IMDb > The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
The Thomas Crown Affair
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The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) More at IMDbPro »

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The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) -- A very rich and successful playboy amuses himself by stealing artwork, but may have met his match in a seductive detective.
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
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Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   35,159 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Director:
John McTiernan
Writers (WGA):
Alan Trustman (story)
Leslie Dixon (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for The Thomas Crown Affair on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 August 1999 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller more
Tagline:
How do you get the man who has everything? more
Plot:
A very rich and successful playboy amuses himself by stealing artwork, but may have met his match in a seductive detective. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
3 wins & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(75 articles)
MGM Heading For Auction
 (From FilmShaft.com. 12 November 2009, 12:35 PM, PST)
Bradley Cooper Enters the "Dark Fields"
 (From Reel Empire. 8 November 2009, 1:16 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Stylish with charm and allure, but does inhabit several flaws. *** out of ****. more (387 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Pierce Brosnan ... Thomas Crown

Rene Russo ... Catherine Banning

Denis Leary ... Michael McCann

Ben Gazzara ... Andrew Wallace
Frankie Faison ... Detective Paretti
Fritz Weaver ... John Reynolds
Charles Keating ... Friedrich Golchan

Mark Margolis ... Heinrich Knutzhorn

Faye Dunaway ... The Psychiatrist
Michael Lombard ... Bobby McKinley
Bill Ambrozy ... Proctor
Michael Bahr ... Proctor (as Michael S. Bahr)
Robert D. Novak ... Proctor (as Robert Novak)
Joe H. Lamb ... Proctor (as Joe Lamb)

James Saito ... Paul Cheng
more
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for some sexuality and language.
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
113 min
Country:
USA
Language:
Polish | English | German | French
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Certification:
Netherlands:MG6 | Iceland:L | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Denmark:7 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | South Africa:PG | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Brazil:16 | Australia:MA (2009 DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:18 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG (original rating) (cut) | Philippines:PG-13
Filming Locations:
18 East 68th Street, New York City, New York, USA more
Company:
United Artists more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The painting that is seen several times in the film depicting a man in a suit with an apple covering his face is "Son of Man," by René Magritte. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The titanium structure in Crown's briefcase would only hold the door if it were oriented vertically, instead of horizontally as shown. more
Quotes:
Thomas Crown: Do you want to dance? Or do you want to DANCE? more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Tracey Fragments (2007) more
Soundtrack:
UFO GET-GO more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
8 out of 17 people found the following comment useful.
Stylish with charm and allure, but does inhabit several flaws. *** out of ****., 13 March 2000
7/10
Author: Blake French (dlfspartan@aol.com) from USA

THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR / (1999) ***

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, Denis Leary, Frankie Faison, Fritz Weaver, and Faye Dunaway Directed by John McTiernan. Written by Leslie Dixon and Kurt Wimmer. Running time: 113 minutes. Rated R (for sexuality, nudity, and some language).

"The Thomas Crown Affair" is a production of clever writing and sly, unconventional twists, with a sneaky and lightweight plot. It begins on a positive note through style, high stakes and crucial events, and concludes with some of the same kind of material. The only flaws in the production are a lot of flat dialogue, a slow moving, non-progressive second act, and unnecessary scenes that only distract us from the true theme of action. If not for these problems, we would have had one heck of a mystery thriller that may have played with our minds like a curious cat with a spool of string.

The movie begins with a rich sense of visual action and enticement. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the setting, where a filthy rich individual named Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) burglarizes the building of a Monet worth over one hundred million dollars. Within this first rate setup, the producers grant us several twists and turns, unexpected occurrences, but little character development.

The official assigned to this complicated case is Michael McCann (Denis Leary), who teams up with an insurance investigator named Catherine Banning (Rene Russo). When Catherine meets Thomas at a banquette, her skepticism arises about this man, who has nearly everything money can accommodate.

However, Crown has devised a foul proof heist with the Monet, and it will be very difficult for anyone to prove he committed the crime. Although conviction is not her main goal, she attempts to seduce her way inside the Crown mansion to examine the artifacts there, and possibly convince the thief to return the painting so that her company doesn't have to write an enormous check.

Crown and Banning become closer. She becomes more suspicious. He teases her with clues and temptations along their cat and mouse chase. Eventually, he takes her to his resort in the tropics where they exchange outcomes and gather information about each other. Complications ensue when she suspects Tom to have another mistress, and she reluctantly becomes overly involved in his status, and is forced to choose between the life of an insurance investigator or Thomas Crown's partner.

A lot of the second act includes wasted time through scene after scene consisting of cat and mouse-like material. These wondering sequences do develop chemistry, but really do not move the story forward. There are also segments that clarify Thomas Crown's motives, treating us like slowwitted dummies, through intercut visits with an unclassified psychiatrist (Faye Dunaway). Naturally, these demonstrations are meaningless, and contribute nothing to the story.

The casting is perfect, eminently with Pierce Brosnan as the title character, who performs with elegance and style. He presents his character with firm knowledge of the script and scenarios. Rene Russo is also devilishly clever, handling her role with glamorous style, and charming intimacy. Surprisingly overlooked here is Denis Leary's character. He doesn't induce much intrigue here because he is a puppet of the plot.

"The Thomas Crown Affair" may embody style and allure, but much of the dialogue is flat. Many of the conversations only restate what is already obvious, thus obtain in a dreary, dual fashion. Although, aside from the unsuccessful soundtrack, I did enjoy a lot of the movie's éclat, it did have somewhat of a smarty pants tone throughout. It is almost if the film thinks it is better than it actually is.

The film is directed by John McTiernan, whose most famous credits include "Medicine Man" (1992), "The Hunt for Red October" (1990), "Last Action Hero" (1993), two of the Die Hard films, and the more recent "The 13th Warrior." Coming from a mostly belligerent individual, I was expecting something more action packed with Crown. Instead we receive more romantic chemistry than action, and more intellect than injury. Whereas "The Thomas Crown Affair" is not a remarkable movie, I even struggle to recommend it, I still enjoyed enough of the overall presentation to call it "good." Actually, if the sex was handled with more discrepancy, "The Thomas Crown Affair" could possibly pass as the next James Bond installment.

Brought to you by MGM Productions.

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