The November Man

The November Man
File:The November Man poster.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Roger Donaldson
Produced by	Beau St. Clair Pierce Brosnan Sriram Das Grant Cramer
Screenplay by	Michael Finch Karl Gajdusek
Based on	There Are No Spies by Bill Granger
Starring	Pierce Brosnan Luke Bracey Olga Kurylenko Eliza Taylor Caterina Scorsone Bill Smitrovich Will Patton Mediha Musliović Amila Terzimehic
Music by	Marco Beltrami
Cinematography	Romain Lacourbas
Edited by	John Gilbert
Production company	Irish DreamTime SPD Films]] Envision Entertainment
Distributed by	Relativity Media
Release dates	August 27, 2014 (2014-08-27)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$15 million
Box office	$34.8 million

The November Man is a 2014 American action spy thriller film based on the novel There Are No Spies by Bill Granger, which is canonically the seventh installment in The November Man novel series, published in 1987. It stars Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey, and Olga Kurylenko with the screenplay written by Michael Finch and Karl Gajdusek. The film is directed by Roger Donaldson, who previously worked with Brosnan in Dante's Peak. Beau St. Clair, who co-founded Irish DreamTime productions with Brosnan in 1996, once again teams up with Brosnan to co-produce the film.

Plot

Veteran CIA officer Peter Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan) supervises a young operative David Mason (Luke Bracey), and chides him for becoming intimate with a local woman. Relationships can be used against an agent, he says, laying out a scenario forcing an agent to choose between the job and someone they love. Subsequently, during a protective mission for a US Ambassador in Montenegro, Devereaux impersonates the ambassador in a public square, drawing the fire of an assassin. Mason disobeys Devereaux's orders to not fire, shooting the assassin and kills a child.

Five years later, Devereaux is retired in Lausanne, Switzerland, operating a lakeside cafe. His former boss, John Hanley (Bill Smitrovich), unexpectedly shows up and convinces him to extract Natalia Ulanova (Mediha Musliović), the aide of Russian presidential candidate and former Army General Arkady Fedorov. Hanley says Natalia requested only Peter's help in the extraction. Natalia breaks into Fedorov's safe and copies old photos depicting a disheveled young girl with a younger Fedorov. She contacts the CIA extraction team, but fails to re-lock the safe. Fedorov alerts the FSB, who pursue Natalia through the streets of Moscow until Peter rescues her. Natalia is surprised to see Peter and gives him a name, Mira Filipova, which Peter relays to Hanley.

The CIA team, co-ordinated by Hanley, is unaware that Peter has rescued Natalia. CIA station chief, Perry Weinstein (Will Patton), gives the order to kill Natalia, overruling Hanley's objections. Mason shoots Natalia from a rooftop. A dying Natalia hands Peter her phone containing the copied photos.

As the CIA team leaves the multi-story car park, Peter kills the driver and the occupants one by one until he faces Mason at gunpoint. Equally surprised by each other's presence, Mason and Devereaux walk away.

Weinstein debriefs Mason on why he did not shoot, and reveals Devereaux and Natalia were a couple. Langley targets Devereaux to be killed and Hanley forcibly detained for interrogation, kidnapped at his house.

Meanwhile, New York Times reporter Edgar Simpson tracks down refugee case worker Alice Fournier (Olga Kurylenko) and requests her assistance to write an exposé of Fedorov's alleged war crimes during the 2nd Chechen War. An assassin, Alexa, arrives in Belgrade, where a contact notifies her that Alice will meet Edgar in a restaurant.

Peter also arrives in Belgrade and heads to Hanley's house, and overpowers the two analysts combing through Hanley's hard drives. He discovers that Alice is Mira's only known contact and impersonates one of the captured analysts to get a location on Alice's phone.

He visits the cafe and rescues Alice from both Alexa and Mason's CIA team. Alice says that Mira pretended to be mute to Fedorov, who sexually abused her during the war. Mira actually spoke Russian and overheard Fedorov's conversations, including the 'false flag' conspiracy to bomb a Russian Army building to initiate war and seizure of Chechen oil fields. A former Fedorov associate, Denisov, confirms the conspiracy and says the CIA actually bombed the building.

Weinstein goads Mason by revealing Devereaux recommended he be dropped from the agency due to his impulsiveness. Devereaux and Alice have broken into the apartment across the street from Mason's residence to observe him. Mason dates his next door neighbor Sarah (Eliza Taylor), and they become intimate. Devereaux sends away Alice with cash and disposable cell phones ordering her to go where no one can find her. Devereaux breaks into Mason's apartment, holds Sarah hostage, and tests Mason's character by laying out a scenario where an agent is forced to choose between killing an enemy (Devereux) or saving a woman he loves who has had her femoral artery cut. Devereux cuts Sarah's leg and leaves. Mason chooses to save Sarah, instead of pursuing Peter.

Fedorov arrives in Belgrade for an energy conference. Alice meets Edgar at his apartment where Alexa ambushes them and kills Edgar, but Alice escapes. Peter infiltrates the CIA site (a container yard) where Hanley is being held and confronts him about the CIA's involvement with Fedorov in Chechnya. Hanley claims Weinstein aided Fedorov and reveals that Alice Fournier is actually Mira Filipova. Mason also discovers the real Alice Fournier died years ago and Mira stole her identity.

Mira/Alice, disguised as a prostitute, goes to Fedorov's hotel. We learn through flashbacks that her family was murdered in front of her by Federov and she was horribly abused. She calls Peter to inform him of her intention to confront Federov, and passes through the bodyguards.

Approving of the gift of a prostitute, Federov waits while Mira/Alice freshens up in the bathroom. Here she silently breaks a mirror and wraps the duct tape around a shard to form a crude knife. She surprises Federov but is unable to kill him. As he overpowers her, Peter ascends the stairs in the Hotel, shoots the bodyguards, and saves her. Instead of fleeing, Devereaux interrogates Federov, demanding to know the name of the CIA operative involved in the False Flag operation - Federov, filmed by Mira's phone, admits it was Hanley. Surprised, Devereaux produces a photo as Mira confirms the bald Hanley was the CIA operative.

Mason arrives at the hotel but Peter and Mira escape after Peter knocks out Mason and leaves him Fedorov's recorded confession. However, when Mason and Celia present the evidence against Hanley, Langley has replaced Weinstein with Hanley.

Peter and Mira rest in a hotel where Mira thanks Peter for coming back to save her. As they prepare to leave, Devereaux calls his daughter - and Hanley answers the phone, having kidnapped his daughter Lucy. Peter convinces Mira to go to a train station and wait for him. There, she goes to a public computer to write her story regarding Fedorov, crediting Edgar with the story.

Peter meets with Hanley and Mason, giving false information she will be waiting at a bus station. Mason is tasked to go and kill / collect Mira - but not before Peter is able to call his daughter on a CIA mobile for "proof of life".

Alexa tracks Mira's credit card to the station, but is killed pursuing Mira.

After dispatching Mason, Hanley reveals his intention to blackmail Federov after he becomes the Russian president with his involvement in the false flag attacks, forcing Russia to join NATO. This would effectively eliminate competition to 'U.S. hegemony', uniting the western nations and the former Eastern Bloc to prepare for what Hanley believes to be "the next up-coming war with the Middle-East".

However, Celia, Mason's CIA partner, traces the phone call to the kidnappers' location where Mason rescues Lucy. Mason returns to Hanley with Peter. Together they kill Hanley's men and subdue Hanley. Peter thanks Mason and escapes with his daughter to the train station, uniting with Mira, who has transmitted her story to the New York Times.

Later, Mira testifies at the International Criminal Court about Fedorov's war crimes and the conspiracy, sabotaging Fedorov's campaign. He is later shot in the head by an unknown sniper while relaxing on his yacht.

Cast

• Pierce Brosnan as Peter H. Devereaux ("The November Man")
• Luke Bracey as David Mason
• Olga Kurylenko as Alice Fournier/Mira Filipova
• Eliza Taylor as Sarah
• Caterina Scorsone as Celia
• Bill Smitrovich as John Hanley
• Will Patton as Perry Weinstein
• Amila Terzimehić as Alexa
• Lazar Ristovski as Arkady Fedorov
• Mediha Musliović as Natalia Ulanova
• Akie Kotabe as Meyers
• Patrick Kennedy as Edgar Simpson
• Dragan Marinković as Semion Denisov
• Ben Willens as Agent Jones

Production

Development

When Pierce Brosnan was retired from playing the role of James Bond in 2005, it was reported that along with his business partner, Beau St. Clair, through their Irish DreamTime production company, he would be producing a down-to-earth spy thriller based on Bill Granger's book series, called The November Man, focusing on one particular novel in the series titled There Are No Spies, with shooting scheduled to begin in 2006. The project, however, ended up either being cancelled or was put on hold in 2007, as there was no news or any sign of an action coming out of that direction. Still, Brosnan decided to keep the screen rights to the novel, which would permit him to produce the film adaptation of the book.

Pre-production

Eventually, in 2012, it was reported that Brosnan had the project resurrected and was put back on the trail with Dominic Cooper reportedly joining the production shortly after its announcement. In April 2013, whilst promoting his then-latest romantic comedy, Love Is All You Need, Brosnan told the media: "I am about to go off to Serbia and do my own spy movie. Finally I have the director I want in Roger Donaldson and we’re gonna do a piece called November Man so I shall jump back into that arena".

Casting

Brosnan revealed that Olga Kurylenko, who had a leading role in Quantum of Solace and the recent Oblivion, would co-star alongside him, commenting "I think there’s another room on the stage for another spy! Daniel [Craig] can’t have it all to himself. My co-star is a lovely actress called Olga Kurylenko, who seems to be going through leading men like hot dinners. She started with Daniel Craig and she’s gonna end up with Brosnan! She’s a gorgeous actress, beautiful woman. She’s in and it’s the older spy, younger spy". A month later, it was announced that shooting on the film would begin on 20 May 2013, with Luke Bracey and Bill Smitrovich joining the cast. Dominic Cooper, however, left the project to star in Need For Speed, and was replaced with Bracey in the role of the main character's protege. In June 2013, it was reported that Will Patton and Caterina Scorsone joined the cast, the former will be playing an old-school senior CIA operative while the latter is being described as "ambitious up-and-comer".

Filming

Fortress of Herceg Novi, Montenegro

Principal photography began on May 20, 2013 in Belgrade, with Brosnan, Bracey, and many other supporting actors seen on site, but nothing particularly came out of the regular photographers and journalists, because it was moved away from public eye, and the sets were closed down for filming, guarded by tight security against all unauthorized personnel. In the original novel, Berlin was the main setting, but Brosnan stated that the production couldn't afford shooting there. Meanwhile, the second unit production team shot additional scenes in Montenegro locations posing as Switzerland. Olga Kurylenko joined the filming on June 2, 2013, and Brosnan was seen engaging in a firefight performance between goons during an action sequence. In late July 2013, cameras finally rolled off, as shooting on the film was completed. In September 2013, the film entered in post-production status.

Music

On December 3, 2013, it was announced that Marco Beltrami would be composing the soundtrack for the film. "I wanted to create a taut score incorporating a guitar theme with a slightly Eastern European meets Western motif befitting an action thriller about international espionage," said Beltrami. A soundtrack album was released by Varèse Sarabande on September 9, 2014.

Other songs featured in the film include:

• "Die This Way" by Storm Large
• "Keep It Up" by Makao
• "Gnossienne No. 3" by Erik Satie
• "Ticking Bomb" by Aloe Blacc

Release

The film was released on August 27, 2014. On June 6, 2014, the first trailer for the film was released worldwide. The seventh novel in the original book series, There Are No Spies, was republished as The November Man to promote the release. The film was released on Blu-ray on November 25, 2014.

Box office

The November Man grossed $25 million in North America and $7.5 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $32.6 million, against a budget of $15 million.

In its opening weekend the film grossed $7.9 million, finishing in 6th place at the box office.

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 35 percent, based on 120 reviews, with an average rating of 4.6 out of 10. The site's consensus reads: "The November Man has a few of the ingredients necessary for a better-than-average spy thriller, making it all the more disappointing that it falls back on dull genre clichés." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 38 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

Bilge Ebiri of Vulture wrote, "Brosnan, who was a better James Bond than he often gets credit for, doesn’t like to smile much, but he still brings a weary likability to a grim part, just enough to keep us invested as the movie trots through its gauntlet of familiar twists and double-crosses."

Sequel

On June 12, 2014, it was revealed that Sriram Das' production company, Das Films, have commissioned a sequel to the film. On August 20, while on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Brosnan officially announced that a sequel is in progress, and Relativity Media will soon be entering pre-production.

External links

• Official website
• The November Man at IMDb
• The November Man's channel on YouTube
• The November Man at Box Office Mojo
• The November Man at the Internet Movie Firearms Database