The Thomas Crown Affair

The Thomas Crown Affair
a kate west favorite






Top action Director John McTiernan remade the 1968 Norman Jewison film, (originally starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway), with Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo in 1999. Suavely directed, suave Thomas Crown (Brosnan) suavely steals famous pieces of art straight from museums (unlike the bank robbing original character) and suavely romances Insurance Investigator Catherine Banning (Russo). Dennis Leary is the not so suave Detective in charge of catching billionaire Crown who obviously doesn't need to steal; he just does it for the fun of it. Banning is completely captivated by Crown, matching his style and witticism, stride for stride.

Brosnan and Russo are great together and how the movie compares to its predecessor is almost irrelevant, as it stands fully on its own in style. Sure it has flaws (unfortunate weak ending as well as a few minor plot "surprises"), but it is so smoothly directed, that it's entertainment value is well worth it. Plus, sultry singer Nina Simone provides a great rendition of "Sinnerman" in a cleverly executed and deftly choreographed final museum scene in which the dapper Thomas Crown eludes capture. Oh, and an added bonus: featured paintings by Monet, Renoir and Magritte. Scrumptious.

Directed by
John McTiernan

Produced by
Michael Tadross
Pierce Brosnan
Beau St. Clair

Written by
Alan Trustman
Leslie Dixon
Kurt Wimmer

Starring
Pierce Brosnan (Thomas Crown)
Rene Russo (Catherine Banning)
Denis Leary (Michael McCann)
Faye Dunaway (Psychiatrist)
Fritz Weaver (John Reynolds)
Frankie Faison (Detective Paretti)
Ben Gazzara (Andrew Wallace)
Mark Margolis (Heinrich Knutzhorn)
Esther Cañadas (Anna Knutzhorn)

Music by
Bill Conti

Cinematography by
Tom Priestly

DVD:
The Thomas Crown Affair

Soundtrack:
The Thomas Crown Affair: Music From The MGM Motion Picture

Classic Steve McQueen:
The Steve McQueen Collection (The Great Escape / Junior Bonner / The Magnificent Seven / The Thomas Crown Affair)