The November Man (2014)

When I first heard about the “November Man” I was exited to hear that Pierce Brosnan would be doing another spy/action film, since its been 12 years since his last Bond adventure. But after seeing the trailer and hearing some reviews I was afraid this would turn out to be like Stallone’s “Bullet to the Head” and be a bit of a flop.

However, “The November Man” is not only a very exiting spy movie, but also is an entertaining action movie as well. It has a perfect blend of slow burn espionage and gritty fight sequences that earn the film its R rating. It’s plot is based off of Bill Granger’s “There Are No Spies” and for the most part flows steadily throughout the run-time. My only major gripe is that one or two scenes could have been cut out entirely and it would not have affected anything.

There are a decent amount of action sequences in “The November Man”, mainly gunfights, fist-fights, and one or two car chases. Instead of having a few longer and more drawn out action scenes, the film has many short burst type scenes, no longer than 3 or 4 minutes. The camera work and cinematography is different, but steers clear of that frustrating shaky cam that is seen in so many modern action movies. My one and only problem with the action was the usage of CGI blood and flares, However, everything else is done for real, it was great to see a film that does not rely on computers and just does stuff practically.

I did not have any issues with the performances of the cast, Brosnan, Kurylenko, and Bracy were all believable in their parts but did not provide anything that blew me away.

So, “The November Man” is a good spy action/thriller movie, with a decent story packed with twists and turns, along with enticing characters, but what sold this movie for me was it’s action sequences, that were done (for the most part) practically. I would recommend seeing it for anyone who was a fan of Brosnan’s time as 007 or just enjoys action films.

Review by wolfrarw