MOVIE REVIEW - The November Man (2014)

 

One glance at Pierce Brosnan, you can tell the man was born to play James Bond. The actor was handsome, tough and extremely smooth. He also had something very few people in the industry have - screen presence. No other actor would look as cool as Pierce Brosnan when he entered that Hong Kong hotel in Die Another Day, unshaven and wearing an unbutton medical gown. Unfortunately a good actor is always at the mercy of the script and his James Bond films range from average to downright atrocious. It's always sad to watch his movies as I often wonder what could have been. What if Pierce Brosnan was actually given a good script and chance to actually use his acting chops?

The November Man can be viewed as a movie that comes from an alternative timeline where Pierce Brosnan got a serious, gritty James Bond film like the ones given to his predecessor Daniel Craig. It's hard not to draw parallels with James Bond, after all the film has a former James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and a former Bond girl (Olga Kurylenko) occupying the lead roles. Although I struggle to call this a James Bond clone since there's no gadgets and Pierce doesn't have sex with Olga. Also the tone is much darker than any Bond flick with plenty of blood and f-bombs to justify it's restricted rating.

 

The plot itself centres around an ex-CIA agent Peter Devereaux (Brosnan) being brought out of retirement to extract a witness with information on the war crimes of a Russian politic. Speaking any further about the plot would give away too much since this spy film has an emphasis on story over action.

There's been a lot of criticism directed towards The November Man over it's messy plot with some finding it difficult to follow. I disagree since the movie has no glaring plot holes and eventually presents a resolution before it's conclusion. Initially the film is very sparse with details and I found myself as confused as everyone else. But the more you watch the film, the more it reveals to the audience. This is a movie that rewards the viewer for paying attention and putting the pieces together. It's really refreshing to watch a movie with a non-linear approach to story telling and a spy film that's actually about spies. We don't even learn why Peter is called The November Man until the end of the film. Although it's never explained why Home And Away's Luke Bracey has lost his Australian accent and speaks like an American. He he he.

Personally, the real highlight of the film is Pierce Brosnan. We finally get to see a whole range of emotions from Pierce Brosnan and the rage, oh the rage on his face when he gets angry. Brosnan's character is the polar opposite of his James Bond. Dark, ruthless, he's the definition of a killer and a spy. The rest of the cast provide a solid performance, however the film's cheesy action pieces do feel out of place in this gritty film. But they still provide some "oh snap" moments, especially when Pierce grabs a beer keg with one hand and hits an assassin off his bike.

The November Man's dark tone and non-liner story telling is the breath of fresh air the spy genre needed. If you have become tired of James Bond or Jason Bourne, I will gladly steer you towards this film.

RATING - 4/5