Amazon.com video review:
For the Hollywood remake rule, which dictates that an update of an older
film be inferior to the original in almost every aspect, The Thomas
Crown Affair stands as a glorious exception. The original 1968 film,
starring a dapper Steve McQueen and a radiant Faye Dunaway, was a diverting
pop confection of mod clothes and nifty break-ins, but not much more. John
McTiernan's new version, though, cranks up the entertainment factor to mach
speed, turning what was a languid flick into a high-adrenaline caper
romance. Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) is now a man of industry who likes
to indulge in a little high-priced art theft on the side; Catherine Banning
(Rene Russo) is the insurance investigator determined to get on his tail in
more ways than one. If you're thinking cat-and-mouse game, think again--it's
more like cat vs. smarter cat, as both the thief and the investigator try
to outwit each other and nothing is off-limits, especially after
they start a highly charged love affair that's a heated mix of business and
pleasure.
What makes this Thomas Crown more enjoyable than its
predecesor is McTiernan's attention to detail in both the set action pieces
(no surprise from the man who helmed Die Hard with precision
accuracy) and the developing romance, the witty and intelligent script by
Leslie Dixon (she wrote the love scenes) and Kurt Wimmer (he wrote the
action scenes), and, most of all, its two stunning leads (both over 40 to
boot), combustible both in and out of bed. Brosnan, usually held prisoner
in the James Bond straitjacket, lets loose with both a relaxed sensuality
and a comic spirit he's rarely expressed before. The film, however, pretty
much belongs to Russo, who doesn't just steal the spotlight, but bends it
to her will. Beautiful, stylish, smart, self-possessed, incredibly sexy,
she's practically a walking icon; it's no wonder Crown falls for her hook,
line, and sinker. With Denis Leary as a
police detective smitten with Russo, and Faye Dunaway in a throwaway but
wholly enjoyable cameo as Brosnan's therapist. --Mark Englehart
