The Thomas Crown Affair

Rating:
Summary: I thought it was an AWESOME Movie!
Review: I sat down to watch this movie and was literally enthralled with the Cat Vs Cat in the movie! I thought it was a very up-to-date story line, sexy, smart and funny all at the same time! I haven't watched the first one, and after this one, I don't care to. The reality is, that we rarely get to watch a really SMART movie, that makes the audience really try to figure out who is playing who!

I enjoyed all aspects of the movie, and buy only movies that I want to watch over and over. Needless to say, this is in my collection on VHS. I couldn't find it for some reason a while ago, and went and got another copy! Now I'm onto buying a DVD for this, because they just last longer.

I expect to be able to enjoy this movie for years to come, and each time I watch it, I catch some detail I had missed before.

Kudos to John McTiernan, Pierce Brosnan and Renee Russo ~ Cast and Crew! Thanks for a great, enjoyable, don't know how it's going to end movie, with lots of surprises, twists and turns!

I loved it!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: Don't know whether the intention of the story was to highlight Rene Russo's breasts or to make you like an obvious criminal. The movie was totally disjointed and difficult to follow. You have an intricate plan to rob an art museum at the beginning that was nothing but a ruse so Bronson could heist a painting that we are never sure whether he wanted in the first place. He seems to like to live life on the edge and is more concerned with the challenge of doing something (betting $100,000 on a virtually impossible golf shot) than the actual result.

At the start Russo is shown as a sexy super sleuth that seems to have everything figured out from the minimum of clues. I was totally in the dark as to what she actually was (an insurance investigator perhaps?). I found her annoying more than sexy throughout the movie. Overall I was very disappointed with this film.



Rating:
Summary: Great soundtrack, Fabulous Cinematography, Fast-Paced Plot
Review: In this 1999 remake, Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) is revamped as a highly successful businessman who takes great personal risk to get his kicks: art theft. The initial theft scene is high-tech and beautifully executed: Romanian men saw their way out of the belly of a Trojan Horse delivered to the museum. As they nearly pull off a succesful heist, Thomas Crown trips one of the suspects. In all the excitement, a Monet goes missing from the Impressionist wing--into Crown's briefcase.

Catherine Banning (Rene Russo) enters the picture to assist the police in investigating the theft. Banning is a "bounty hunter" of sorts for the insurance agency: she tries to recover the missing art for a percentage of what would be a hundred million dollar payout from the insurance agency. She frustrates the police when she uses her own resources and sexuality to find the painting in possession of Thomas Crown. The lead detective, Michael McCann (Denis Leary), is enthralled with her, but seems to realize that this wealthy American turned European semi-socialite is out of his league. He helps Banning back on her feet when she feels betrayed by Crown's increasingly secretive actions as they--two self-centered high acheivers--fall for each other and make tentative plans to run away.

Attention to detail makes this film more than an urbane action flick. The lead actors turn in impressive performances, especially Russo. And, Faye Dunaway makes an appearance worthy of more screen time as Crown's therapist. Additionally, the film uses the excitement of the theft and subsequent investigation to build on Banning's and Crown's chemistry. Plus, the soundtrack is unique, but still contributes rather than takes away from the mood and action. (Unless you watch it several times and start to think, "Hey, I really like this soundtrack!"). The cinematography has a similar effect, whether its the wider angle shots of Crown and Banning on a glider flight or Carribean vacation, or the tighter, shifting scenes of Crown making mergers and acquisitions, both legal and illegal. Plus, it's nice to have an action film that not only has a story, but doesn't have cheesy special effects that become dated so quickly (think Mission Impossible--now dated vs. the Fugitive (Harrison Ford)--good stunt acting never looks fake).

This is a DVD that I've really been glad that I purchased, rather than rented. It makes a great date DVD--men like the action and Russo, women like the romance and Brosnan. The beautiful locations, the actors, the soundtrack, and the shooting make this one of those movies that you'll enjoy watching over the years.

Rating:
Summary: " an elegant crime done by an elegant person
Review: What do you do when you got to the top and discovered that there is nothing there... The shrill of the rising is gone- the same deals accumulating more and more wealth over and over again. How many boats do you have to wreck to feel alive? You go to the shrink to find out what is wrong with you, what is missing when you seem to have everything. How the old saying goes..."it is the journey that counts.." You are bored and unattached and the idea of stealing a priceless Monet seems to provide enough adrenaline to sustain for a while your thirst for adventure..
As Catherine Banning defined .." this is an elegant crime committed by an elegant person". I can't imagine why I didn't like this movie when it was first released in 1999. But it set somewhere in my subconsciousness to rewatch it some day. I am so glad that I did. The movie is elegant and witty, leaving you with a sense of casual luxury and the music is hauntingly beautiful. I never realized how handsome Brosnan is although I have seen many of his James Bond movies. Rene Russo is wonderful in her role. It is one of very rare movies that you want to never end.


Rating:
Summary: The re-emergence of John McTiernan...hopefully.
Review: After a forgettable debut film also starring Pierce Brosnan, "Nomads" 1986, director John McTiernan had an incredibly successful trifecta of blockbuster films: "Predator" 1987, "Die Hard" 1988, and "The Hunt for Red October" 1990. The films that followed were duds by comparison: "Medicine Man" 1992, "The Last Action Hero" 1993, "Die Hard: With a Vengeance" 1995, "The 13th Warrior" 1999, and a remake of the James Caan film "Rollerball" 2002. In the middle of these films, and released the same year as "The 13th Warrior" was a remake of a classic called "The Thomas Crown Affair." Say what you will about the original, there is no denying that it now looks incredibly dated. This newer version is sleak and sexy. After so many mediocre films, it seemed that John McTiernan had officially lost his inspiration. With this version of "The Thomas Crown Affair" he found it again, with particularly large amounts of kudos handed out to cinematographer Tom Priestly who keeps the camera moving left and right, back and forth at different speeds and angles mixed in with tracking shots that keep the movie accelerating constantly forward even at the most relaxed moments in the film. The script is surprisingly intelligent with a refreshing liason between two attractive middle-aged actors who are both believable in their characters, sharing some phenomenal chemistry besides as actors. There was a time when I thought John McTiernan was the most under-appreciated director working in Hollywood. This film reminded me that at one time he had both talent and inspiration. Hopefully, he becomes equally inspired more often in the future. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Brosnan plays a museum painting thief.
Review: As of this writing, Pierce Brosnan may not play "James Bond" again, so if you are going through withdraws or just want to get over Brosnan as "Bond" and see him play a bad guy, you can see this remake movie of the 1968 film, "The Thomas Crown Affair". Brosnan is not "James Bond" in this one (but the moves are still there), but he is very clever at stealing valuable paintings from the local museum. He never gets caught and can walk out with out suspicion, so he thinks. He meets Rene Russo. He tells her to pick any painting in the museum. He steals that too. He also can transfer assets illegally.

Rating:
Summary: I'm a sucker for romance and intrigue (shhh)
Review: I am such an avid movie watcher that I rarely feel inclined to watch a movie more than once. Well, let me admit to not only having bought the DVD, but to having watched it numerous times!

I love the sound track of the movie and will be doing my own remake--going Duo Discus glider riding with my significant other ;).

The love scene is wonderful, the chemistry between the actors works like an MIT Lab experiment and the whole movie is simply spot on.

I recommend it highly!

Rating:
Summary: Russo At Her Best!
Review: I won't go into the plot of this movie, most buyers will already know it anyway. The DVD transfer is superb. This is the only movie I've ever seen where I liked Pierce Brosnan and thought he was cast properly. What makes this movie for me, though, is the performance of Ms. Russo. She is the perfect combination of sex and brains. Her wardrobe is amazing and she knows how to wear it! There are some slow parts to this movie, particularly the tropical part, but overall it's a keeper.

Rating:
Summary: The Two Crowns
Review: I have been a huge fan of the original Thomas Crown Affair since I first saw it while in the military in 1969..... and bought this "re-make" because I heard so many good things about it. I must say that honestly there are good points in BOTH films. I never quite bought the fact that the original Crown had McQueen's character robbing a bank.... so stealing the "Monet" made much more sense to me. I also thought the story was improved upon in the new version and I was more satisfied by the challenge Bronsnan's character found in Russo's bluntness. On the other hand, the sumptuous music score by Michel LeGrand in the early film was superior to the weak, lackluster and frangmented score that Bill Conti created for the new one. I also think I preferred the sensuous and sexy elegance of the fire between McQueen and Dunaway to the overtly sweaty lust that Brosnan and Russo desparately share. HOWEVER.... I must say I did enjoy BOTH films and find each beautiful and entertaining in their own ways.

(...) The ART of the earlier version is a unique and compelling one and makes that film so fascinating to watch in widescreen!

Rating:
Summary: ABSOLUTELY SUPERB!
Review: This is a movie of surprise and surprise again. Every time you think you have it figured out, you are fooled by a beautiful twist right until the last scene of the movie. But the real treat, is the action between Brosnan and Russo. She is sexuality personified . . . and focused on Crown with a purpose. Brosnan (Crown) becomes intriqued by her determination and falls for her and begins to play her game. The action between the two crackles and sparkles.
It is a great movie. Much better than the orginal (can't say that very often) and writing and camera work is excellent. This is a movie to own and see over and over again.