Thriller Is Elegant...But Slow

by Jason R. Hewlett

Few people can play suave like Pierce Brosnan can. He seems just naturally good at being smug, proper, and ultra cool. He's perfectly suited to the lead character in John "Die Hard" McTiernan's new movie "The Thomas Crown Affair." In the film he plays a self-made millionaire who gets bored with the world of high finance and decides to steal a very pricey Monet painting.

Enter Catherine Banning, played by the always reliable Rene Russo. She too is pretty suave and smug and is determined to prove that Thomas Crown is the man behind the robbery. The two begin a psychological, and highly erotic, game of cat and mouse over the painting.

The film is more reluctant romance than caper film and is high on style and elegance. The film moves through the world of high society and art galleries, only slumming when it deals with the police involved in apprehending Thomas Crown. The head of the investigation is played by Denis Leary who is always good. He adds humor and an everyman quality that the film needs.

I had a hard time holding my total interest through "The Thomas Crown Affair." It isn't exactly boring but it moves at a snails pace and features very little in the way of any real suspense, which is disappointing considering McTiernan is a master of the suspense genre. I guess I went into the film hoping for a gripping caper film but if you want to see one of those I'd recommend "Entrapment."

Still, I liked the look of the film and the cast so this isn't a total disappointment. It's very good work that needs a kick of adrenlin..or a new ad campaign.

5.5 out of 10!