The November Man

Roger Donaldson – 2014 – USA

The strained relationship between a veteran spy and a hot-shot newcomer seems like something we’ve seen portrayed in quite a few movies over the years.  The November Man doesn’t do anything groundbreaking that I can see, but nevertheless it’s a pretty effective espionage thriller.  A lot of the credit for this has to go to Pierce Brosnan, who – though he may be terminally a fallback choice from A-listers his age like Bruce Willis or Liam Neeson – has a lot of natural gravitas; a combination of his weathered visage and his well-known charisma.  Without him, I suspect this film would be drastically weaker.  The plot has him out for vengeance after the CIA capriciously assassinates his ex-wife after her dramatic escape from the Russian politician’s office she had infiltrated.  Knowing that Brosnan will never forgive or forget, the head spooks send out an apprentice sniper (Luke Bracey) to stop him.  As any movie fan can probably guess without breaking a sweat, everything will boil down to whether the two men will duel to the death or join forces.  I won’t spoil the “surprise” beyond that.  All in all, it’s a well-made and entertaining action thriller, but nothing special.  Directed by Roger Donaldson, a specialist in such fare: No Way Out (1987), The Recruit (2003), etc.