THE NOVEMBER MAN

As seen in

www.camrosecanadian.com

Pierce Brosnan once again tries on the role of super-spy in the action/thriller The November Man (based on the 1987 novel There Are No Spies by Bill Granger).  Brosnan, known mainly for his James Bond roles, plays Peter Devereaux, a CIA-operative known by most of his peers as The November Man because ``after he comes, nothing is left alive``. 

The movie begins with Devereaux leading a rookie operative named David Mason on his inaugural mission to protect a US politician.  Mason, played by Luke Bracey, is no stranger to the action scene having played Cobra Commander in GI Joe: Retaliation.  Devereaux teaches Mason all the nuances and scenarios that they could possibly face. The mission goes awry however, when Mason accidentally shoots a child while trying to takedown a gunman after intentionally disobeying orders when to take the shot.

We now fast forward to five years later.  Now-retired Peter Devereaux is approached by CIA handler John Hanley (Bill Smitrovich) to escort a woman out of Russia, who has in her possession, information vital to Russian President-elect Arkady Federov (Lazar Ristovski, coincidentally of another Bond flick in Casino Royale).  After a series of unfortunate events, Devereaux finds himself being hunted by a CIA task force led by none other than David Mason, Devereaux’s old pupil.  We are then introduced to the beautiful, young case worker named Alice Fournier (played by Olga Kurylenko, also former Bond alumni from Quantum of Solace) who has a connection to someone with first-hand accounts of detrimental information against Federov, which would cripple his Presidential run.  Now, with a Russian hitman out to get Fournier, and the CIA (specifically Mason) out to get Devereaux (and coincidence pairing them up), we are brought into an action-packed game of cat and mouse where the student may outshine the teacher.

While the movie doesn’t shy away from action (and body-counts); this flick falls victim of numerous clichés, shoddy cut scenes, poor character development, and plot twists that are predictable and over-explained.  There were even times throughout the action scenes that I expected onomatopoeic assistance ala 60’s Batman (POW, BANG, etc).  The score seems borrowed from every other movie of the genre making the intense scenes seemingly less so.  The acting is fine, and while maybe Kurylenko could stick to just being a pretty face, the veteran presence of Brosnan helps lighten the load that was possibly too much for her.

I guess I shouldn’t be too hard.  Overall, if you are looking for a decent spy-thriller it`s worth the watch, but check your brain at the door.  Sit back, watch the bullets and fists fly, maybe even find yourself at the edge of your seats at times, but this movie may end up being easily forgotten like the last decade or so of Brosnan`s resume.  It’s too bad; I kind of liked him at one point.