spy

So, a Bond film directed by the chap who helmed American Beauty. It would be reasonable for us to expect a different approach, and there certainly is one. Unfortunately, there are way too many contrivances in the plot that are used to bring this about with the end result seeming haphazard and dreary. One minute we are busy in the heart of London and the next we are in the Scottish moors exploring Bond's childhood as part of an insipid climax. There is no build-up at all.

A Tom Clancy book ghost-written by Mark Greaney, Threat Vector is a pretty fun read full of cyber-espionage and eventually, war with China. There are some idiotic plot elements and nauseous Hollywoodisation. But on the whole, it was quite entertaining.

A Kevin Costner spy flick which seems ridiculously clichéd until the very end. It could have been done a lot better with a tighter screenplay and better direction.

This movie tried to be 2012's Bourne Identity and falls woefully short. While it captures a bit of the same feel as the Bourne franchise, the script is just so idiotic that it becomes something of a painful watch after a while. I'd give it a 6 if it wasn't for retarded-ness of the stadium scene.

Ah! The joys of reading a well-written spy thriller. TTSS shows that it's not really the James Bonds that keep the world running, but the 'M's. The story is loosely based on Kim Philby and the Cambridge Five who were contemporaries of the author, John Le Carré as a member of MI6.

A conspiracy thriller starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway and Max von Sydow, Three Days of the Condor is a decent yarn for 1975. The performances are tight with special mention to von Sydow's sterling portrayal of the sinister gentleman assassin. Sydney Pollack's direction ensures that the movie works even with a weak premise. It is in many ways similar to Will Smith's Enemy of the State.