Review of The November Man (2014) by Brian C — 22 Feb 2015

With Pierce Brosnan set to deliver star in The Expendables 4, I figured it was about time I started checking out who he was, beginning with The November Man.

I wasn't fully sure what to expect of The November Man, but considering that it saw decent attention in its theatrical release, I figured it would have good production values. At the least, I hoped for a film which may have been predictable but stood out better for the quality of its action scenes. But I expected the wrong thing. The November Man was not an action film but a spy film, and so by that regard it was for more important on the basis of its premise than simply its action. Unfortunately, the premise in The November Man is way too familiar for its own good. Aside from being a reminder that Pierce Brosnan still makes a good action hero and boasting an effective performance from Olga Kurylenko, there is nothing special about it.

Everything about the story is predictable. From the start of the film where the protagonist retires after a mission goes awry only to get dragged back into things, there is sure to be no surprises in the film which is a prophecy which Roger Donaldson hammers down repeatedly like nails on a coffin. With the cliche tropes of betrayal at the hands of one's former friend and protecting a damsel in distress, the story in The November Man has nothing that has not already been seen countless times in so many other films. It may have more complicated political themes in its roots than the worse films of the genre and the dialogue in the script may be more intelligent than average, but the story remains nothing refreshing to boast about.

The disappointing thing about The November Man is the fact that it clearly had potential. Even though it followed a conventional style of filmmaking, it did it on a low budget and was able to present good production values. With a meagre $15 million budget, The November Man manages to spend its finances well, cleverly going around the financial limitations with selective scenery as a key method. You wouldn't be able to tell that The November Man was made on such a low budget because the scenery is realistic and the cinematography seems very professional which gives the narrative a legitimate edge.

Perhaps the most disappointing thing about The November Man is the simple fact that it really had the potential to be a lot better than it was. It even had good action. Moderating blood and gore, using strong cinematography techniques and editing them all really well so that things are atmospheric, quick and tense without ever being incomprehensible for the viewer in comparison to most of the other major action films of modern day. Even if there are not that many of them, for The November Man to have such effective action choreography in a world full of shoddy editing and shaky cinematography which is slowly but surely killing the entire action genre yet only go and squander that on such a generic plot line is thoroughly disappointing. I didn't expect too much from The November Man, but five minutes into the film it became easy to understand what to expect and there were no surprises along the way. If The November Man did not limit itself to such a generic presence then it could have been an effective film, even as an action guilty pleasure because Roger Donaldson's directorial work really benefits the feature even in the face of a limited budget.

Despite being stuck with conventional characters, The November Man does benefit from a talented cast.

Pierce Brosnan reminds that he still has the charisma of a strong leading action hero. No stranger to portraying Spies considering that he portrayed James Bond in four films in the series, Pierce Brosnan returns to his roots as the lead in The November Man with a sense of sophistication and confidence, and he proves himself as a good action hero once again by delivering strong punches in the well-choreographed fight scenes and grasping his gun without problem. For my first Pierce Brosnan film, I'll admit that he put up a pretty good case so it certainly was not a wasteful experience as a whole. For the record, I can certainly see him working in The Expendables 4.

Olga Kurylenko also does a fine job. Although she is stuck with an archetype character, she doesn't become annoying in the role. Instead, she finds ways to play it really legitimately so that she embraces the intense nature of the world around her to convey a sense of stress that comes with being in such a threatening situation. She makes her character more intelligent than the archetype would limit her to being most of the time, and she delivers her lines in a manner that has her really engaged with the character which is enjoyable. She is a genial presence in The November Man.

Luke Bracey also does a nice job. Despite also being stuck with a plain character, Luke Bracey manages to cleverly walk the line between being a hero and being a villain due to the way his character is manipulated throughout the story. He constantly changes his approach to the material and manages to work it into his character well, gripping the role with a sense of real tension and physical involvement which he doesn't drop out of. Luke Bracey does a good job in The November Man, and he shares a real sense of tension with his fellow cast members.

But despite the returning efforts of Pierce Brosnan and some well-choreographed action scenes, The November Man is a by the numbers spy film which ignores the potential brought on by Roger Donaldson's stylish directorial work and drives the entire feature through a generic plot which goes through almost every cliche in the book which gives it little to set itself apart from every other generic spy film available to the market.