The November Man 2014 (Movie Review)

Dir: Roger Donaldson

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Olga Kurylenko, Luke Bracet

Dur: 108 mins

Rating: 4.5/5

PG: An intimate scene, plenty of foul language, physical violence and destruction.

 

Peter Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan) is an ex-secret service agent, living a happy and peaceful life in Lausanne. All is well with the world until his old handler, Hanley () appears and presses him into taking up an important assignment. Hesitantly, he accepts and the next thing we know, Moscow’s streets become a cat and mouse playfield. His assignment is compromised and he narrowly escapes with his life. In a bid to repair the damages incurred, he comes face-to-face with his old protégé, David Mason (Luke Bracet), who is now what Peter once was.

In his attempt to act on the intel received from a Russian spy, Peter embarks on a dangerous trail that takes him into the underbelly of a huge conspiracy to acquire power and world domination. The stakes are high and quite a few egos are bruised. The plot is too convoluted for a single man to unravel. In his pursuit, Peter assumes care of a woman, alias Alice Fournier (Olga Kurylenko) who is targeted by a Russian assassin for possessing certain knowledge that could compromise a lot of people and cause an international upset. Peter and Alice somehow keep themselves out of the clutches of the many people after them and manage to discover the truth of things. In the midst of all the excitement, Peter is showing David that he hasn’t learnt as much as he thinks he has and challenges him to prove his mettle. The spate of events serves as a training lesson for David, who slowly catches on.

The film was a success in my estimation. The scenes blended well into one another. Camera and editing work were brilliant. The story was interesting and developed well. It briefly touched upon a few sensitive issues, some of which were tackled exclusively in the film. I watched this film twice but I don’t mind watching it a couple times more. It’s really good!