The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) - Movie Review

Pierce Brosnan is a suave, British, and elusive man... Sound familiar? Well, he's not James Bond, and in fact, he does not even carry a gun in The Thomas Crown Affair, an intriguing and complicated thriller based on the Steve McQueen 1968 original.

The previews are deceiving. The movie is not as action packed as the previews make it seem; in fact, the movie relies on the opening and closing sequences, neither of which can be considered action. Still, there is nothing cooler than complicated robbery scenes, and The Thomas Crown Affair is about robberies.

Pierce Brosnan is definitely smooth as the title character, which leaves Rene Russo. Compared to Catherine Zeta-Jones in Entrapment, she definitely looks much older. And is. However, that makes the movie seem more realistic. Russo delivers quite a bit of nudity (a lot of it unneeded), and there is something about her that does not click as a sex symbol. Nevertheless, she does a much better overall job than Zeta-Jones.

I love the opening robbery sequence. The climax is great as well. Is The Thomas Crown Affair better than Entrapment? In a way, yes. Entrapment is more action packed, more like a Bond movie (both movies have a James Bond actor as the star), but The Thomas Crown Affair is smarter and more thought out. Both are entertaining, but if you want a realistic and intelligent film, go for this one.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.