'The November Man' Cometh

By Staff in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 27, 2014 8:50PM

'The November Man' from Relativity Media

After a summer of blockbusters the Labor Day holiday is often the turn of the film watching season into deeper fare, and one movie in particular is making a big impression on us this weekend. The November Man is directed by Roger Donaldson, who brought us The Recruit and The Bank Job. The movie stars Pierce Brosnan of James Bond, Remington Steele and A Thomas Crown Affair fame. The movie is based upon the novel, There Are No Spies by Bill Granger. Granger was a lifelong Chicagoan who wrote for several local newspapers from 1960-2000.

The November Man is a well paced, spy movie that lives and dies with the writing and the writing is good. The movie has a “what’s old is new again” feel to it. The enemy is Russian and there are no over the top stunts or CGI type scenes for action sake. It reminds us of movies from the early 90s, before computer enhancements dominated every effect we see in current movies.

The terse and suspenseful storytelling is refreshing in today’s two hour plus movie culture. The twists and turns throughout the movie add to the development of the characters and their humanity. There never seemed to be a drag or an unnecessary scene while building the suspense throughout the film. The November Man has solid comedic moments that partner with its fast paced narrative. The action sequences are believable and interweave well with what could be a cliché storyline of the young protégé versus the wise mentor. And we enjoyed that modern technology was toned down where most other genre movies would lean heavily on gadgets and gizmos.

If you’re planning to see a movie this long holiday weekend, you won’t be disappointed if you catch this spy thriller. Bill Granger, who passed away in 2012, would have been proud of this film.

By: Joseph Campagna