Spy Game (HD DVD)

Spy Game wasn't exactly a box-office success considering it carried a production budget of approximately $115 million and only brought in $62 million in theaters. That said, it is one of my favorite movies of all time, at least one of my favorite movies to watch on DVD and now owning it on HD DVD is just that much better, but only for video and audio quality as the features remain the same as the DVD version.

Spy Game begins with Nathan Muir (Robert Redford), one of his CIA spy trainees, Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) has gotten himself into some serious trouble, trouble that has landed him a cell in a Chinese prison with charges of espionage. Scheduled to be assassinated Muir has been called in on his final day at the CIA to sort through the red tape and get to the bottom of the situation. A series of fantastic stories and thrilling situations leads the audience on one hell of a thrill ride, and with Tony Scott at the helm it only adds that much more to the production.

For some reason, and I can't quite place my finger on it, Brad Pitt seems to find his way into several roles that just click for me. Along with Seven and Fight Club, Spy Game is another fantastic addition to his resume and the fact that Universal sees it as a worthy addition to their HD DVD catalog says a fair amount about their confidence in the picture and that early adopters of the new media are likely to recognize the movie.

As far as the HD DVD quality goes this one delivers a satisfying audio and video experience, but Spy Game is more about the story than about the whiz-bang effects. Aside from Harry Gregson-Williams' cool score and a few explosions the Dolby Digital Plus audio isn't really all that noticeable. The video quality is certainly raised from standard DVD, which it better be since this is HD DVD, as black levels are improved and the clarity of the picture is bumped up several notches. Background images are no longer a fuzzy blur and object edge quality is vastly improved.

As far as early HD DVD releases go Spy Game is certainly one to add to the collection. Granted there are a few logic problems with the flick, but they are so minimal that they in no way override the fun you have watching this movie. I am a major fan of Spy Game and believe it should be a part of everyone's collection.