The November Man ( Rated R )
I may be a bit biased when it comes to this film, growing up I was a huge James Bond fan and the Bond I grew up with was Pierce Brosnan's. So not only is he my favorite Bond, he is also one of my favorite actors. Which is why I could not wait to see this film, the chance to see Brosnan back in the spy game, literally made me giddy as a school girl. The film also interested me, because it is a gritty spy thriller in the vein of the films made in the 70's, not another Taken or Bourne ripoff.
The story follows retired C.I.A operative Peter Devereaux, as he is pulled back into action when an old friend is in danger, his former protege is also on his tail. The film has all the quality's that make a great spy thriller; espionage, action, suspense and great twists. It doesn't hurt that the film also has a great lead, Pierce proves he has not lost a step in the last decade, he is back and better than he ever was. Devereaux is far darker and more lethal character than Bond ever was, this is not a popcorn spy action flick, this is a gritty thriller with a dark story and brutal violence, and it shows just how ruthless Pierce can be.
The story features political corruption and war crimes, this is not a film where our hero is out to save the world; it is of a smaller and more personal scale. The themes of the film are revenge, conspiracy, and political power. The story is very grounded and features real world issues, this is not like the spy films we have seen recently. It is not about fist fights and gun play, although the film does have plenty of that; it is far more about the story then featuring tons of crazy action. The action in the film, is quick and often quite brutal and the film is not slow by any means; in fact, the action is very frequent as the film rarely slows down, but the focus is on the story all the same.
Luke Bracey plays David Mason Peter's former protege, he is a great second lead in the film, he handles the action well and delivers a solid performance. Olga Kurylenko plays a woman thrown into danger and her story quickly connects to Peter's world. I have always been a fan of Ms. Kurylenko, and here her performance is subtle and effective. Though with all that said, the film has it's faults. For one thing, the film is paced much too fast, it moves so fast during the first 45 minutes that it can be hard to follow at first.
The story is however very good and really entertaining nonetheless, it could have used a longer running time to slow things down. The fast moving nature of the film just throws it off slightly. The film has all the pieces of a great spy thriller, but it never quite reaches the heights it should. The action scenes are well done, and I enjoyed the darker more realistic tone; I also loved that it did not rely on the quick shaky cam style, which is so overused in these type of films. Still, it just felt like something was missing, it was one of those feelings where I knew the film was good, but it was missing that "something" to make it a classic.
The film's best aspect, is seeing Pierce back in action and his performance is the strongest element of the film. Had he not been the lead, this film would not have been as good as it was. The story is good, but the execution of the story was slightly off. With all that said, I loved that this was a mature realistic spy film and that it did not rely on extreme action scenes; instead it relies on solid performances and a riveting plot. Above all else it is great entertainment, and for fans like me of Pierce Brosnan, this is a wonderful treat and I could not help but love every second of it.
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