He may not be 007 and have a license to kill
, but it is great to have Pierce Brosnan back on the screen in a spy thriller that shows what might happen if James Bond got over his Peter Pan complex and grew up.
In “The November Man,” Brosnan plays Peter Deverarux, a highly trained and extremely lethal former CIA operative, who is much more cynical and hard-edged than Bond.
Deveraux, aka The November Man — so named because once he starts killing no one is left alive and it’s like winter, is drawn out of retirement in Switzerland for a personal mission that goes wrong.
As the bullets fly and the cars blow up, Deveraux is drawn into a conspiracy involving a
Russian politician (Lazar Ristovski), who is hoping to be the next ruler of Russia. To prevent this, Deveraux must protect a valuable witness, Alice Fournier, (Olga Kurylenko) who could expose the truth behind a decades-old conspiracy. He soon discovers this assignment makes him a target of his former friend and CIA protégé David Mason (Luke Bracey). With growing suspicions of a mole in the agency, there is no one Devereaux can trust, no rules and no holds barred.
Before “The November Man” opens in theaters, Brosnan revealed why he needed to do at least one more spy movie, what it was like working with his co-stars, why he loves movies, and more.
Why add another spy character to your resume?
After my four outings as James Bond, there seemed to be unfinished business in the way that Bond finished in my life. So [producer] Beau [St. Clair] came to me with the idea. She and I have made numerous films, “Thomas Crown” and “The Matador,” so we had a good friendship and understanding of each other’s lives.
Bond was so big and mighty in my career. It is the gift that just keeps giving. I wouldn’t be here today talking about “The November Man” if it hadn’t been for James Bond. So there was a desire, want and need to make this film.
I love the title. It has a sensuality and a mystique to it, and the writing of Bill Granger had a complexity of character and a punch and a grit to it which gave me the opportunity to really take the gloves off, be hard as nails and be vigilant in my moral values as a character. So there was a complexity there which was seductive and enticing.
This is a character that looks like he’s had a lot of his humanity chipped away by the job and yet there are moments you really do get to show us that he still has them. Can you talk about the complexity of the role?
Well, he’s a highly trained individual. He’s a sassy operative. He’s a cultured badass. He’s a man who has a life all of his own and he’s someone who has been manipulated by his seniors. He’s a man who has found a peace in his life and we started the story there with this man kind of in semi-retirement so to speak.
The character of Devereaux, written by Bill Granger, just appealed to me because of his humanity, because of his workman like attitude to the profession that he’s in and there’s fractures in his psyche. Yet he’s extremely brutal and savage in his execution of what has to be done. He’s a working man. He’s a working operative. There’s no bells or whistles or gadgets. He lives a very simple life with his daughter. I thought it was a great springboard to launch this man onto the stage.
What was it like to have Olga, who has already done a Bond movie, as your leading lady?
There was a sweet irony in it all because Olga had been with Daniel [Craig] in the Bond movie. So that’s the joy of making a film like this. But it was Olga’s work, it was her talent and beauty and vulnerability and it just made sense and it felt good.
This film came together as a beautiful company with Will Patton and Lou Bracey. Luke Bracey cannot be here today because he’s held to his contract at his other job, but we formed a company that had good hearts and everyone brought their A-game to the table. Everybody was in on the joy of entering back onto the stage. Me, as a spy in this magnificent country of Serbia, Belgrade, making a movie and everyone was passionate about making the movie.
What was it like fighting with Luke, who is several years your junior? 
It’s tough, boy. That’s for sure. Lots of Epsom salts and a martini at the end of the day. Luckily no bruises, no cuts, no bones broken. Mark Mottram was my stunt double on James Bond. He and I saved the world a couple of times and he’s a mighty man, so he was our stunt coordinator. Mark Mottram doubled me in Bond and he brought over a bunch of lads from London, who are great car guys and bike men and they really worked on this extensively.
Can you talk about why you relate to this role and James Bond?
I love movies. I adore movies. I grew up on Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood, Spencer Tracy and Warren Beatty. The list goes on. I wanted to be in movies as an innocent romantic lad of maybe 11, or 12, or 13 with not much in the back pocket but some dreams. Then I became an actor and I found that I was good at it and it made me happy. It made me happy to make people happy, so it’s kind of as simple as that really in the genre of the hero and James Bond. I saw the first James Bond in 1964, as a lad, and it was bedazzling, beguiling. I never thought, never dreamt that I was going to be such a character, but you become an actor. A man becomes what he dreams, so to speak.
“The November Man,” with a screenplay by Michael Finch & Karl Gajdusek based on Bill Grangers novel There are No Spies, and directed by Roger Donaldson, opens in theaters on Wednesday, August 27.
The post Interview with Pierce Brosnan, Back in the Spy Game as ‘The November Man’ also appeared on PCM Reviews.