The November Man

It's not hard to see why Pierce Brosnan had, for a couple of years, tried to get this film made; despite being a perfectly capable dramatic actor, it is his time as James Bond that people remember most fondly about the 61-year-old Irish actor, so it is no wonder that Brosnan would want at some point to get back into the spy game. There is pedigree and potential here too - the character is the protagonist of novelist Bill Granger's 1980s Peter Devereaux series, and if this movie adapted from the seventh book of that series hits paydirt, there are always many other books on which a franchise could be built.

Thankfully for Brosnan, who also produces the movie through his Irish Dreamtime company, 'November Man' is a sturdy enough thriller that could be the start of several such mid-budget European-set sequels to come. Gone are the gadgets, the girls and the quips that were a centrepiece of Brosnan's 007 days though - Brosnan's Devereaux is the kind of gritty spy Daniel Craig fashioned the 007 character after Brosnan departed, a no-nonsense CIA man at the top of his game who retired after a mission gone wrong with his protégé, David Mason (Australian actor Luke Bracey).

Devereaux is pulled back into the field when his former handler from Langley, a hawk-eyed Hanley (Bill Smitrovich), asks for his help to pull an asset out of Moscow. The woman has critical information about the future head of the Soviet Union, Arkady Federov (Lazar Ristovski), which the CIA would like its hands on, but Devereaux accepts only because she is also his former colleague and lover. That simple mission goes unexpectedly awry when Devereaux finds himself pitted against Mason, whose orders were not only to 'take out' the woman but also Devereaux himself. What's more, Hanley is simultaneously taken into custody by his own CIA unit, after it turns out that he had recruited Devereaux behind their backs.

As scripted by Michael Finch and Karl Gajdusek, the film combines a couple of familiar tropes. Here we have a teacher and his best protégé turned enemies, so that we get to see just how much of the former's skills the latter has honed into his own. We also get a spy versus the Agency, with Devereaux seemingly gone rogue against the apparently corrupted CIA establishment. And finally, we get a witness everyone is after, who as Hollywood convention dictates, happens also to look like a supermodel - that would be Alice Fournier (played by former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko) - and is protected by none other than Devereaux himself.

So far, so good - for the first hour, Roger Donaldson directs a relatively taut and tense setup that keeps you hooked at trying to figure out just who is playing who. We know Devereaux is the good guy here, but just who is everyone else? Will Mason become a cold-hearted killing machine to take out his former trainer? Is Mason's boss the one pulling the strings? What does he have to do with an operation involving Federov and a building which fell in Chechnya that precipitated the war between the two countries? And just who is this Mira whom everyone is looking for, who apparently has Federov's dirty secrets from his past as a Russian general in the Chechen war?

But after a promising start, what was a tightly plotted affair starts to go off the rails. There are a lot of revelations here, and to be fair, a somewhat twisty knot of events to unravel the truth behind the smokescreens. Yet, the scripting gets weaker by the minute - in particular, a thoroughly extraneous scene where Devereaux confronts Mason in his own apartment and decides to teach the latter a thing or two about developing affections for the opposite sex by slashing the femoral artery of his next-door neighbour/ girlfriend for no other apparent reason - and the leaps of logic get more far-fetched as Donaldson tries his darnest to keep the proceedings moving at a brisk clip until the climax.

Never a less than competent helmer, Donaldson largely succeeds, inserting some efficiently thrilling car chases, shootouts and hand-to- hand combats in between the betrayals, admissions and ultimatums. It certainly helps that Brosnan is just as sure a hand at playing a spy, slipping effortlessly into the role with charisma and lending this screen incarnation of Devereaux a dignity and poise that very few silver-haired action stars can do. Brosnan's co-stars are however forgettable, though Kurylenko proves to be a sight to behold in her own right when she puts on a short sexy dress to seduce Federov in his own hotel room.

To be sure, 'November Man' never quite comes close to the heights of Bourne, which is in a league of its own. But for less demanding audiences looking for some late-summer action, this entirely B-grade Euro-set thriller will do the trick. It's got espionage, suspense, blood, some sex (clearly trimmed here for an NC16 rating though), and most of all, Brosnan; yes, the latter is singlehandedly the best thing the film has going for it. And in turn, Brosnan gets his wish - an opportunity back into the spy game, and a pretty good one at that too.

An ex-CIA operative is brought in on a very personal mission and finds himself pitted against his former pupil in a deadly game involving high level CIA officials and the Russian president-elect.

The November Man is directed by Roger Donaldson and stars Pierce Brosnan as its title character. Roger Donaldson also directed The Bank Job (2008) which is one of Jason Statham' best movie. Let me tell you how excited I was when I heard that Pierce Brosnan was returning as a spy; A little bit nostalgic. This film is full of classic spy cliché such as, for instance, people walking away slow motion explosions and it doesn't seem to get started until half way through. However towards the third act the movie really showed itself and I was like: "Why didn't they do that from the beginning?" Unfortunately, the fact is that it's so terribly cliché since the beginning that when you see where things are going and certain puzzle pieces start to make sense, you are already checked out of the movie. Yet, Pierce Brosnan is great; he could play this role eyes closed. Olga Kurylenko is good as well, you grow some sympathy for her character and the movie takes on a completely different meaning when you realised certain things about her. Plus, I have to point out that women are over objectify and her character is only introduced when it's convenient for the man to have a bargaining girl which isn't as cool as it sounds. Brosnan's protegee starring Luke Bracey is pretty cool as well and I think this guy's got a future. This movie reminds me of two other movies released this years: 3 Days to Kill and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.

Overall I think The November Man could have been a lot better thanks to a stronger writing and directing; it's good to see Pierce Brosnan back into the spy game.

The last film I saw Brosnan in - Love Punch - was almost as bad as Mama Mia. What was he thinking? Apart from Daniel Craig, I like him as the best 007. So, having read some of the reviews on IMDb I had very low expectations.

However, this is a good film if you like Brosnan as the secret agent. I don't understand why some reviewers don't get the story. It's pretty simple to follow even though the end is half expected. He is gritty enough (just) with the couple of scenes of him drinking not quite making the cut. The action scenes were quite good and Olga Kurylenko added the eye candy.

So, I disagree with the haters. This is definitely worth a watch.

Pierce Brosnan puts his James Bond persona to bed with this film. I've been off Brosnan in the last couple of years since Bond, though he's a brave actor and has tried various roles. This one puts him firmly back in the action mould. His character Devereaux could take Bond with one arm behind his back - well not perhaps not Daniel Craig but he'd give him a run for his money. It was as gritty a performance as I have ever seen from Brosnan and ranks alongside the current Bond and Bourne for tension and is not far behind for action. His character is cold and dangerous and utterly ruthless. The plot too is clever with twists and turns and betrayals. I was engrossed from start to finish. The action is fast and graphic. Go see it. Its a fun ride.

I am reading so many negative reviews on this movie, but they are clearly caused by poor judgment and lack of attention.

The story builds up nicely. The characters aren't underdeveloped at all. However, that character development happens mostly in the last 20 minutes or so. This is a movie that is unfolding through several threads, coming together at the end, clarifying the characters.

I do not need to add any words about the plot. It may seem puzzling to those who are used to be fed the cliché clues, overstating what comes next, but I think it was a very good plot and well executed. True, there should have been some more depth in the acting to enjoy but that would contradict the cold professionalism which is inherent to CIA, hit men and war criminals.

I say, make sure your IQ is three digits worth and enjoy this movie which does evoke 007 much, but harsher.