Spy Game

In 1991, the US and China are close to a major trade agreement, with the President due to visit China to seal the deal. The CIA learns that its asset Tom Bishop has been arrested at a People's Liberation Army prison in Suzhou and will be executed in 24 hours, unless the US government claims him and bargains for his release. Bishop's actions, unsanctioned by the CIA, risk jeopardizing the agreement.

A group of CIA executives summon Nathan Muir, a veteran case officer and Bishop's mentor, who plans to retire from the agency at the end of the day. While purportedly interviewing Muir to learn his history with Bishop, the executives seek a pretext for not intervening on Bishop's imprisonment. Unknown to them, Muir was tipped off about Bishop's capture by a fellow CIA veteran Harry Duncan in Hong Kong.