★★★★★

Far too many people pan The November Man. It had a great script and good acting. Okay, so the shooting scenes weren’t a million plus round gore-fest and there were only a couple of naked women which were on screen for seconds. (Technically just topless.) That is no reason to diss this movie. I was shocked at just how well done it was.

Those dissing The November Man obviously didn’t pay attention to the story. The plot line and sub-stories in this film are on par with “Smiley’s People.” Before the current rash of “James Bond” movies with tons of stuff blowing up and even more nearly naked women, spy books and films used to always be about the subtlety.

An operative who managed to raise a family their agency knew nothing about. A handler who had their own black bag company on the side using assets for profit. A damp umbrella left in a holder, missed by all but one. While there was quite a bit of shooting, this movie harkens back to the era when spy craft was spy craft and every agent was a double or a triple.

Pierce Brosnan post Bond

Personally, after his stint as James Bond, I was surprised to see Pierce Brosnan pick up the mantle of an agent for the other side of the pond. I had never seen or heard of Olka Kurylenko before this movie. Casting definitely did its job! This girl is way more than a hot body, she can act! She is so gifted at the subtle things it was impossible to guess her story line until the left hook flattens you. I look forward to her having a long career.

I’m actually thinking about buying this one for my overloaded collection.

For more movie rental ideas please see list one and list two.