THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR *** (out of five stars) A Review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, Denis Leary and Faye Dunaway Director-John McTiernan Rated 14A Released August 1999 MGM
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The Thomas Crown Affair, a remake of the 1968 Steve McQueen romance of the same name, is a glossy star vehicle with an attractive surface but an empty shell. While you will probably enjoy the star chemistry, the film lacks a certain urgency. And those expecting present 007 Pierce Brosnan to be dodging explosions and attempting death-defying stunts should look elsewhere. This remake follows a more laid-back and conventional pace, but it still can be fun.
Brosnan plays a wealthy art lover named Thomas Crown who steals expensive paintings because, well, he likes to. His latest heist has aroused some suspicion. After an ingeniously crafted caper in a museum involving a group of hired goons and a decoy helicopter, the insurance company sends in a representative by the name of Catherine Banning (Rene Russo) to investigate. Banning, with a striking fashion sense and a very floppy hairdo, manages to piece together the heist in a few brief moments of scanning the video surveillance. But the identity of the (very bright) burglar is still unanswered.
Working with detective Michael McCann (Denis Leary), Banning works fast. She attends a party uninvited, wearing a very revealing dress, and gets to know Mr. Crown a little better. She knows this debonair businessman is the thief, but she can't find the evidence to prove it. The chemistry between Brosnan and Russo in this film is not a noticeable strong point. They work well enough on an individual basis, but don't create enough believable sparks together to make their relationship click properly. Pierce Brosnan perhaps wasn't the best actor to take over for Steve McQueen, because he's lacking more than a few striking attributes that the latter was known for. But his performance is slick enough to hide these drawbacks. Russo's role, also maybe better suited to a different actress, is still the stronger one. She has never looked better. Perhaps casting wasn't the most persuasive part of The Thomas Crown Affair, but the actors are in top form.
The 2nd act of this film struggles valiantly to hold the viewer's attention. The director is John McTiernan, who is far more accustomed to helming big-budget action films (he was behind the camera for Die Hard and Predator). Perhaps it's his direction, but most of The Thomas Crown Affair feels somewhat stiff. The actors and scenery are pretty, the set-up is well staged, but there is little push behind the initial story. Everything seems to meander along slowly until the last fifteen minutes, which contain just enough clever twists and turns to keep us interested. If there had been more focus on this sneaky little fun, the majority of the plot could have moved smoother (the opposite goes for Entrapment, which was fun and exciting but rarely stopped to establish character details).
The presence of Denis Leary as the bickering detective helps. Leary is a gifted comic actor who adds some zest to the story, although I did want more from his character. There's also Faye Dunaway, the original insurance investigator in the 1968 version, playing Crown's psychiatrist and having fun doing so. Inserting Dunaway in more than just a brief cameo appearance was another wise move. Little additions like this one can prove very effective when carefully scattered throughout a movie.
An action film this ain't. The Thomas Crown Affair is more like a long-shot romance with a detailed back story to support it. It has a tendency to be very entertaining, but the lack of a real 2nd act nearly sinks it. The actors are charming, but can't scrounge up enough sparks to keep the momentum flowing. This film has a great opening, a memorable finale, but what's left in-between leaves something to be desired.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
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