The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) 2 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo.
"The Thomas Crown Affair" is a fun, fluffy caper film. And it is fitting that the movie is about theft, because Rene Russo steals this romantic drama from nominal star Pierce Brosnan.
The film is a remake of a 1968 feature that starred Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. The plot has been updated. In this version, multimillionaire Thomas Crown steals valuable paintings instead of robbing banks.
And, as in the original, Russo is the top-notch insurance investigator who is out to prove Crown is the master thief.
Much has changed in 30 years. The sexual tension that existed between McQueen and Dunaway could not be consummated on screen as it is here.
"The Thomas Crown Affair" is a movie about trust. As Crown's blunt-speaking shrink (Dunaway in a sparkling but small part) continually hammers at him, he is a man afraid to trust, to let others into his life.
The crux of this movie lies in the ability of Brosnan's Crown and Russo's Catherine Banning to learn to trust each other, even as they play their cat-and-mouse game.
Russo is so strong, so sexy - and she is not shy about showing her attributes - so smart that she overpowers whoever she is on screen with, especially Brosnan. As an actor, he is one of those men who relies more on his looks - a raised eyebrow, a set jaw - than his thespian abilities to carry a role.
That is why he is so good as James Bond. Brosnan looks good in a tux or three-piece suit, holding a drink in his hand and making quips. He just can't emote worth a damn.
And that is the movie's sore point, because Russo is so strong, so confident, it is difficult to understand what she sees in the almost-wooden Crown.
Brosnan's Crown steals the paintings not for profit, but for the fun of it - for kicks. It's a sign that he is alive. It keeps him alert, functioning.
He knows that she knows that he stole the painting and she knows that he knows she knows he is the thief. But none of that matters. It is the sexual sparks between these two protagonists that propel this movie. You are more interested in them than in the mechanics of the theft and the investigation that follows.
"The Thomas Crown Affair" is a pleasant experience, like eating out at a fine middle-class restaurant. It's nothing special, but it is satisfying.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or at cbloom@iquest.net
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