The November Man Review

Rated R (Strong Violence including a Sexual Assault, Language, Sexuality/Nudity and Brief Drug Use)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 48 Minutes

Cast-

Pierce Brosnan-Peter Devereaux

Luke Bracey-David Mason

Olga Kurylenko-Alice Fournier

Bill Smitrovich-John Hanley

Lazar Ristovski-Arkady Federov

Mediha Musliovic-Natalia Ulanova

Will Patton-Perry Weinstein

Caterina Scorsone-Celia

Eliza Taylor-Sarah

Amila Terzimehic-Alexa

Akie Kotabe-Meyers

Patrick Kennedy-Edgar Simpson

Dragan Marinkovic-Denisov

Ben Willens-Agent Jones

Tara Jevrosimovic-Lucy

Nina Mrdja-Mira Filipova

Directed by Roger Donaldson

Pierce Brosnan...he's still got it.

Note: Screened on Tuesday, August 26, 2014 at AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13.

Well, isn't this ironic? A former James Bond returns to the big screen in a very Bond-like role—albeit one that's darker and grittier—and is even joined by a former Bond girl! I love Daniel Craig as Bond and he's done a fantastic job in the three films he's done so far but Pierce Brosnan will always hold a special place in my heart because he was the Bond that I grew up watching. Following the box office failure of "Licence to Kill" in 1989, Bond seemed all but dead, with the long-running franchise lying dormant for six years until Brosnan came along and brought the famous British spy back to life with 1995's "GoldenEye." Brosnan's tenure is well regarded amongst fans, although he never made a Bond film as good as the first one despite each successive installment earning more money than the last. 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies" and 1999's "The World Is Not Enough" was hampered by forgettable scripts, substandard villains, and excessive product placement while 2002's "Die Another Day" sunk under a deluge of dodgy CG effects and silly gadgets, necessitating a series reboot with 2006's "Casino Royale." Brosnan's post-Bond career is littered with failed prestige projects and mid-budget Hollywood claptrap, with the only film of note being the 2008 musical hit "Mamma Mia!," where the Irish actor delivered a singing performance so bad you can't help but be transfixed. Since he's not getting any younger, Brosnan is returning to what he does best: being a spy in Roger Donaldson's "The November Man." Despite the edgier material, Brosnan remains as suave and charismatic as ever yet even he can't save this late-summer spy thriller from a maddeningly convoluted and cliché-ridden script.

Veteran CIA agent Peter Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan) is placed in charge of brash trainee David Mason (Luke Bracey) but after a mission in Montenegro goes wrong and results in the death of a young innocent bystander, Devereaux severs his ties with the agency and goes into quiet retirement in Switzerland. Five years later, the disillusioned ex-spy is pulled back into the game by his old CIA handler John Hanley (Bill Smitrovich), who wants him to secretly assist with the exfiltration of a Russian informant named Natalia Ulanova (Mediha Musliovic). This informant—who just so happens to be Devereaux's former flame—has incriminating evidence on Russian President-elect Arkady Federov (Lazar Ristovski). However, Natalia is shot dead by Mason under orders from the CIA, forcing a distraught Devereaux to go rogue. Meanwhile, Federov is silencing anyone with knowledge of the atrocities he committed as a general in the Second Chechen War and sends an assassin (Amila Terzimehic) to eliminate Alice Fournier (Olga Kurylenko), a social worker who once helped Mira Filipova, Federov's underage sex slave. Devereaux's quest for answers leads to Fournier. As the two go on the run, Mason is ordered by CIA higher-up Perry Weinstein (Will Patton) to terminate his former mentor.

How's this for ironic: a former Bond is joined by a former Bond girl!

Serving as producer as well as star, "The November Man" represents Pierce Brosnan's attempt to jumpstart a new spy franchise and revitalize his career, which has slowed down quite a bit since he last portrayed James Bond twelve years ago (damn, has it been that long?) in "Die Another Day." Hell, Relativity Media is apparently so confident that they've already greenlit a sequel last week! Whether that will come to pass remains to be seen but Brosnan could be in for a lucrative run if the film does do well at the box office as "The November Man" is based on Bill Granger's popular novel series of the same name, specifically the seventh book There Are No Spies published back in 1987. With a total of thirteen installments, there's plenty of source material for filmmakers to draw from, affording future sequels the opportunity to improve upon Granger's material because as it stands now, this potential franchise starter is a thoroughly mediocre affair.

Written by Michael Finch and Karl Gajdusek, the story is rife with espionage clichés as Peter Devereaux is shown to be one of those retired spies who are pulled back into action for 'One Last Mission,' as they usually do in films based on what is essentially a series of disposable airport novels. The plot is a convoluted mess, with twist after twist being doled out without rhyme or reason. With a volatile agent pulled from retirement and subsequently going rogue, a former student ordered to terminate his mentor, an unassuming woman with secrets of her own, a badass female assassin, and a conspiratorial web spanning the CIA and the Russian government, "The November Man" has a lot going on but none of it ever coheres. It's just a hodgepodge of plot elements that are strung together by coincidences. The film also takes a turn for the worse when it begins delving into sexual abuse and human trafficking. Roger Donaldson, who previously worked with Brosnan on the 1997 disaster flick "Dante's Peak," has proven himself to be a solid director (the cheesy 1995 sci-fi/horror film "Species" remains a favorite of mine and I enjoyed 2003's "The Recruit") but he's pretty much running on autopilot here. This is a visually nondescript film shot in nondescript locations with nondescript action scenes that consist of Devereaux popping out around the corner and beaning people in the face. When a fight scene does finally happen, it's shot in a shaky and choppy manner in order to hide Brosnan's stunt-double. Given that "The November Man" comes straight out of Brosnan's own production company and that it was a longtime passion project for him, I expected better, or at the very least something enjoyable.

Luke Bracey is the very definition of bland.

If there's one reason to watch this film, it's Pierce Brosnan. He may be sixty-one years old but Brosnan's still got that suave, charismatic swagger that we all fell in love with nineteen years ago in "GoldenEye." Unfortunately, his character Peter Devereaux is written in a wildly inconsistent manner in an attempt to explore the moral grey area that many a spy inhabits. One minute he's decrying the death of innocents and the next he's holding a woman hostage, slicing her leg open in order to prove a point to his former student Mason. It's a shame because Brosnan is clearly committed, even though some of the profane dialogue he's given feels forced. Luke Bracey, who's currently shooting the "Point Break" remake and whose most well-known role to date is Cobra Commander in last year's "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," is the definition of bland. The only highlight with Bracey is when his character trades verbal barbs with Devereaux during a chase scene. The beautiful Olga Kurylenko, who played a Bond girl in 2008's "Quantum of Solace," is fine despite being saddled with a thankless role. Everyone else—Bill Smitrovich, Caterina Scorsone, Lazar Ristovski, Will Patton, and Eliza Taylor—range from adequate to forgettable.

Released on August 27, 2014, "The November Man" has received largely negative reviews with 36% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics called it 'disappointing that [the film] falls back on dull genre clichés' despite bearing 'a few of the ingredients necessary for a better-than-average spy thriller.' Relativity Media is obviously hoping for the film to do well at the box office but I don't really see that happening given its release date. Labor Day weekend has always been the worst long weekend of the year. It's nice to see Pierce Brosnan back in spy mode but "The November Man" is simply too dull and generic to start the franchise it so desires. The only praise I can give is that there are worse films out there.

Final Rating: 2 out of 5

"Peter Devereaux, you know what we used to call you? The November Man, 'cause after you passed through, nothing lived."