Robert Redford’s $115M Jason Bourne-Style Spy Thriller Leaving Netflix

The world was devastated around this time last year to learn of the tragic passing of Robert Redford, who spent the better part of 60 years as one of the most important actors in Hollywood. During his early years, Redford rose to fame thanks to his roles in films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the 1969 film written by William Goldman and directed by George Roy Hill. Redford earned his first Oscar nomination in 1974 for his leading performance in The Sting, and less than 10 years later, he won the Academy Award for Best Director for his work on Ordinary People. This would have been Redford’s only Oscar were he not given an honorary Oscar back in 2002 for the many great movies he gave to the world over the years.

Fans could spend hours arguing about which of Robert Redford’s movies is the most famous, but one that would certainly get some votes is Spy Game, the 2001 thriller co-starring a young Brad Pitt who was breaking out as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars at the time. Spy Game was written by Michael Frost Beckner and David Arata and directed by Tony Scott — Tony Scott is the late brother of Ridley Scott, and he passed away in 2012, 11 years after the release of Spy Game. The film cost $115 million to make, and this proved to be too risky a gamble when the film grossed only $143 million at the box office, falling well short of its break-even point. Spy Game has been streaming on Netflix for months now, but the streamer recently announced that the final day to watch the movie on the platform will be on October 31.

What Is ‘Spy Game’ About?

In addition to Redford and Pitt, Spy Game also stars Catherine McCormack as Elizabeth Hadley, Stephen Dillane as Charles Harker, and Larry Bryggman as Troy Folger. Spy Game is perfect for Jason Bourne fans, too, as both films feature elements of CIA espionage, and compromised operatives. The official synopsis for the film, which earned scores of 64% from critics and 75% from audiences on the aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, reads as follows:

“Redford stars as CIA operative Nathan Muir, who is on the brink of retirement from the field, when he learns his protégé Tom Bishop has been arrested in China on a charge of 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.”