One of my favorite crime thrillers of all time, Pierce Brosnan achieved his non-OO7 best in 1999's THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR.
Oozing James Bond charm, Brosnan turned in his license to kill to play billionaire Thomas Crown. Making multi-million dollar deals ten time an hour, Crown is bored with his luxurious life and looking for thrills.
He finds them by stealing famous, priceless works of art at the finest New York museums.
The opening scenes detail a clever heist while setting up both of Crown's foes for the film.
Rene Russo (Tin Cup) is superb as insurance investigator Catherine Banning. Smart, clever and sexy as hell, Catherine proves the perfect match for Crown.
She doesn't hide the fact she thinks he's the prime suspect and how Crown plays with that fact drives a surprising and hugely enjoyable film.
Denis Leary (Rescue Me) brings big laughs as NYC Detective Michael McCann. He's hot on Crown's trail, but can't keep up with Banning's hands-on approach.
It's beautifully shot, capturing Manhattan, Crown's lifestyle, museums and fall in New York in great style.
James Newton Howard (Signs, The Prince of Tides) wraps everything in a terrific music score, accented by multiple songs, including a cover of "The Windmills of Your Mind" by Sting.
Windmills was featured heavily in the original 1968 version of the film starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway.
Dunaway has an enjoyable role here as Crown's psychiatrist, peppering him with insight into what drives him and the danger of meeting your match.
Brosnan and Russo are perfect together and their relationship is impossible, but one you'll invest in. When you're on opposite sides of the law, how do you meet in the middle? What if you find the middle moving and growing increasingly complicated by falling in love?
Is it real? Is it all part of a plan?
This is a great, adult thriller, with an exciting final half hour detailing Crown's complicated final crime before he hangs it up.
If you're going to go out in style, I defy you to do it with more class than Crown.
THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR is rich in laughs, suspense and mystery. It gets an A+.
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