THE cloak and dagger world of international espionage has long been a fruitful subject for movie-makers.

This glossy tale, a star-powered film that seems a world away from the downbeat Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy actually shares much with that Le Carr classic.

It is a story of loyalty and betrayal, of the curious web of deceit, suspicion and qualified morality that exists even in the "safety" of your own side in this shady world.

Veteran CIA officer Nathan Muir (Robert Redford) appears quite at ease in this environment. He always seems to have an angle to play and an exit strategy in mind. But on his last day before retirement from the Agency, his talent for quick thinking is tested to the limit.

He learns that his protg Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) has been undertaking a dangerous freelance mission in China, and has been captured. And the clock is ticking, he has just 24 hours of brutal interrogation before he will be executed.

A tasty, substantial suspense movie that's strong on detail, Spy Game also boasts an impressive star pairing in Redford and Pitt, who last worked together as director and star on A River Runs Through It nine years ago.

Director Tony Scott evokes the powerful atmosphere of such diverse "theatres of operation" as the jungles of Vietnam, the rain-soaked streets of East Berlin and the rubble-strewn streets of Beirut.

It's not perfect, the pace is occasionally ponderous and the visual style sometimes distracting, but at other times Spy Game is what movies are all about - a heightened treat for the senses, a fresh and original take on a story that seems vaguely familiar with a handful of compelling performances thrown in for good measure.

ANWAR BRETT