I remember greatly enjoying Gotcha! when I rented it on video back in the day. And though it’s always been floating round in the back of my mind, I haven’t watched it since… until now. And let me tell you, this one stands up. There’s a couple of things that don’t stand the test of…
Tag: spy thriller
Red Sparrow (2018) – Francis Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence trusts to Francis Lawrence, who directed her in the final three Hunger Games films. As such, she bares it all in this taut spy thriller. Based on the novel by Jason Matthews the story introduces us to Dominika Egorova (Lawrence). Her promising career as a ballerina is brought to a brutal end when…
Top Secret! (1984) – Jerry Zucker, David Zucker, and Jim Abrahams
It’s been a couple of decades since I last watched Top Secret! I remember from my time working in a video store that it was a perennial favourite of my friend Ted. And with the passing of Val Kilmer, I felt it was definitely time to take it in again. And wow, did I laugh….
Forever and a Day (2018) – Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz delivers another fast-paced 007 spy thriller with some material written by the series creator Ian Fleming. Set just before the events of the novel, Casino Royale, the story follows James Bond as he gets his two assigned kills to get his Double-O number, and throws him into a case that helps shape the…
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Season 3 (2022) – Blu-Ray Review
I’ve been a fan of the Jack Ryan character since I first encountered him in 1985 when a friend of mine introduced me to him, he was reading The Hunt for Red October and I was intrigued by the plot and the characters. I was delighted when Paramount Pictures teamed up with Prime to deliver…
Mission: Impossible (1969) – The Test Case, and The System
Rollin (Martin Landau) puts his life on the line, when the IMF accepts a mission in an Eastern Bloc country, in order to stop a scientist from weaponising a deadly virus. The Test Case was written by Laurence Heath, and first debuted on 19 January, 1969. Phelps (Peter Graves), Barney (Greg Morris), Cinnamon (Barbara Bain)…
Mission: Impossible (1969) – The Exchange, and The Mind of Stefan Miklos
The first mission for the IMF team this week is a bit of a different one, and three seasons in, it’s a bit of a surprise that the idea hadn’t been explored before. The Exchange was penned by Laurence Heath, and had an original airdate of 5 January, 1969. Unlike other episodes, we join the…
Mission: Impossible (1968) – The Bargain, and The Freeze
The IMF team take on organized crime, and a dictator, in The Bargain. Written by Robert E. Thompson, and having an original airdate of 15 December, 1968, Phelps (Peter Graves), Rollin (Martin Landau), Cinnamon (Barbara Bain), Barney (Greg Morris), and Willy (Peter Lupus) go undercover to stop a deal arising between a dictator looking to…
Spy Game (2001) – Tony Scott
This week’s spy thriller is a fantastic film from Tony Scott and starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. I remember being blown away the first time I saw this one, though I’ve always been a fan of Scott’s work, and the score by Harry Gregson-Williams felt perfectly suited for a techno-thriller, though admittedly this is…
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1998) – Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night, and Inquisition
Station log: stadate unknown Hans Beimler and Ira Steven Behr pen this Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) story that first aired on 1 April, 1998. When the Cardassian, Dukat (Marc Alaimo) stuns Kira with the revelation that he claims her Bajoran mother was his lover during the occupation she turns to Sikso (Avery Brooks) not as…
The Mind Reels 