November Man

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Interview with Luke Bracey ... www.lillooetnews.net/fight-scene-with-brosnan-daunting-says-the-november-man-actor-luke-bracey-1.1326531

TORONTO - Luke Bracey's acting career has transformed over the last five years — from a bad boy role on an Australian soap to starring opposite Pierce Brosnan in the spy thriller "The November Man."

"It was funny to get jolted straight to the level of James Bond standing opposite you," said the 25-year-old in a phone interview from Italy where he was filming. "It's taken everything inside me not to crumble and freak out."

The Sydney native has been seen alongside Selena Gomez in the 2011 film "Monte Carlo" and as Cobra Commander in 2013's "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," but this is his biggest role yet.

"When I got offered it, I couldn't believe it until I started making it because it was such an exciting film," said Bracey.

The film is based on the novel "There Are No Spies," one of 13 books in Bill Granger's best-selling spy series that Brosnan's production company worked for five years to bring to the screen. Shot in Serbia, the movie also features Bill Smitrovich as CIA boss Hanley and Olga Kurylenko as Alice Fournier, who is known for her role as a Bond girl opposite Daniel Craig in "Quantum of Solace."

Bracey's character in the film, CIA agent David Mason, is pitted against his former mentor Peter Devereaux — now ex-CIA — in the search for a Chechen refugee who can bring down the next Russian president. Devereaux always seems to be a few steps ahead of Mason — until the cat-and-mouse game culminates in an intense fight scene. Bracey admitted to being nervous about getting physical with who he calls "the best spy in the world."

"I hadn't really done a fight scene and so it was a little daunting for me," said Bracey. "You have to put a lot of trust in the other person pretending to fight that they're not going to hit you, they're going to swing in the right place and they're going to dodge when you're punching them. Pierce was great. He's done it so many times before."

And Brosnan still has some moves.

"It was a pretty even fight," Bracey said of his 61-year-old opponent.

Bracey was particularly excited to work with the veteran actor to learn from him, and was struck by his love for acting.

"He's done a lot of movies and he still loves it as much as he ever did," said Bracey.

He was also impressed with Brosnan's professionalism, noting he was never late for work. It served as a good reminder for Bracey.

"You should never forget that it's a job at the end of the day," said Bracey.

But the veteran actor also knows how to enjoy himself on location, hosting "beautiful dinners," said Bracey. Balance can be tough to achieve for an actor spending long days shooting, then returning to a lonely hotel room in a foreign locale where you don't speak the language. That sense of isolation is what Bracey tapped into when getting into character as Mason.

"The isolation involved in Mason's life, it's like acting in a way," said Bracey. "Something Mason really struggles with is that he can't separate his job from his life because his life is his job. That's the way you get though acting sometimes — you have to put your life on hold for a bit and life happens when you're making movies."

Bracey has been busy making movies, including playing the younger version of James Marsden in an adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks book "The Best of Me" and starring in the remake of the 1991 film "Point Break," slated for release in 2015.

As for "The November Man" himself, Brosnan revealed on his "Tonight Show" appearance on Tuesday that audiences can expect a sequel. He confirmed it the next day on a Reddit Ask Me Anything thread: "And there will be another 'November Man,' which we will start on sometime next year! We've already started talk about story outlines."

"The November Man" opens in theatres Wednesday.

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Interviews with Pierce and Olga ... www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=122196

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www.suntimes.com/entertainment/movies/29500229-421/pierce-brosnan-entangled-in-a-knotty-spy-story-in-the-november-man.html

Pierce Brosnan entangled in a knotty spy story in ‘The November Man’

By BARBARA VANDENBURGH Gannett News Service August 26, 2014 9:28PM

For a dopey spy thriller that maxes out at serviceably entertaining, “The November Man” makes you work way too hard to follow along. You start to feel like you’ve been dispatched on a mission of your own to make sense of the tangled plot.

To wit: The film opens in 2008 with seasoned CIA agent Peter Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan) and his young, hotheaded protege, David Mason (Luke Bracey), on a mission in Montenegro that goes awry; a misstep by Mason lands a bullet in Devereaux.

Cut to the present. The two have parted ways, and Devereaux is leading a quiet life out of the game. He’s lured out of retirement for a mission of a personal nature — to get a woman he knows out of a dangerous situation — but ends up embroiled in a much larger, more nefarious plot. Incredibly, it pits him against Mason, now an independent agent, and the two play out a bickering match of cat-and-mouse on the streets of Serbia.

Meanwhile, Devereaux must protect a valuable witness (Olga Kurylenko), who is the key to information regarding high-profile Russian politician and future president Arkady Federov, who may have divulged dangerous secrets (something about oil and Chechen terrorists, yada yada) to a girl named Mira Filipova, whom everyone is desperate to find first.

Confused? It’s as confusing to watch as it is to attempt to summarize. It’s not even entirely clear why Devereaux has become a mark of his own people. But as convoluted as the unnecessarily tortured plot is, it’s still a slick ride, a high-tech global thriller that makes fresh use of its Eastern European location, staging high-octane action set-pieces in the streets. None of them are particularly memorable, but there’s a welcome brute physicality to the stunt work.

Just as slick and shallow, with as much surface appeal, are the characters. The Devereaux-Mason relationship is rooted in the flimsiest of father-son dynamics. And although the bad guys are as sneering and gross as called for, their motivations are wanting at best.

Brosnan, though, has got charisma for days, and it buoys the film to a certain serviceability. And we all know he makes a good spy. But Devereaux is no Bond. He’s a swaggering, hard-core, trust-no-one agent with a dark side, given to proclamations like, “This is my scenario; I make the rules.” The moral ambiguity is appreciated, but it’s a point the film might be too eager to drive home with a few narratively unjustified scenes of extreme brutality.

It’s all an attractive polishing of warmed-over spy-thriller antics. Nothing fresh is being brought to the table, but it’s a sufficient bit of fun for anyone who longs for the days of Brosnan’s spy swagger. Like Devereaux, the film gets the job done, but only just.

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www.fresnobee.com/2014/08/25/4087655/brosnan-returns-to-spy-form-in.html

Brosnan returns to spy form in 'November Man'
BY RICK BENTLEY
The Fresno BeeAugust 25, 2014

It's been a dozen years since Pierce Brosnan played Bond, James Bond, in "Die Another Day."

In "The November Man," he comfortably slips back into the the world of international intrigue, killer spies and beautiful women — like he put on a favorite suit that just happens to be filled with weapons.

"The November Man" is a tasty thriller with enough twists to keep you guessing until the end. Roger Donaldson — who directed Brosnan in "Dante's Peak" — does a good job of putting together a film where the lines between good and bad aren't just blurred, they're obliterated.

Peter Devereaux (Brosnan) is an ex-CIA killing machine who left the business behind after a tragedy during a mission. He is pulled out of retirement by his previous handler, Hanley (Bill Smitrovich), to save a woman who means more to Devereaux than just another assignment.

The plot swirls into a political hurricane when the leading candidate to take control of Russia begins having anyone who knows his dark secrets killed. Caught in the middle of this murderous spree is Alice Fournier (Olga Kurylenko), a woman whose connection to a refugee makes her a target.

Michael Finch and Karl Gajdusek have adapted Bill Granger's book, "There Are No Spies," cleverly enough to keep all of the major players mysterious without making the script too complicated to follow. There even is a pseudo father-son storyline between Devereaux and a young CIA agent (Luke Bracey) he mentored that gives the film a nice emotional touch.

There are a few leaps in logic (how do people watch a person run down the street carrying a gun and not jump out of the way?) and a couple of bogus red herrings, but neither hurt the movie's flow.

None of this would matter if Brosnan didn't seem so comfortable in the part.

There's both an intensity in his eyes that makes it clear he will do whatever is necessary to accomplish his mission and a fatigue that suggests this is a man who has been worn down by the chopping away of his humanity with each kill.

His character has a particular set of skills — skills acquired over a long career that he prefers not to use unless pushed.

Brosnan's performance makes "The November Man" worth seeing.

"The November Man"

Rated R for language, violence, nudity, drug use. Stars Pierce Brosnan, Olga Kurylenko, Bill Smitrovich, Luke Bracey. Directed by Roger Donaldson. Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes. Grade: B-

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www.fmoviemag.com/the-november-man-review/

Pierce Brosnan is actually even more convincing as a spy here than in his Bond films over a decade ago.

In The Tailor of Panama and Matador, Pierce Brosnan played on his persona as the world’s most famous fictional spy. He does it again but in a markedly more serious manner here, as retired CIA agent Peter Devereaux. Devereaux violently barges out of his quiet retirement in picturesque Lausanne, Switzerland to embark on a very personal mission. Social worker Alice Fournier (Kurylenko) has valuable evidence that could topple the political career of Federov (Ristovski), poised to become the next Russian president. Devereaux must protect her to uncover the far-reaching conspiracy but this brings in him conflict with David Mason (Bracey), his former pupil at the CIA. The further Devereaux digs, the more danger he puts him and the few he keeps close to him in, especially when it transpires that a CIA official may have been in cahoots with Federov.

Based on Bill Granger’s novel There Are No Spies, the seventh in the November Man book series but the first to be adapted, this is a film that is competently made but is filled with elements that aficionados of the espionage thriller genre are likely all too familiar with. The film is built upon the theme of spies entering relationships and having families, only for those they hold dear to become casualties in wars that are not theirs to fight. Veteran director Roger Donaldson has tackled the genre before with No Way Out and The Recruit, now turning out a post-Bourne spy movie that is tough and gritty without being self-consciously so. In the States, this is rated R. The blood, swearing and requisite gratuitous scene set in a strip club go some way to separate it from the PG-13 action thriller pack, if only superficially.

Brosnan is actually even more convincing as a spy here than in his Bond films over a decade ago. Eschewing the wink-and-a-smile charm he is so famous for, Brosnan plays Devereaux as grizzled and lethal. If he’s planning a Liam Neeson-style “man of geri-action” career ahead, he’s going about it better than, say, Kevin Costner is. He plays the heated confrontations with a surprising amount of intensity, especially given that his Bond was never known for being particularly tough. It’s a pity then that Luke Bracey is bland as Mason, the Australian actor never rising above “standard issue imported Hollywood pretty boy”. A better actor could have made the strained mentor-mentee relationship between Devereaux and Mason more compelling.

Let’s face it, former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko is known more for her exotic, striking appearance than her acting chops. However, she brings a good deal of vulnerability and is also able to bring out the canniness between the surface of the Alice Fournier character, offering hints that there is more to her than she is letting on. Lazar Ristovski is also a sufficiently slimy and unlikeable as Federov without overplaying the stereotype.

While many spy thrillers fall apart as they head into their conclusions, The November Man actually becomes a good deal more interesting in its last act, the twists and reveals effective and somewhat plausible. This doesn’t change that it is follows many conventions of the genre and that it is poorly paced, the action sequences few and far between. Some visual clichés are employed too – there’s actually a scene of someone jumping sideways through a door into a room, firing a gun in slow motion. Ultimately, it is Brosnan who makes this worthwhile, kicking ass and taking names far more his wheelhouse than struggling through Abba songs.

Summary: A conventional espionage thriller that mitigates its sense of “been there, done that” by ramping up the tension in the third act. Brosnan’s late-career action hero resurgence also makes this worth a look.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 Stars


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www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/08/the_november_man_review_the_return_of_brosnan_pierce_brosnan.html

If you're a fan of the James Bond books — the original, early James Bond books — you know that he was a hard man, a cold character fully capable of shooting first and asking questions never.

In the movies, that got lost early on.

But you may be reminded of it watching Pierce Brosnan in "The November Man," a new thriller with a secret agent stalking his prey — and being stalked — through Eastern Europe.

It is, in no way, a 007 film, and not just because it's based on a completely unrelated book by Bill Granger. There are no gadgets here, no gratuitous lovelies and certainly no quips.

But it gives you an idea of what Bond could have been — and where Brosnan might have enjoyed taking him, if he hadn't been unceremoniously decommissioned in favor of Daniel Craig.

Brosnan plays Peter Devereaux, a CIA man who retired after a mission went wrong. Now, his old boss is asking him to come back, just one more time, to help a trusted asset get out of Moscow before the Russians find out what she's found out — and silence her.

But this mission doesn't go quite as planned either — and soon Devereaux is chasing, or being chased, by ever-shifting gangs of Russian and Americans, while a mysterious hired assassin pursues her own agenda.

Like a lot of modern spy thrillers, the plot is a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a whole lot of what-the-hell? (Try to reverse-engineer it once it's over — working backwards, from the solution, to see why people acted the way they did — and you'll get a headache.)

But clearly it's the character here who appeals to Brosnan (who also produced) — a ruthless agent who isn't above hurting anyone (including an innocent woman) if it gets him what he wants.

It's as if Brosnan's doing penance for ever making movies that suggested spies were "fun."

He's got help here from Roger Donaldson, who directed the gritty little "The Bank Job" a while back, as well as the junkily entertaining "Species." The car chases are taut and the hand-to-hand combat, although Hollywood-improbable (people take steel pipes to the head, and walk away) is well-edited.

What the film could really use, though — besides a clarified plot — is a bit more oomph in the casting. The mild Olga Kurylenko (a veteran of the Bond film, "Quantum of Solace") and the forgettable Will Patton are the biggest costars we get; the rest of the roles are filled with actors whose names you'll never need to learn.

That kind of economy seems like a definite mistake; fit as he still is at 61, Brosnan can't carry the entire movie on his shoulders. A familiar face or two — let alone a few more veteran actors — might have helped turn the heat up on a few scenes.

But then, some like it cold. And that seems to be Brosnan's aim here — showing us someone who enjoys his license to kill so much, he's forgotten some of his reason to live.

Ratings note: The film contains violence, brief nudity, strong language and alcohol abuse.

'The November Man' (R) Relativity (108 min.)

Directed by Roger Donaldson. With Pierce Brosnan. Now playing in New York.

★ ★ ½

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Some mild spoilers about the beginning of the movie in this one ... guardianlv.com/2014/08/the-november-man-pierce-brosnan-kills-it-review-and-trailer/

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www.showbizjunkies.com/movies/the-november-man-review/

... Gritty and suspenseful, The November Man brings ex-007 Pierce Brosnan back to the big screen in a darker, more serious spy thriller. Brosnan is perfect as Devereaux, the retired master spy who reluctantly gets pulled back into the world of espionage and soon realizes that even he is in way over his head.

Devereaux is a colder, older, and highly experienced spy who knows how to survive in the Cold War. Finally, Brosnan is given the opportunity in November Man that he didn’t have in the Bond series: to portray a seasoned, refined, and extremely lethal secret agent straight, without the tongue-in-cheek dialogue. And he does it wonderfully.

Also a Bond franchise veteran (although from a different era than Brosnan), Olga Kurylenko is extremely effective in the role of Alice. Kurylenko portrays her as both an overwhelmed, terrified and mistrusting target and at times a sexy, willful and determined woman. Kurylenko and Pierce have solid chemistry which comes across strong in the few quiet moments they have together on screen in between the fighting and chasing scenes.

The action scenes are thrilling, with car chases, multiple shoot-outs and a few cat and mouse on foot chases. The scene where Bracey as Mason is hunting Devereaux through the streets of Belgrade while talking to him on a cell phone is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, with Devereaux taunting Mason with lines such as, “So kid, tell me about your target.”

The November Man‘s realistic dialogue and strong cloak-and-dagger tone is due to the terrific direction by Roger Donaldson working from a script by Michael Finch and Karl Gajdusekvc. The cinematography and production of the film looks stunning, and benefits from being shot on location in Belgrade and Montenegro. Perhaps the only drawback to the film is the slowing of the pace at the midpoint in The November Man, but that picks back up as it heads toward a suspenseful finale.

Gripping and action-packed, The November Man is a first-rate spy thriller that’s sure to entertain Pierce Brosnan and espionage movie fans.

GRADE: B

The November Man is rated R for strong violence including a sexual assault, language, sexuality/nudity and brief drug use.



– Reviewed by Kevin Finnerty

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www.examiner.com/review/review-pierce-brosnan-proves-he-s-still-got-the-moves-the-november-man

Review: Pierce Brosnan proves he’s still got the moves in ‘The November Man’
The November Man

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

August 27, 2014

Pierce Brosnan has consistently been a man of action throughout his long career in Hollywood, and his latest film, The November Man (in theaters Aug. 27) is no exception. In fact, the political conspiracy fueled action thriller feels something like a return to roots for the man who was once James Bond and Remington Steele. Though of course, now he finds himself playing the role of the former agent quietly enjoying retirement, who gets pulled in for one last go ‘round. Why? Because this time, it’s personal. (Duh.)

Given the all the revenge motivation and old guy kicking a** and taking names conceit, The November Man is bound to draw some ire as “another Taken rip-off,” and in many ways it is, but it’s also enjoyable in the same over the top, they went there, kind of manner. The plot itself indulges nearly every action movie cliche there is, right down to the multiple twists and humorous asides where the hero reminds us all how cool he is by more or less humiliating his enemies. It’s tired and we’ve seen it before, but somehow, it’s still quite as fun to watch Brosnan do his thing as it was back in the GoldenEye days –– though now it’s perhaps more nostalgia that boosts the fun of the film than the film itself.

After all, in a time when Bond films are enjoying the elevated status that being helmed by an Oscar-winning director affords and one of the most critically acclaimed shows on television is CIA-centric, it’s tough not to come off a bit schlocky by comparison, even when you have a former 007 and former Bond girl (Olga Kurylenko) giving it their all on your team.

Still, it’s hard not to find some pleasure in watching Brosnan, standing stock still and cool as a cucumber, knock an anonymous lackey with a gun off of a speeding motorcycle using what looks like a mini-keg. Yes, The November Man is an all out action movie through and through. It lacks for plenty of things, but a spirited performance from its lead and sequence after sequence of adrenaline spiking antics are not among them.

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From @gustergus

MIAMI, FL - AUGUST 27: Pierce Brosnan on the set of Despierta America to promote The November Man at Univision Headquarters on August 27, 2014 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Gustavo Caballero/WireImage) #piercebrosnan #thenovemberman #despieretaamerica #nikond4 #gettymiami #gettyentertainment #gettyimagesentertainment #Celebrity #nikon #nikonnpsmember #nikonprofessionalservice #eyecontact #novemberman #gottalovemyjob #miami




From @marianaatencio

This man looking at me, in our studio...#PierceBrosnan is exactly the same in real life as in the movies. The interview by @pedroandradetv up soon on @fusionlivetv!




From @carolinemongeartistry

"It was a run by fruiting!" Awesome meeting @piercebrosnanofficial today on @fusionlive! Tune in at 5pm for the interview on @thisisfusion #fusionlive #piercebrosnan #set #bts #fusiontv





From @caseres_francisco
¡Un gran gusto tener hoy en @unnuevodia a #PierceBrosnan, el Agente 007! @telemundo




From @racheldiaz
Con el encantador #PierceBrosnan hoy en @unnuevodia !!!#Thenovemberman Hoy se estrena




From @univision

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www.moviefanatic.com/2014/08/november-man-review-pierce-brosnan-is-brilliant-back-in-action/

November Man Review: Pierce Brosnan Is Brilliant Back In Action

by Joel D Amos at August 27, 2014

As a longtime Pierce Brosnan appreciator, our eagerness for him to slip back into the cinematic spy game in The November Man was off the charts. But then, the film itself would have to deliver because as we all know, one enigmatic movie star does not a full spy thriller make.

We can proudly say that what was teased in that first The November Man trailer has come to fruition as a full-fledged espionage yarn that truly cooks while simultaneously not forgetting to present fully developed characters along the way.

Brosnan moves past James Bond and plays Peter Deveraux, a seasoned spook for the CIA who, as our film begins, is on a mission to stop an assassination attempt with his younger charge Mason, played expertly by Luke Bracey. When it goes horribly wrong, Brosnan walks away to live a quieter life in Switzerland. Before long, he is drawn back into the game when someone he cares about needs his help getting out of a sticky situation. Of course, nothing is as it seems and the thrills begin.

And what results is a game of cat and mouse with his former charge, his old bosses and a political system in Russia and Serbia that has Deveraux wondering who is good, who is bad and who is playing both sides.

Director Roger Donaldson and screenwriter Michael Finch took the best parts of Bill Granger’s book There Are No Spies, and as a certain spy who has a license to kill shows, the viewer can tell that this film is based on a spy series from a writer with rich prose.

Things are complex, as the best spy stories should be, and why The November Man works for us so much is because of the performance of Brosnan. He emits so much with his eyes and his face that you can tell he is working it all out. This is one veteran pro and it takes a lot to get by him, yet when he is stunned, we are stunned, and it sets up a whole new set of obstacles for our hero to navigate.

There are twists and turns throughout, again as a great spy movie should have, and the supporting cast all know their roles inside and out -- which greatly adds to this rich landscape. Of particular note is Olga Kurylenko as Alice, a woman who works at a Serbian center that helps Eastern European women who have suffered through the illegal sex trafficking trade. She will prove to be a huge part of this story, and the former Bond girl working closely with a former Bond all adds up to one fun, thrilling and smart ride.

One more thing about Brosnan. He has not missed a beat since he was forcibly retired from that 007 franchise. He is largely why this film is so riveting. The actor is enigmatic and commands every eye when he is on screen. And what's even more impressive about his characterization of the Deveraux persona is even when he isn't on screen, we feel his presence... everywhere.

Our The November Man review also can see why The November Man 2 has been green lit. With such a rich literary history, and such a solid first outing as Deveraux, we cannot wait to see Brosnan back in action again… and soon.

[rsection]

Just saw the movie. Really enjoyed it. Not as bad as some of the reviews have been. Not the best movie by any means but certainly something PB can build on and start a series with.

[rsection]

Wearing the Oliver Peoples Bernardo sunglasses that PB wears in the movie in honor of today!  Love them and this movie!

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Aug 27, 2014 13:51:49 GMT -5 rsection said:

Just saw the movie. Really enjoyed it. Not as bad as some of the reviews have been. Not the best movie by any means but certainly something PB can build on and start a series with.

Thanx for the review (and the selfie)!  I saw the film last night and also really enjoyed it - but I'm relatively easy to please, so maybe I'm not the best critic .  I can absolutely see how this could continue on as a new franchise, tho.  However, I wasn't too taken with Luke Bracey as an actor.  He was fine in the role, but not great.  I'm not sure I would continue with this series if Luke were to take over the reins and Pierce take a back seat. 

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[Ace]

Thanks for the reviews, especially the personal ones. It looks more and more a loss that rescheduling cost them Dominic Cooper for Luke Bracey.

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www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_november_man/news/1931386/video_november_mans_pierce_brosnan_eats_fire/

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I like this interviewer, she's got some personality and it's a breath of fresh air amidst all the other junket interviews.

[rosafermu]

Thank you

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Nice interview with Pierce, Olga, Bill, and Roger ... www.moviesonline.ca/2014/08/pierce-brosnan-interview-november-man/

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www.thecragandcanyon.ca/2014/08/26/the-november-man-shows-pierce-brosnan-still-has-action-chops

'The November Man' shows Pierce Brosnan still has action chops

By Bruce Kirkland, QMI Agency

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

The November Man is a sometimes thrilling spy thriller starring Pierce Brosnan as the anti-Bond.

This is a raw, cruel, violent and often incoherent look at the international spy game. It is a game that 007 would never play, no matter who is standing in James Bond’s shoes.

The aging spy whom Brosnan portrays eliminates operatives from his own side when the need arises and does so without compunction. This man does not mix martinis, he empties the mini-bar and slugs back hard liquor. This man has a thick skull and a hard heart which he opens to only a precious few. This man gives himself a licence to kill and uses it repeatedly.

Prediction: A lot of people are going to hate Roger Donaldson’s movie, which was adapted from the novel by the late American writer and journalist Bill Granger, who died in 2012. Granger was a young man during the Cold War and The November Man has the heavily packed baggage of that era, even though it is set in contemporary times.

As a story, and as a movie, this effort also has a low-budget, old-school, retro look-and-feel. But it also has Brosnan and he makes it interesting, even with (or maybe because of) the age wrinkles, the tightness in his gait, the sad eyes and the world-weariness that has consumed his performances post-Bond. I find all that fascinating. Hence, I can buy into The November Man, even with its obvious flaws. Brosnan always gravitated to complex, conflicted, even impossible characters and this is one of them.

The movie was adapted from Granger’s novel by Michael Finch (who contributed to Predators) and Karl Gajdusek (who wrote for two TV series, Last Resort and Dead Like Me). Brosnan served as one of many executive producers on the movie, so he had a stake in its outcome and, we presume, in the choice of filmmaker Donaldson, a workmanlike veteran from Australia, as the director.

We meet Brosnan in the prologue, which chronicles an American spy operation taking place in Montenegro in 2008. The op goes awry and a child is killed as collateral damage. We also meet the impetuous triggerman (Luke Bracey), a young CIA agent under Brosnan’s mentorship. Bracey will be an important cog in this spy machine.

Jump to five years later and Brosnan is retired to Switzerland. But his former CIA boss (Bill Smitrovich) recruits him for one last mission, because it is personal. It involves Brosnan’s ex, a double agent who has dirty secrets to tell about a corrupt Russian (Lazar Ristovski) who is pushing for the presidency of the Russian Federation. But first, this power-hungry thug must eliminate anyone who knows about the murders, rapes and other heinous crimes he has committed in the past. The targets include the mandatory pretty woman (Olga Kurylenko).

In any case, after a lot of plodding plot revelations, Brosnan finds himself in the cesspool that The November Man creates. The story lurches through a linked series of violent confrontations, daring escapes and a couple of tender moments. All the actors just do their duty, but Brosnan brings something deeper, even a little crazier, to the screen. That is why we watch.

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www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-pierce-brosnans-november-728888

Box Office: Pierce Brosnan's 'The November Man' Opens to Soft No. 5

10:44 AM PST 08/28/2014

Roger Donaldson's adult-skewing espionage thriller The November Man, starring Pierce Brosnan in a role reminiscent of his James Bond days, opened to a soft $862,000 at the North American box office Wednesday for a fifth-place finish.

It's true that adults don't rush out to see a movie on opening night, but November Man had hoped to do more on its first day. The film, independently financed and released by Relativity Media, also stars Olga Kurylenko and Luke Bracey.

November Man stars Brosnan as an extremely dangerous ex-CIA agent who is lured out of retirement to protect a witness. The assignment makes him the target of his former friend and CIA protege.

Audiences liked November Man better than critics, giving it a B+ CinemaScore.

The film, getting an early jump on the long Labor Day holiday by opening Wednesday, hopes to earn $9 million to $12 million over the course of its six-day debut, although it may only end up at $10 million, based on Wednesday's number.

The $20 million-plus movie was made by The Solution Entertainment Group, Palmstar Media Capital and Merced Media Partners, with Relativity acquiring U.S. rights for a reported $3 million.

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Warning ... NSFW for language