The November man is the latest version of an espionage thriller. This version supposedly speaks to the cause of the Chechen war.

A retired spy is asked to step back into action to save an active operative. Ironically, the operative he’s in the process of saving is killed by the new young recruit he trained. The operative he’s attempting to save is also the mother of his child. Trainer and protege thereafter pursue each other to the death… as ordered.

Story: There’s nothing new about this story. In fact, the central purpose of this story seems to be a secondary fact… or becomes anti-climactic by the time they’ve killed as many bad guys as possible. This is not about the writing – it’s about the action.

Performances: Pierce Brosnan as retired agent Peter Devereaux is his usual perfect self as a spy. He’s clever, he’s precise and ultimately, he ends up being vulnerable. Luke Bracey as his protege, David Mason, seems a bit out of place, but, he manages to be sufficient in the role. He seems more suited for a daytime or nighttime drama.

None of the other performances were at all notable…

But, like the story, this film is not about the performances either, though the performances are more significant than the story…

Visual: This story is about the action and the stunts and the locations. It’s an espionage thriller with all of the usual suspects. It’s set in Europe – narrow streets and little cafes. There are car chase scenes with lots of crashes. AND, lots of people get shot and we get to see the blood and splatter. The special effects in this film are spot-on…

Rating: The November Man gets a B-. If you love spy thrillers, this one will be just what you need until the next one. The fact that this particular story hinges on the deaths of thousands of people and started a war should not have been so… ambiguous, but, it is. If you focus on the action, you will walk away with a good impression.

See The November Man if you have nothing else to see and need your spy thriller fix…