Spy games

This nicely upholstered spy thriller moves along like the well-oiled entertainment machine it was clearly meant to be. Brisk editing, shrewdly orchestrated musical accompaniment, hints of sex, dollops of violence, and occasional gulps of reheated Cold War poppycock keep the whole thing running a step or two ahead of its fundamental incoherence.

Pierce Brosnan is on hand to play Peter Devereaux, an embittered CIA veteran who looks like James Bond but sounds like an outtake from a John le Carré knockoff. He’s got a very unwieldy collection of personal baggage coming to light in the midst of a mess of interagency double crosses centered in Belgrade.

There are shootouts, car chases and a lot of surveillance via computer, drone and smartphone. There’s a Russian villain, but villainy within the CIA is the larger plot point. It may sound topical, but I suspect that there are several kinds of disinformation in play here.

Cinemark 14, Feather River Cinemas and Paradise Cinema 7. Rated R.