What I See and What I Think: The Joy and Sadness of Retired CIA Agents

Published in China Times
(Taiwan) on 26 October 2010
by Chang King Wei (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Adelina Wan. Edited by Andysheh Dadsetan.
People will age and will retire after getting old. How to arrange for a fulfilling and relaxing retirement is a consequence of reality as well as wisdom, especially in modern society where late marriages have created a population gap between young kids and an aging population. Basically, birth, aging, illness and death are a human being’s four sufferings, especially for pretty ladies and generals. Recently, the American movie “RED” arouses our interest in putting this reality into a fun story.

The original name of the movie is “RED.” It has nothing related to the color red. It is the acronym of ‘Retired Extremely Dangerous.’ The movie is about a few retired CIA agents who are bored after retirement but are accidentally involved in a conspiracy to commit murder. As a result, they are forced to become spies again. It is an entertaining action film and has various famous actors cast in the lead roles. However, what most people may not notice is that, behind the laughter and humor, it is actually mocking the real world.

There are two parts to the fun in this movie. For the audience, the movie has famous actors including Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich and Helen Mirren, who all act as the retired CIA agents. Moreover there are two Best Actor Oscar winners, namely Ernest Borgnine, who plays the role of the top CIA secret-filing clerk, and Richard Dreyfuss, who rounds out the cast as the villain. The various retired CIA agents in the movie are no longer in fit physical condition or are as young and attractive as they used to be; indeed, they are always laughing stocks in the movie. However, using their experience, they manage to fight and repel the young CIA agents, unraveling their glamour.

The movie actually reveals the confidence and optimism in Americanism (or egoism). “RED” mentions the underground movement of the various retired CIA agents in Asia and Latin America. Bruce Willis used to be a secret killer who played a part in the upheaval of other nations. Helen Mirren is an elegant professional assassin. Morgan Freeman always smilingly says “miss the good old time.” Richard Dreyfuss, though the villain, is also ex-CIA. In the movie, he is also the person who can manipulate U.S. politics and CIA personnel policy. Ultimately, terrorist operations and interventions in the internal policy of other nations are presented as heroism. In the past, American movies always portrayed CIA agents as intelligent and invincible, and, occasionally, they portrayed CIA internal scandals as self-criticism. It is rare to have a movie like “RED” that beautifies the secret organization and “cartoonizes” it. Is it a reflection of missing the good old days in light of America’s diminishing influence today?

In the real world, many glorious scholars and generals can never forget the good old days. Despite mentioning retirement, they always reemerge due to loneliness, hoping to create a new world at their golden retirement age; it is no wonder that retired singers always return to the stage in a timely manner. However, a movie is movie. In reality, no matter how much willpower you have, once people retire, they will become extremely dangerous — yet it is better than being extremely annoying.


我見我思-老CIA的悲歡曲
2010-10-26 中國時報 【張景為】

圖為美國知名演員安潔莉那裘莉(Angelina Jolie)在「Salt」片中飾演一位名叫伊芙琳紹特(Evelyn Salt)的CIA探員,一名來自俄羅斯的間諜。(美聯社)

 人都會老,老了會退休,尤其在這個晚婚、少子、高齡化的現代社會裡,如何安排退休後的老年生活,調適心情,活得自在,既是現實更是智慧。基本上,生老病死,人之四苦,尤其自古美人與名將,不許人間見白頭,人老了褪盡風華,總是一件傷感的事。不過,最近看了一部《超危險特工》的美國電影,對照現實世界的變化,倒頗有一番新奇興味。

 這部電影的原名是《RED》,跟紅沒有關係,而是Retired Extremely Dangerous的縮寫,翻成中文就是「退休仍然極度危險」的意思,說的是幾個美國退休CIA老特工退休後原本百無聊賴,卻意外捲入一場滅口陰謀,結果被逼得重出江湖的故事。這其實只是一部票房掛帥的娛樂電影,但由一群老演員擔綱演出,在哈哈大笑、有驚無險中,卻風風火火地演譯出對真實世界的反諷落差。

 對行家而言,看這片子的樂趣有二,一是對影迷來說,片中網羅了好多位硬裡子老明星的飆戲較勁,除了主要角色扮演退休CIA幹員的布魯斯威利、摩根費里曼、約翰馬可維奇、海倫米蘭之外,還包括了兩位曾獲奧斯卡影帝的演員;一位是飾演CIA祕密檔案管理員的歐尼斯鮑寧,另一位則是飾演反派的李察德瑞佛斯。這幾位歐吉桑、歐巴桑雖然已無矯健的身手和亮眼的外型,甚至在片中還不時遭到嘲諷,卻能以薑是老的辣的演技,穩紮穩打,痛宰CIA新人與秘勤局幹員,展現老當益壯的風采。

 更有意思的,是劇情所流露出對大美國主義的自信與樂觀(或者是自以為是、自大囂張的反諷?)片中提到這群CIA老幹員當年縱橫亞洲與拉丁美洲各國的地下活動,描寫主角布魯斯威利的專長是「暗殺高手,尤擅推翻他國政府」,海倫米蘭是優雅的「以殺人為業的行家」,摩根費里曼則是笑著說「好懷念往日時光」,前CIA且是反派的李察德瑞佛斯,更是足以操弄美國政壇與CIA人事的藏鏡人。那種把恐怖手段與干預他國內政的作為,當成浪漫英雄事蹟來傳頌的嘴臉,真是令人哭笑不得,感覺詭異。

 過去美國電影常將CIA探員描繪為文武全才的菁英,儘管也常有揭發CIA醜聞內幕的反省批判,但像本片這樣將特務組織毫不遮掩地美化和卡通化,尚屬罕見;對照如今美國國力的衰落,真不知是對舊日時光的緬懷?還是顛覆KUSO的自嘲?

 回到真實世界裡,許多當年曾經不可一世的老帥、老將們,往往也是不能忘情昔日風光,嘴巴說要退出江湖、要封刀歸隱,卻總是難耐寂寞,還想來個黃昏一博,天蠶再變。也難怪,懷舊節目收視率一向不差,退休歌星盛情難卻,每隔一段時間就會辦場演唱會。但電影終歸是電影,不管是老驥伏櫪,志在千里,還是虎老威猶在,人老了、退休時,真要還有實力變得「超危險」,也就罷了,最怕就是變得「超討厭」!
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