The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) - 8 stars out of 10

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) - 8 stars out of 10

“The Thomas Crown Affair” is a great heist movie.  This remake delivers energy, suspense and an ending that will blow your mind.  Pierce Brosnan plays the rich playboy to perfection.  He is so smooth that he could have probably told the cops that it was him and they would’ve just left him alone.  I was particularly impressed with Denis Leary.  I don’t typically associate him with great acting, but his character came to life and he developed good chemistry with Rene Russo.  It was really awesome of them to include Faye Dunaway in a cameo, since the original “Thomas Crown Affair” was one of her career-defining roles.  One strength of this remake is the stress that is put on the heist, making it much more interesting than the long-winded love story that dominates the original.  Still, the love drags the story down a bit in this version, particularly the 3-minute sex scene featuring Pierce Brosnan’s butt.  I'm just glad that they don't play chess in this version!  The cinematography enhances the wonder of Brosnan whisking Russo off to the exotic destinations and it is easy to see how this case becomes a conflict of interest.  Brosnan’s posterior is redeemed by the riveting ending that is so genius that I don’t dare spoil it!  The art gallery robbery and investigation are great and you’ll have no idea how the story could possibly be resolved until the very end.  “The Thomas Crown Affair” is not a film that you will want to miss and if you have to choose between the original and the remake, you now have your answer.