THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR (1999)
Rating: 2 stars (out of 4.0) ******************************** Key to rating system: 2.0 stars - Debatable 2.5 stars - Some people may like it 3.0 stars - I liked it 3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie 4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out ********************************* A Movie Review by David Sunga
Directed by: John McTiernan
Written by: Alan Trustman
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, Frankie Faison and Faye Dunaway
Synopsis: In the opening of this romance the air conditioning in an art museum mysteriously malfunctions, and the scorching summer temperature soars high enough to blank the infrared cameras. Soon a priceless Monet painting is discovered missing. Catherine (Rene Russo), a lady insurance investigator wearing a scarf, suspects the manipulative businessman and compulsive gambler Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) is the culprit. The trouble is, Crown looks great in a sweater and he owns a beautiful boat. Will Catherine fall in love, or will she bring Crown to justice?
Opinion: If I were the cops, I would have nailed Crown by simply fingerprinting the picture frame which Crown carelessly discarded at the crime scene. But aside from that, there was potential in this movie that never materialized. Crown was a man so thirsty for challenge he was getting self-destructive. And he might meet his equal in an attractive female adversary. The same went for ace investigator Catherine. She could possibly match wits with Crown and romance him the same time. And if the sparks didnt fly from the two lovers one-upping each other there was the added possibility of romantic competition in the form of Catherines gutsy and hones cop coworker.
Alas, after the first 20 minutes it was obvious Catherine didnt like the cop and didnt have the brains to match Crown. So the other two thirds of this movie was like watching a card game where one guy has all the cards and everyone else has nothing. The challenge evaporates. Catherine is reduced to cackling or crying, and everyone stands around waiting to fold. Pierce Brosnan fans get to see him at his good-looking best, but personally I think the movie and the romance would have been spicier and sexier had the protagonists been evenly matched.
Reviewed by David Sunga July 26, 1999
Copyright © 1999 by David Sunga This review and others like it can be found at THE CRITIC ZOO: http://www.criticzoo.com email: zookeeper@criticzoo.com
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