Pierce Brosnan Starred In A Forgotten 'Anti-James Bond' Style Spy Thriller

There's a specific generation of people who were born at just the right time to come of age in that exact period when Irish acting royalty Pierce Brosnan had his turn to be the world's smoothest Secret Service agent. His James Bond phase spanned four movies in seven years, long enough that then-young millennials had the chance to become a fan of the likely least favorite actor who slipped into the immaculate suits of the 007 spy. After the critically panned "Die Another Day" in 2002, however, Brosnan was done and out of the franchise as well as the genre, and it took him more than a decade to return to it in a vastly different and unglamorous role.

We're talking about Roger Donaldson's "The November Man," a 2014 by-the-numbers espionage thriller that pretty much came and went without much fanfare. Based on Bill Granger's 1986 novel "There Are No Spies," the adaptation follows Peter Deveraux (Brosnan), a retired CIA agent, who becomes involved in the spy game again when Natalia Ulanova (Mediha Musilovic), the aide of Russian President-elect Arkady Fedorov (Lazar Ristovski), steals old photos from his safe that reveal and prove he committed war crimes as a former army general. Naturally, the plot thickens when she asks the CIA to help her escape, which Deveraux does, and after handing over the photos and further information about Fedorov and the Federal Security Service of Russia, she gets killed. Then, Deveraux finds himself in a web of lies, conspiracies, and corruption that he decides to investigate and solve, deploying his own bloody and merciless methods as the feared November Man.

"The November Man" and its protagonist were virtually an antithesis to everything James Bond stood for. The film gave Brosnan an opportunity to try his hand at a lean-and-mean killer spy closer to the world of "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and old-school '90s action-thrillers (like "The Jackal") than the inherent coolness and suave charm associated with the iconic 007. Unfortunately, the endeavor wound up nothing more than a largely forgettable and outdated action film that went out of fashion a long time ago for a reason. Unable to showcase anything more than tired and eye-roll-inducing clichés, standard brutality, and an uninspired story, "The November Man" was quickly ripped apart by critics upon release (currently holding a 36% score on Rotten Tomatoes alongside a 46% audience rating).

Yet its old-timey approach and somber tone did grant some appeal for moviegoers since the feature's box office performance was far superior to its miserable critical reception. Against its relatively low $15 million budget, "The November Man" grossed a quite decent $39 million and change worldwide, performing much better than it had any right to. It seems Brosnan's machismo and immortal charisma — alongside a few notable names like Will Patton, Olga Kurylenko, and Bill Smitrovich — were still a potent enough draw for old-school boomer dads out there. Cause truth be told, "The November Man" has Dad Movie written all over it. But if you're a millennial who preferred Brosnan as the archetypal Bond three decades ago, you're probably better off skipping this espionage B-movie and not tarnishing the immaculate image you have of him as another, much more enticing spy.