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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Salesrank: 2467
Released: January 4, 2000 |
| Our Price: $4.94 |
| Used Price: $1.00 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Thrill-seeking billionaire Thomas Crown (Brosnan) loves nothing more than courting disasterand winning! So when his world becomes too stiflingly safe, he pulls off his boldest stunt ever: stealing a priceless paintingin broad daylightfrom one of Manhattan's most heavily guarded museums. But his post-heist excitement soon pales beside an even greater challenge: Catherine Banning (Russo). A beautiful insurance investigator hired to retrieve the artwork, Catherine's every bit as intelligent, cunning and hungry for adventure as he is. And just when Thomas realizes he's finally met his match, she skillfully leads him into a daring game of cat and mouse that's more intoxicating and dangerous than anything either of them has ever experienced before!
Description of The Thomas Crown Affair:
For the Hollywood remake rule, which dictates that an update of an older film be inferior to the original in almost every aspect, The Thomas Crown Affair stands as a glorious exception. The original 1968 film, starring a dapper Steve McQueen and a radiant Faye Dunaway, was a diverting pop confection of mod clothes and nifty break-ins, but not much more. John McTiernan's new version, though, cranks up the entertainment factor to mach speed, turning what was a languid flick into a high-adrenaline caper romance. Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) is now a man of industry who likes to indulge in a little high-priced art theft on the side; Catherine Banning (Rene Russo) is the insurance investigator determined to get on his tail in more ways than one. If you're thinking cat-and-mouse game, think again--it's more like cat vs. smarter cat, as both the thief and the investigator try to outwit each other and nothing is off-limits, especially after they start a highly charged love affair that's a heated mix of business and pleasure.
What makes this Thomas Crown more enjoyable than its predecesor is McTiernan's attention to detail in both the set action pieces (no surprise from the man who helmed Die Hard with precision accuracy) and the developing romance, the witty and intelligent script by Leslie Dixon (she wrote the love scenes) and Kurt Wimmer (he wrote the action scenes), and, most of all, its two stunning leads (both over 40 to boot), combustible both in and out of bed. Brosnan, usually held prisoner in the James Bond straitjacket, lets loose with both a relaxed sensuality and a comic spirit he's rarely expressed before. The film, however, pretty much belongs to Russo, who doesn't just steal the spotlight, but bends it to her will. Beautiful, stylish, smart, self-possessed, incredibly sexy, she's practically a walking icon; it's no wonder Crown falls for her hook, line, and sinker. With Denis Leary as a police detective smitten with Russo, and Faye Dunaway in a throwaway but wholly enjoyable cameo as Brosnan's therapist. --Mark Englehart
The Thomas Crown Affair Reviews:
DVD surprise! 
2009-11-09 - I ordered the DVD "The Thomas Crown Affair", the new version, as a gift. It was delivered in 2 days in perfect condition. It was a great gift and a super surprise! The recipient said "Didn't I just say something about this movie yesterday? Wow!" Thanks, Amazon. You're the best!
Mary from Oregon ordering from Texas for my friend from Brazil
They Have Us Rooting For The Crooks Again! 
2009-05-28 - I found this to be a pretty solid re-make of the Steve McQueen-Faye Dunaway film of the early '70s. Actually, a lot of people thought this version was a lot more interesting and entertaining.
This '99 re-make was more of a thinking man's crime movie that one normally sees these days in which violence and profanity are way overdone so many times. However, this movie is far from "family entertainment, " not with Rene Russo baring her breasts a few times, just to give one example.
Here's too, another case of the film world making the criminals the good guy and the police as someone to root against. Neither of the two leads has an ounce of integrity....but we are manipulated into rooting for them.
For nostalgia buffs, the let Dunaway play a small role in here, as a psychiatrist.
Fantasy Love Nonsense 
2009-05-25 - Slick, stylish remake of 1968 film which had Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway in lead roles. This time we have Irish actor Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo in a formula love story similar in many aspects to James Bond movies from the late 90s, which coincidentally starred Pierce Brosnan.
If you want a safe, entertaining movie to watch with a girfriend or wife then this fits the bill. Don't be deceived by the art-heist caper as it is simply a hook to connect billionaire Wall Street crook Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) with insurance investigator Catherine Banning (Rene Russo). Females love Rene because she is not a stunning, hot-body and provides subliminal hope to all average looking girls.
In reality this is just an old-fashioned Hollywood love story in which rich playboy falls for poor, working girl. He dazzles her with expensive restaurants, jewelry and trips. She pretends to play hard-to-get but in the end succumbs to his money and lifestyle. Story ends with them embracing and kissing.
In spite of slick production and excellent direction by John McTiernan, the script by Leslie Dixon and Kurt Wimmer has glaring problems. Leslie wrote the love scenes and Kurt the action sequences. Approximately 12 minutes into the film and two days after the heist of a $100 million Claude Monet painting from a New York City musuem, insurance investigator Rene Russo while guzzling a can of Pepsi One in a New York Police Department precinct office has a mind-boggling revelation: billionaire Wall Street financier Thomas Crown is the thief. She rushes to a computer terminal and with four keystrokes generates a report about all top bidders at worldwide auctions during the previous five years for Claude Monet paintings. Voila, Thomas Crown is consistently among the top bidders.
Then with nothing more than the auction report and her feminine intuition, Rene confronts Pierce. And, so begins the cat-and-mouse romance. Rene has a dossier about Pierce and Pierce a dossier about Rene. She is from a poor family in Lima, Ohio and has clawed her way into the world of high-paid of insurance investigators with a gig for some rich Swiss. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
After dancing the tango, he asks if she "wants to dance or wants to dance?" They rush to his luxurious Brownstone in the upper 60s (streets) off Park Avenue in Manhattan and fornicate on the stairs leading to his bedroom and then again on a desk in his home office. Rene or her body double shows bare breasts.
Shortly thereafter, they fly a glider plane and then fly by private jet to the Caribbean island of Martinique for a romantic tryst.
Of course, he has fallen in love with her and to seal the relationship promises to return the stolen painting. But, she cannot forsake her alleged ideals and commitment to her employer, so she tips the New York Police Department about his plan to return the painting to the museum during the day, just before her planned elopement with Pierce. However, Pierce assumes such and brazenly outwits the NYPD by mysteriously infiltrating dozens of similarly dressed men into the museum. NYPD detectives are reduced to bumbling idiots and Rene is happy. As she sneaks away to rendezvous with Pierce, the chief detective tells her to say hello to Pierce.
Rene rushes to meet Pierce at the East River heliport in Manhattan but Pierce is not there as promised. Rene proceeds to JFK airport and boards a United Airlines flight to London. After the plane departs she begins crying. A man in the seat behind her offers a hankerchief. Yes, it is Pierce. Somehow, he either followed her or knew she would flee to London. Somehow he knew she would fly United Airlines rather the more popular British Airways, Virgin Air or American Airlines. Somehow he managed to obtain the seat behind her. And, somehow he managed to board without her noticing.
End of story as they embrace and kiss and she promises to break both his arms if he ever pulls another similar stunt. Most females in the audience will have tears in their eyes. All I can think is that I write free reviews and two writers got paid $1 million for writing trite cliches.
This film premiered during 1999 with a mild box-office opening of $14.6 million in the USA. Eventually after two years it generated worldwide box-office revenues of $124 million. However, it was far overshadowed by the World Is Not Enough, the James Bond film starring Pierce, which opened in the USA during early November 1999 with an initial weekend gross of $35 million and then went on to become the then biggest-grossing James Bond film with worldwide theatrical revenue of $362 million.
Pierce began playing James Bond in Goldeneye which was released during 1995. He was the fifth actor playing Bond and replaced Timothy Dutton. You can see much of the James Bond films in the Thomas Crown Affair, especially since Pierce also produced the Thomas Crown film.
However, as with the first Thomas Crown Affair film, it is superficial like a stunning, mindless blonde bimbo or male model. Beneath the surface are the usual cliches giving hope to all poor girls dreaming of escape from poverty by marrying a rich man and living happily after. Such nonsense is being perpetuated by alleged music cable channel VH1 which for the 2009-2010 season is offering psuedo-reality show "Megan Wants To Marry A Millionaire." I wonder if Megan is going to fornicate on second dates like Rene and Pierce?
Pierce since 1999 has been trying to produce Thomas Crown Affair 2 and during 2009 said that if it did not go into production during 2009 that it would probably never happen. After ten years, I suspect that few people care. And, apparently the Thomas Crown Affair with Pierce and Rene is no longer a hot commodity considering the low price on Amazon for used DVDs in very good condition. That says more than all the glowing reviews by Pierce and Rene fans.
By the way, I formerly worked for a very rich man who had a world class art collection and regularly bought at worldwide auctions. He never attended such and never bought in his name which is standard practice for the ultra-rich. First and foremost he did not want rivals to know he was pursuing any artwork and secondly for security and insurance, he did not want public records of his acquisitions.
So, Rene's supernatural revelation and miraculous, instantaneous worldwide auction report is nothing but nonsense and Hollywood fantasy which also is this film's foundation. If nonsense and fantasy are your desire then this will fulfill.
The Thomas Crown Affair
2009-05-19 - One of the best chick flicks ever!! I watch it over and over. Rene Russo rocks. Pierce Brosnan much better than as James Bond.
windmills in your mind.
2009-04-11 - the thomas crown affair stands as one of those cinematic moments where the re-make truly builds on the cultural foundation of the original film so much so that the newer film -- starring rene russo and pierce brosnan -- crystalizes the original intent far better than the film on which its based. while the great steve mcqueen and faye dunaway could have done no better, the raw sexuality of the second film matched with the even more over-the-top antics of the affluent make the second film soar. the first features a bank robbery, the second an art heist -- you almost have to have money to even understand the crime in the second film. the first film introduces faye in a scandalous mini-dress, the second throws rene onto the scene in tailored perfection, legs for days, and a fur.
while the plots do diverge in many ways, it's interesting to see what society would allow of a woman in the late sixties and how much further that got pushed forward by the late nineties. if only the studios saw the wisdom in creating these "two packs" so audiences could decide for themselves. a treat for fans of the old and the new.
