The November Man

Hrmmm ... I'm not sure what film the less enthusiastic reviewers here happened to watch. The November Man is an excellent movie for fans of this genre. The performances delivered by the cast are great, the script is generally good, and the film is incredibly well shot.

Some seem to have a problem with Pierce Brosnan because of his age. I'm not sure what that's all about -- his was a fantastic performance in this film. Additionally, the well-written script delivers a lot of action and plot turns to keep you engrossed in the movie from the time it starts until the closing credits begin to roll. Did we see the same film? I'm having a hard time finding fault with The November Man. If you enjoy thrillers, then this should be right up your alley. The November Man is strongly recommended viewing for adults who have a taste for this kind of stuff.

'THE November MAN': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Spy thriller starring Pierce Brosnan as an ex-CIA agent who must take on an old pupil, when his former employers kill the woman he loves and target him for assassination. The movie was directed by Roger Donaldson; who's directed such popular hits as 'COCTAIL', 'CADILLAC MAN', 'THE BOUNTY', 'SPECIES' and 'DANTE'S PEAK' (which also stars Brosnan). It was written by Michael Finch and Karl Gajdusek and based on the book 'There Are No Spies' (which is the seventh installment in 'The November Man' series) by Bill Granger. It costars Luke Bracey, Olga Kurylenko, Bill Smitrovich and Will Patton. I found it to be pretty entertaining and surprisingly dark, and violent, but still nothing too new or interesting to offer fans of the genre.

Brosnan plays Peter Devereaux; an ex-CIA agent who retired after a student of his, David Mason (Bracey), accidentally killed a kid (while the two were doing an assignment together in Montenegro). Since that time Peter has started a relationship with another CIA operative, named Natalia Ulanova (Mediha Musilovic). He comes out of retirement to aid her on a deep cover assignment in Russia, when she's murdered by Mason; under the orders of CIA chief Perry Weinstein (Patton). Peter then wants revenge on the CIA, for killing Natalia, and will stop at nothing to find out what vital information she uncovered and why she was killed for it.

The story is that of a pretty routine espionage thriller but it does take some pretty dark turns, here and there. Both Brosnan and Bracey's characters do some pretty questionable 'anti-heroic' things that, at times, leave the viewer questioning who they're supposed to root for. So in that way I really enjoyed the movie. Brosnan does slip back into the ultimate spy role with plenty of ease and Donaldson does a pretty effective job delivering the action. Kurylenko looks stunning as usual (and even uncannily resembles a young Catherine Zeta-Jones in some scenes). The film might not have much original to offer, fans of the genre, but it's still a lot of fun; I'd even say it's better than about half of the James Bond movies.

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True, the plot is predictable to some degree and the movie is definitely not Bourne or Casino Royale (2006). This doesn't mean that is trash, though. There are lots o middle places between a master piece and an totally awful movie.

One of the main problems is that in a couple of moments the information is delivered in a sloppy way and this creates some momentary confusion on the viewer. But it doesn't last long. There are also some scenes that stretch too far the disbelief suspension that any movie of that kind invariably asks for. But if you can look past those flaws, you will be entertained by a movie that delivers. Brosnan does his thing, there are good action scenes, got some decent plot twists, acting is average...

Don't get put off by the haters. All in all, a decent spy flick. Just keep your expectations at a mainstream level and you won't be disappointed.

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.

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.