The Double - 2011

Hyde Park Entertainment, Agent Two, Brandt/Haas Productions

Directed by Michael Brandt

Cast:

• Paul Shepherdson – Richard Gere
• Ben Geary – Topher Grace
• Tom Highland – Martin Sheen
• Bozlovski – Tamer Hassan
• Brutus – Stephen Moyer
• Oliver – Chris Marquette
• Natalie Geary – Odette Annable
• Amber – Stana Katic
• Leo – Yuri Sardarov
• Sen. Dennis Darden – Ed Kelly
• Agent Weaver – Jeffrey Pierce

Story: A cold war assassin previously thought dead, code named Cassius, has appeared to come out of retirement with the killing of a diplomat in the nation's capitol. FBI director Highland orders retired Special Agent Paul Shepherdson out of retirement. Shepherdson was the man who tracked Cassius and his crew of trained assassins for more than twenty years, but never caught him. But Director Highland thinks he is still the man for the job. Highland teams Shepherdson with Ben Geary, an analyst whose master's thesis was on Cassius. The two pursue leads, always one step behind the killer, who kills with a most unique cut to the throat. They soon discover there is a leak, but who?

Review: Lots of turns and twists in this fast paced tale of spies and espionage. Richard Gere and Topher Grace work well together in this excellently crafted spy thriller. The entire cast works as an ensemble to present a tale worthy of your interest. Without revealing too much, it is safe to tell you this story deals with what happened to the agents in the field at the fall of the Soviet Union and whatever became of the KGB. Odette Annable is remarkable as Topher's wife, and gives us the impression of the clean cut, all American wife supporting her FBI husband. Martin Sheen is, as always, remarkable in his portrayal of the FBI Director. Overall, the cinematography and photography are crisp and clear, the plot is excellent, and the film is an exceptional effort to keep your attention. Rated PG-13 for violence, some disturbing images, and language, I can safely recommend this one to the parents for a good family film, as long as the little ones are in bed. Be prepared for the last 10 minutes of the film, you won't see it coming. Collectible, too soon to tell, but it ranks right up there with Bond and Bourne.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - 2011

Studio Canal, Karla Films, Paradis Films

Directed by Tomas Alfredson

Cast:

• Control – John Hurt
• Jim Prideaux – Mark Strong
• George Smiley – Gary Oldman
• Percy Alleline – Toby Jones
• Toby Esterhase – David Dencik
• Roy Bland – Ciaran Hinds
• Bill Hayden – Colin Firth
• Jerry Westerby – Stephen Graham

Story: In the early 1970s during the Cold War, the head of British Intelligence, Control, resigns after an operation in Budapest, Hungary goes badly wrong. It transpires that Control believed one of four senior figures in the service was in fact a Russian agent - a mole - and the Hungary operation was an attempt to identify which of them it was. Smiley had been forced into retirement by the departure of Control, but is asked by a senior government figure to investigate a story told to him by a rogue agent, Ricky Tarr, that there was a mole. Smiley considers that the failure of the Hungary operation and the continuing success of Operation Witchcraft (an apparent source of significant Soviet intelligence) confirms this, and takes up the task of finding him. Through the efforts of Peter Guillam, Smiley obtains information that eventually leads him to Jim Prideaux, the agent at the heart of the Hungary fiasco...David Brain

Review: If you're looking for Bond or Bourne style action, this is not your film. This is a film about the reality of intelligence and espionage, not a flamboyant skit of shooting after shooting. However, if you liked The Good Shepherd or J. Edgar, you will find this film as intriguing as I did. This is an intricately laced film about the number one rule of spying: Trust No One. Gary Oldman is superb in this low-key thriller as George Smiley, the intelligence operator destined to become Control. Violence is at a minimum, but the fascinating web of deceit and revelations is worth a couple of hours of your time. Rated R for language and some violence, and subject matter, not necessarily a collectible.

xXx - 2002

Revolution Studios, Original Film

Directed by Rob Cohen

Cast:

• Xander Cage – Vin Diesel
• Augustus Gibbons – Samuel L. Jackson
• Yelena – Asia Argento
• Yorgi – Marton Csokas
• Toby Lee Shavers – Michael Roof
• Milan Sova – Richy Müller
• Kirill – Werner Daehn
• Kolya – Petr Jákl
• El Jefe – Danny Trejo

Story: The NSA is trying to infiltrate a very nasty group of criminals in the Czech Republic, but every time they send in an agent, he is identified and killed. Call in Augustus Gibbons, and his plan to recruit new talent from outside the agency...way outside. They go through an elaborate testing process and the winner is: Xander Cage. Xander is reluctant, to say the least. “Do I look like a fan of Law Enforcement?!”, but Gibbons encourages him to take the assignment or spend the rest of his life in prison. He flys to Prague, where the local authorities don't want him there any more than he wants to be there, and meets up with the leader of Anarchy 99, a group of former Russian soldiers with a plan to eliminate the governments of the world and create total anarchy. His mission? Stop them at all costs.

Review: Triple X, is an updated version of James Bond battling the evil forces of SMERSH or SPECTRE or whatever group of baddies are in the mix at the time. Vin's character, the extreme sport athlete known as Xander Cage, is the ideal candidate for this type of assignment. He's agile, quick on his feet, and knows how to deal with the counter culture. Some people have said in reviews he is not “acting” in this film, but they are probably the same folks who feel that Anthony Hopkins is just another pretentious Englishman. Samuel L. Jackson does an excellent job of protraying the pragmatic NSA operative who realizes the world is changing, even if his superiors do not. Marton Csokas (and the rest of his mob) are all two dimensional, stereotypical bad guys, and the good guys are the same...which is exactly what they needed to be for this film. Asia Argento may never win an academy award, but she rises to the task in xXx portraying Yelena, the forgotton FSB agent who is trying to survive. The real treats in the film are the inclusion of Danny Trejo as the Columbian drug lord and Michael Roof as Toby Lee Shavers, the “Q” of the NSA who has only two loves, making impossible weapons and chasing (unsuccessfully) hot women, of which there are plenty in this film. In short, this is an incredibly adept and insightful parody of the Bond genre that has been railroaded as an attempt at a serious action film. And that is particularly disturbing considering how often we use the letter X to denote eXtreme. When you watch this film, enjoy it for what it is, a flight of fantasy taken to the Extreme. Rated PG-13 for violence and language and some innuendo, the teens in the house ought to enjoy this as much as anyone who likes Bond genre films. If you are a collector of spy films, this is a must have.