The Thomas Crown Affair

Not what I expected. I expected a movie centered around Steve McQueen pulling off a heist. But actually it's a movie where the (brief) heist occurs early and the rest of the movie is about an insurance investigator played by Faye Dunaway trying to snare McQueen. The leaps of logic that allow Dunaway to get on McQueen's trail strain credulity even more than the implausible heist. The plot leaks like a sieve but the flashy direction and charismatic performances by the leads keeps you interested. McQueen and Dunaway definitely had chemistry. Hard to believe that terrible theme song won an Oscar. It's a good film so give it a shot, especially if you're a fan of "the king of cool" Steve McQueen.

The Thomas Crowne Affair is a joy. It's a smooth, smart crime thriller and romance. Norman Jewison does a great job by having Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway underplaying and by having a script that's very light on dialogue. Those two choices allow the focus to be on close-ups, facial movements, and silence, which communicate beautifully the mystery, the enigma, at the heart of Thomas Crowne and also allow Faye Dunaway to evolve her character credibly, to fall in love, all the while doing her job and being increasingly, and deeply, conflicted. Dunaway and McQueen are a great couple. Jewison also did a great job of using, and not over-using, the split screen technique which was new and trendy at the time. That allowed him to communicate lots of the story in very short, silent bursts, and keep a cool 60s vibe at the same time. And the famous music was just right. Great stuff.

Having just revisited this one for what seems like 10 years (oh wait, it is about ten years), the first thing that chips away at me is the overkilling of gimmicks and a need to be art for arts sake. It's such a shame because the sexual tension of the two leads coupled with a deft story should have made for a 60s masterpiece, but sadly I think Norman Jewison (Director) must have gotten carried away like a kid in a sweet shop with the tools available to him in that burgeoning part of the decade.

The use of split screens works at the start but come the end of the film one feels like they have been hit over the head with it to the point of nausea. It also takes a third of the film before Faye Dunaway's Vicky Anderson shows up, which is fine if the film was actually another 30 minutes longer, yet the film isn't any longer and so we get a forced hour of blossoming love and passion and it leaves little room for fleshing out of the characters in relation to the crime heartbeat of the film.

There is still much to enjoy here, tho, the story is very impressive and it's one that intrigues all the way to the splendid finale. McQueen & Dunaway sizzle on the screen, none more so than during a chess sequence that had me hot under the collar. Some memorable scenes such as our couple in a sand buggy disturbing flocks of birds, and the scenes in Boston are just delightful, but ultimately the film goes down as style over substance exercise, a big chance wasted, which to a McQueen fan such as myself is infuriating in the extreme. 6.5/10

Some movies rely on the chemistry of their lead co-stars in order to engage their audience, hoping that the thrill of watching two sexy movie-stars romancing and eventually getting it on with each other will provide sufficient escapism to make the reality lurking outside seem a world away. It's difficult to think of a film as reliant on the raw sex appeal of its superstars than Norman Jewison's 1968 heist thriller The Thomas Crown Affair, and Steve McQueen, as the titular millionaire playboy, and Faye Dunaway, as the sultry insurance investigator hot on his tail, positively sizzle with chemistry. In fact, they are so gorgeous that they manage to turn a game of chess into a playful game of seduction. The duo have certainly given much better performances during their careers, but they have never looked so good.

This pretty much sums up The Thomas Crown Affair: a polished, colourful star vehicle with an unashamedly glossy veneer. At the very centre of the story is a bank heist gone right, masterminded by the rather smug Thomas Crown (McQueen) after he handpicks his crew without ever letting them see his face. The thieves escape with over 2 million dollars, and nobody, including the rather clueless Detective Eddy Malone (Paul Burke), has any idea who it was. Enter Vicki Anderson (Dunaway), a no-nonsense independent woman with a love of the finer things in life. She quickly figures out that Crown was behind it all, but remains puzzled at why a man with everything would want to steal money he doesn't need. Of course, it's all a game, and the couple start their own game of cat-and-mouse as they embark on a steam affair.

Taking inspiration from the Expo 67 film A Place to Stand, which greatly impressed McQueen, Jewison employs 'multi-dynamic image technique', splitting the screen into sections with each part showing a different viewpoint. It gives the film a unique style, especially during the opening heist, and when combined with 60s kitsch, everything is wonderful to look at. While the visuals still impress, the characters are somewhat dated. He's the rich, philandering charmer, and she is bowled over by his fast-living and expensive possessions. It makes it all the more difficult to warm to a character I would detest in real life, but McQueen has more than enough charisma to pull through. There are never any real stakes, but it's pretty fun while it lasts, just a little hollow at its centre. The Pierce Brosnan/Rene Russo remake from 1999 makes for a more satisfying ride.

This is a very stylish and cerebral film that's meant to stimulate your mind rather than your senses: it isn't fast-paced, there are no explosions or big "special effects", and it doesn't have a formulaic happy ending. But it will keep you guessing (and thinking)... that's what makes it so good.