Brad Pitt: 5 More Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

3. Tom Bishop - Spy Game

Spy Game is a classic example of a mainstream Hollywood espionage thriller done generically, with plot twists which feel contrived, character back stories which appear to have been pulled from the playbook and an unnecessarily confusing mixed chronology, all of which in some part can be considered excuses for Brad Pitt's seemingly lacklustre performance. Sometimes an actor can only do so much with the material they've been given and Tony Scott's Spy Game is the movie in which Brad Pitt appeared to be completely unsure as to what his character's personality was. While you could argue that this could be seen as a relevant portrayal of how a spy becomes after spending so much time assuming fake identities and subsuming their real self behind a facade, without exploring this angle further it comes across as an excuse for weak characterization. Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and many other A-list actors have tackled similar roles and fallen into the same trap, as if it's another role ticked off the checklist of "parts they're supposed to play" to secure their credentials. For all its flaws, at least Pitt approached it with more personality in Mr. and Mrs. Smith.