Director Roger Donaldson’s film “November Man” brings Pierce Brosnan (Peter) in as a retired CIA agent brought back to duty to extract a secretary to Russian President Arkady who has proof of Arkady’s crimes in fighting the Chechens and abusing a girl.
He is assisted by Mila (Olga Kurylenko. a pretty nifty looking lady) who follows him about tamely like a puppy.
This all takes place in Belgrade (or Beograd as it was when I was there on a ski trip back when there was a Yugoslavia) and nobody there seems to notice when Peter walks around brandishing a handgun, not do they react when David Mason, a CIA washout thanks to Peter’s blackballing him in training. leads a troop of agents around Belgrade waving pistols. Just another day.
Anyhow, the CIA is doubling down on getting the secretary with the damning pictures by sending in Mason (back in service) and team to do the same job. Neither side knows the other has the same jb, which complicates things greatly.
All this is masterminded by John Hanley (Bill Smitrovich), the CIA top local agent. He’s sly and has a plan to subvert Russia with a new president he will blackmail.
This is all average (or sub) spy thriller stuff, with Brosnan showing his age (no longer the 007 image of yore) but still able to outgun all the bad guys. He is assisted by Olga, who cuts quite a figure in a very short sheath dress and wig. All the old tropes of spy thrillers are here so you won’t be surprised by plot turns.
No need to waste money on this one when there are such as “The 100 Foot Journey” and the young adult tearjerker “If I stay” playing.
But hey, the beer at the Galaxy cineplex is draft and in several brands so you can sip your way through the bad films.
Cast
•Pierce Brosnan as Peter Devereaux (“The November Man”)
•Luke Bracey as David Mason
•Olga Kurylenko as Mila Filapova (“Alice Fournier”)
•Bill Smitrovich as John Hanley
•Amila Terzimehić as Alexa
•Lazar Ristovski as President Arkady Federov
•Mediha Musliovic as Natalia Ulanova
Directed by
•Roger Donaldson
•Produced by
•Beau St. Clair
•Pierce Brosnan
•Sriram Das
•Screenplay by
•Michael Finch
•Karl Gajdusek
•Based on
•There Are No Spies
•by Bill Granger
•Starring
•Pierce Brosnan
•Luke Bracey
•Olga Kurylenko
•Eliza Taylor
•Caterina Scorsone
•Bill Smitrovich
•Will Patton
•Music by
•Marco Beltrami
•Cinematography
•Romain Lacourbas
•Edited by
•John Gilbert
•Production
• company
•Irish DreamTime
•SPD Films
•Distributed by
•Relativity Media
•Release date(s)
•August 27, 2014
•Running time
•108 minutes, rated R
The Associated Press contributed to this report.