The "ass kicking comeback film" is officially a genre, and its latest entry is upon us. Following in the footsteps of Liam Neeson and Kevin Costner before him, Pierce Brosnan is ready to try his hand at the magic formula that seems to work better in some cases than in others. Will The November Man be Taken to heart by audiences, or will it have 3 Days To Kill? Horrible puns aside, these sorts of films can go either way with the public, and it's hard to tell just which ones will work and which ones will flop. Looking at the first trailer for the film, I'd say we're in for another successful round of Irish rage.
Fandango debuted the trailer for The November Man, which also stars Olga Kurylenko, and it shows us a former spy coming back in for that mythical "one last job" that sets him against a "former student" who's gone rogue. This all sounds a bit vaguely familiar, especially with Pierce Brosnan at the head of the picture. After all, we're going on twenty years since he first faced a similar mission during his first outing as James Bond in Goldeneye. This time out though, Brosnan isn't as cavalier about his work, showing the more deadly serious side to his career. And let's not forget that Olga Kurylenko is a former Bond girl, having played the female lead in Quantum of Solace.
Much like the mid-budget action flicks that have cropped up in the spaces between tentpole seasons, The November Man looks like it's going to take itself with the minimum degree of seriousness to be a stand up drama, but also have enough action in it to please people who just want to see things blow up. And Pierce Brosnan looks like he's right back at home, with every shot, every threat, and every step. It's a quick and clean teaser late in the game, but it's enough that if we don't get any other looks at the film after this point, it wouldn't be that hard of a sell.
I have my fingers crossed that The November Man will not only bring back Pierce Brosnan's action film career, but it'll also help the Thomas Crown sequel FINALLY move into production. Brosnan's career has been lying low for a while, with notable entries here and there actually making it to the box office. Much like Liam Neeson, personal tragedy sadly befell his life as his daughter passed away due to cancer last year. Also like Neeson, however, it looks like part of his reason for working are more theraputic than simply for a paycheck. Either way, it's good to see the guy who deserves more credit for his time as James Bond come back to the fray. After all, it's not like he was playing Roger Moore's Bond.
The November Man arrives earlier than his name suggests, coming to theaters on August 27th.
