Company Business

Company Business

Year: 1991

Runtime: 98 mins

Language: English

Director: Nicholas Meyer

ActionThriller

You can’t judge a man by the company that keeps him! An aging agent is called back by “the Company” to run a hostage trade of a Soviet spy for an American agent.

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Timeline & Setting – Company Business (1991)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Company Business (1991). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Late 1980s

Set during the waning years of the Cold War, the plot hinges on off-book operations, sleeper agents, and shifting alliances. The era’s uncertainties blur lines between friend and foe as Western intelligence agencies negotiate fragile partnerships. The end of the Cold War reshapes how espionage is conducted, pushing characters toward riskier, money-driven choices. The mood blends paranoia with a sense of geopolitical realignment.

Location

Dulles Airport, Berlin, Paris, Seychelles

The story unfolds across several major international hubs. It begins with a handover at Dulles Airport and travels through Berlin’s underground tunnels, Paris, and ultimately the Seychelles. Each location provides a backdrop for espionage, chase sequences, and high-stakes negotiations between CIA, KGB, and other players.

🌆 Urban locations 🗺️ Cold War backdrop 🔀 International intrigue

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:53

Main Characters – Company Business (1991)

Meet the key characters of Company Business (1991), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Sam Boyd (Gene Hackman)

A seasoned CIA veteran turned freelance corporate spy whose hands-on approach clashes with younger, tech-driven operatives. He is skeptical of official narratives and willing to bend rules to accomplish a mission. His pragmatism and willingness to improvise under pressure define his navigation through shifting loyalties.

🧭 Veteran ⚖️ Pragmatic 🗝️ Resourceful

Pyotr Ivanovich Grushenko (Mikhail Baryshnikov)

A KGB mole who has endured years in captivity and remains calculating and wary. He partners with Boyd while concealing deeper motives and a personal history with his daughter Natasha. His strategic mind keeps the stakes high and the moves unpredictable.

🕵️‍♂️ Cold intelligence 🤝 Complex loyalties 🗺️ International player

Benjamin Sobel (Bob Sherman)

A U-2 pilot captured over the Soviet Union who was turned and now lives undercover as an economics professor in America. His past and present identities become central to the plot’s deception, fueling the twist that someone may be playing all sides.

🛩️ Sleeper agent 🗝️ Dual identity 🧩 Deception

Faisal (Nadim Sawalha)

A Saudi arms dealer who appears as a conduit for funds but is economically strained in the post-Cold War climate. He represents shifting geopolitics where old patrons lose influence and new arrangements must be negotiated.

🤝 Middleman 💼 Financial leverage 🌍 Global reach

Colonel Pierce Grissom (Terry O’Quinn)

The CIA superior who insists on handling the handover off the books. He embodies the bureaucratic pressure and moral ambiguity of intelligence work, balancing operational risk with official protocol.

🧭 Authority 🧩 Bureaucracy ⚡ Tension

Elliot Jaffe (Kurtwood Smith)

Boyd’s CIA superior who initiates and relentlessly pursues the rogue operation. He represents shifting priorities within the agency as circumstances force riskier, non-official actions.

🎯 Authority 🕯️ Shadow operations 🧭 Strategy

Natasha Grimaud (Géraldine Danon)

Grushenko’s apparent girlfriend who is later revealed to be his daughter. She becomes a key link between personal ties and the money movements that drive the story across Paris and beyond.

👩‍👧 Family 💳 Intercepted finances 🗼 Paris liaison

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:53

Major Themes – Company Business (1991)

Explore the central themes of Company Business (1991), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🕵️‍♂️ Espionage

The film centers on secret missions, off-book operations, and the constant surveillance that defines intelligence work. Protagonists navigate a world where information is currency and every move risks exposure. The plot emphasizes negotiating with hidden agendas and the moral ambiguity of spying. Tension arises from the need to stay one step ahead of both enemies and superiors.

🤝 Trust and Betrayal

Relationships become fragile under pressure as allies can turn into liabilities and rivals masquerade as friends. Boyd and Grushenko form a cautious partnership while governments manipulate events behind the scenes. Betrayal stems from personal loyalties clashing with institutional ambitions. The narrative exposes how trust is built on fragile, shifting foundations.

💸 Money and Power

The central cash exchange and subsequent laundering drive the plot, showing how money fuels espionage and creates incentives that override ideology. Fake IDs, new identities, and Swiss bank accounts become tools to distance players from accountability. Financial motives shape decisions and loyalties as much as strategic goals. Money acts as both lure and leverage in the chase.

🕊️ End of an Era

The looming end of the Cold War reshapes intelligence strategies and alliances. Old rivalries soften as cooperation emerges from necessity, even amid mutual suspicion. The era’s shift forces characters to improvise and adapt to new geopolitical realities. The tension comes from a world on the cusp of transformative change.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:53

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Company Business Summary

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Company Business Summary

Company Business Timeline

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Company Business Timeline

More About Company Business

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