# Spy Game **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 13, 2002, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454 "2002-04-13T17:43:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Methos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Methos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Methos)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/1 "2002-04-13T17:43:09Z")
I just finished watching Spy Game and have a question. What is the significance of the final mission (Dinner’s out), why does Pitt ask for the name of the mission again?? I prob missed that point in the movie. Thanks for the help 😃 ~Methos ---
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/2 "2002-04-13T19:25:39Z")
“Operation Dinner Out” was originally a little racket Brad Pitt’s character was running in the middle East, during one of the flashback sequences. Robert Redford’s character named the rescue mission “Operation Dinner Out” also. Pitt hears the pilot use that code-name and thus knows that Redford was responsible for Pitt’s (and the woman’s) timely rescue. ---
**Author:** ![Methos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Methos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Methos)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2002, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/3 "2002-04-13T21:09:25Z")
Sweet, thanks alot for clearing that up 😃 ~Methos ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/4 "2002-04-14T01:43:47Z")
I thought that Operation Dinner Out was an alternate rescue plan that Boy Scout had cooked up. That’s why they were able to pull off the rescue mission (with a huge suspension of disbelief) on such short notice. Or maybe I mangled that up, only saw it once. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2002, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/5 "2002-04-14T04:45:39Z")
If memory serves, Redford’s character didn’t have to put together a rescue force/plan; there was one on standby already. He merely gave it the green light. ---
**Author:** ![XXX19](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ac8455/32.png) [@XXX19](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XXX19)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/6 "2011-05-24T06:37:44Z")
That’s not true. Muir didn’t even know Bishop was in prison. Knew nothing about his mission. Harry Duncan called him from HOng Kong to tell him. The purpose of the whole movie was for the CIA to put Muir under their thumb to keep him from breaking Bishop out by grilling him for info about Bishop. They even ram shacked his office and bugged his phones and pulled up his bank account that showed $282,000 in life savings were used to break him out. The Chinese that turned off all the lights demanded it. Muir got back to Duncan to get the operation moving and then called his reporter friend to break the news story. He was MI-6s man in Hong Kong. He did want to and Muir said that never stopped you before. Muir told his secretary Bishop would be OK and was leaving the building for the last time but saw on TV where the CIA countered the first news story. He knew then Bishop would die so he put his plan in order. He did a lot of wrangling while under the watchful eye of the CIA and still pulled it off. That was the point. Dinner Out was a code word Bishop suggested in Beirut and Muir said he’d remember it. ---
**Author:** ![XXX19](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ac8455/32.png) [@XXX19](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XXX19)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/7 "2011-05-24T06:50:46Z")
When Bishop was on the chopper on the way home he heard the Seal say Dinner Out was a go and he said what operation was that? The Seal said Dinner Out sir. Bishop knew Muir saved him but didn’t know he used his life’s savings. He told Bishop in training to save enough to retire some place warm when you’re old and don’t give the money to anyone. But it’s hard to believe that’s all Muir would have. He had to be at least a GM-14 or 15 as a mid level case officer. My boss was a grade 13 and made over $120,000 pr yr. Muir also drove a Porche so he probably had a lot more than $282,000. That was part of the cover and he told the CIA that was his life’s savings. He had conned them the entire day. Best Spy movie I ever saw. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/8 "2011-05-24T07:35:46Z")
While this thread may be 9 years old, it seems worth giving the actual answer to the OP: As a testament to how much he appreciated Muir’s tutelage, Bishop dug through all the various lies to figure out Muir’s _real_ birthday and got him a present for it once (a hip flask, I believe.) He told him that it’d been a major pain in the ass to get it shipped into Beirut or wherever it was that they were, but that he’d dolled it up as a special mission called Dinner Out to get it done. At the end, when Muir saves Bishop, and the two had been on non-speaking terms for some time, using the same mission name was a way for Muir to let him know that he still remembered and thought about him and that he’d gone the distance to get him safe. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/9 "2011-05-24T09:01:30Z")
And as an added bonus, this particular mission name (Dinner out) allows Muir to actually order the go-ahead from within the CIA conference room right under everyone’s noses. “Would you excuse me for a minute. I’ve just got to call my wife and let her know that we’re still on for dinner tonight.” Picks up phone and dials. “Yep, it’s me. Operation Dinner Out is a go”. His superiors are listening in and say - “Operation Dinner Out is a go? :rolleyes: Wow, what a romantic guy.” \*or something like the above ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/10 "2011-05-24T14:05:06Z")
I agree with it being a great spy movie, Muir does such an excellent job staying one step ahead of the investigators. The soundtrack was less to be thankful for though, drove me crazy at times - weird singing and vocal whining really stood out in a negative way for me. ---
**Author:** ![XXX19](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ac8455/32.png) [@XXX19](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XXX19)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/11 "2011-05-24T15:23:56Z")
LOL - I didn’t even notice the date of the thread I got so wrapped up - 9 yrs ago. Yea, when he said Dinner Out is a go the guys said no wonder his wives leave him all the time. They were trying to figure out how many he had. Finally as he leaves the building a guy says, he’s only been married once and she died. The others were agents or assets. Then who was he talking to on the phone? Muir pulled it off right under their noses while they tried to stop it. They bugged all his phones but not their own in the conference room where he took the call from the Seal Commander. LOL. Muir was irreverant and always had an answer for everything. ---
**Author:** ![XXX19](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ac8455/32.png) [@XXX19](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XXX19)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/12 "2011-05-24T22:17:36Z")
Muir met Bishop in Vietnam when he was a sniper and just killed a North Vietnamese General. Muir said, where did you learn to shoot. Bishop said, the Boy Scouts, sir. Muir said, you’re kidding. No, Sir, I’m not. Muir said I’m sure you didn’t support your family back home by shooting people. Bishop said no sir, we had a Safeway back home. 🙂 While training him they were in a restaurant and Muir said nothing is as it seems. See that fat guy over there reading the menu? Threat? Bishop said only to the waitress. When Muir was briefing the CIA on Bishop he said his cover in Beirut was a photo journalist and he had a good eye and was very good. He probably had a merit badge from the Boy Scouts stuck in some drawer. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![XXX19](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ac8455/32.png) [@XXX19](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XXX19)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/13 "2011-06-03T04:57:17Z")
Murders and rapes are on the rise. Over 500 increase in murders for 13% increase. Increase in rapes. If you like it so much, maybe you should go so you’ll be the next one. I’ll stay here by the beautiful Upper Chesapeake Bay - land of pleasant living. [http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/murders-rise-in-new-york-city-but-remain-near-historic-lows/](http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/03/murders-rise-in-new-york-city-but-remain-near-historic-lows/) ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/14 "2011-06-03T05:56:18Z")
> [@XXX19](#): > > The purpose of the whole movie was for the CIA to put Muir under their thumb to > keep him from breaking Bishop out by grilling him for info about Bishop. They > even \*\*ram shacked \*\*his office and bugged his phones and pulled up his bank account > that showed $282,000 in life savings were used to break him out. The Chinese > that turned off all the lights demanded it. I’m not a spelling nazi, really, but it’s ‘[ransacked](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ransacked)’. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![XXX19](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ac8455/32.png) [@XXX19](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XXX19)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-game/103454/15 "2011-06-03T06:21:43Z")
:o