“The November Man” has Pierce Brosnan returning to his spy-thriller roots, though not exactly with the same kind of charisma he brought to James Bond. Instead, we’re treated to a competently made yet cliché-ridden film that, frankly, no one will remember in November.
Brosnan stars as Peter Devereaux, a retired CIA agent who returns to the field when he’s assigned to protect a witness (former Bond girl Olga Kurylenko) from a dangerous organization. Along the way, he also faces competition in the form of his ex-protégé (Luke Bracey).
Like I said, the movie recycles just about every single cliché in the “Movie Cliché’s for Dummies” book: Brosnan loses someone he loves and swears revenge; certain individuals are not who they claim to be; the witness uses seduction to take the terrorist down, etc.
You’re not going to see a lot in “The November Man” that you haven’t seen in a lot of other spy movies, including Bond and the Bourne series. Plus, the routine of one retired spy duking it out with younger spies and defeating them in hand-to-hand combat can be seen coming from a mile away.
“The November Man” is made with style and skill, but the fact that the script is loaded with overused scenarios is its undoing. The cast is effective and Brosnan still has the moves, but this film kind of feels like a recycled episode of the Fox program “24.”
Did I mention it’ll be a surprise if anyone remembers this movie by November?

Grade: C-plus
Rated R for strong violence including a sexual assault, language, sexuality/nudity and brief drug use.
Hall is a syndicated columnist in South Georgia.