some other place pretending to be Finland. Bill Pullman and and Irene Jacob have great chemistry.
"Spy Games" sets out to be like the old "I Spy" tv series with West vs East spying going on in exotic locations and lots of clever patter mixed in with a semiserious and intricate dramatic spy plot, a token babe here and there, etc. However, this unfortunate flick doesn't make it as it becomes convoluted and boring only managing to pull what's left of itself together in the end. "Spy Games" does have Pullman, Jacob, and Helsinki going for it but little else. Recommended only for the very bored.
I went into watching the film with no expectations, and found that it actually wasn't that bad. The film is choppy and inconsistent, but there's lots of little clever touches and running gags. The actors veer in and out of character and the director seemingly couldn't decide if he was making a light-hearted espionage flick or a sharp black comedy, but it's still fun to notice and pick apart the subtle asides and sight gags. Not the greatest movie of all time, but an amusing way to spend an hour and a half.
He's an American spy, she's a Russian spy, they're both in Helsinki spying on each other and sleeping together. They both know that, things being what they are in the 90s, they're probably not as relevant as they once were. They both have superiors who take things slightly more seriously than they do. Sounds like a good premise, and the film certainly had it's funny moments. I saw it at the Toronto Film Festival last week. The audience enjoyed it. Lots of laughs. I liked it. There are worse ways to spend two hours.