The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

Director:

John McTiernan

Writers (WGA):

Alan Trustman (story)
Leslie Dixon (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

6 August 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

How do you get the man who has everything?

Plot:

A very rich and successful playboy amuses himself by stealing artwork, but may have met his match in a seductive detective.

Plot Keywords:

Trust | Painting | Art | Museum | Billionaire

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Pierce Brosnan	...	Thomas Crown
Rene Russo	...	Catherine Banning
Denis Leary	...	Michael McCann
Ben Gazzara	...	Andrew Wallace
Frankie Faison	...	Detective Paretti
Fritz Weaver	...	John Reynolds
Charles Keating	...	Friedrich Golchan
Mark Margolis	...	Heinrich Knutzhorn
Faye Dunaway	...	The Psychiatrist
Michael Lombard	...	Bobby McKinley
Bill Ambrozy	...	Proctor
Michael Bahr	...	Proctor (as Michael S. Bahr)
Robert D. Novak	...	Proctor (as Robert Novak)
Joe H. Lamb	...	Proctor (as Joe Lamb)
James Saito	...	Paul Cheng

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality and language.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Polish | English | German | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Netherlands:MG6 | Iceland:L | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Denmark:7 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | South Africa:PG | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Brazil:16 | Australia:MA (2009 DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:18 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG (original rating) (cut) | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

18 East 68th Street, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

United Artists

Trivia:

When Thomas Crown is signing the sale contract in the boardroom, it can clearly be seen from the movement of the pen that he is signing "pierce" and not "thomas".

Goofs:

Continuity: During the glider scenes, there's one point where Crown motions for Banning to look to her left but both actors seem to turn their heads to their right. Actually, because of the size constraints of the cockpit, all the interior shots were filmed using a mirror with the camera mounted at an angle. Since the camera sees a mirror image, the actors look to their left out of natural instinct, but appear to look to their right.

Quotes:

The Psychiatrist: I want you to talk about women.
[waits for a few moments]
The Psychiatrist: Mr. Crown?
Thomas Crown: I'm sorry?
The Psychiatrist: Women. You get to talk about women.
Thomas Crown: Oh, I enjoy women.
The Psychiatrist: Enjoyment isn't intimacy.
Thomas Crown: And intimacy isn't necesarily enjoyment.
The Psychiatrist: How would you know? Has it occured to you that you have a problem with trust?
Thomas Crown: [smirking] I trust myself implicitly.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Psych: Extradition: British Columbia (#4.1)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

EVERYTHING IS NEVER QUITE ENOUGH

Emotional Chess . . . updated

Firstly, it's not a cookie-cutter remake of the original staring Mr. McQueen and Ms. Dunaway - so no comparison required.

You might say Brosnan was typecast by Bond, and the idea of a suave player getting one over on yet another woman might be the obvious outcome, but not this time! Instead we're treated to a sophisticated game of cops and robbers, played out in this stylish and seductive entertainment. Mr. Brosnan (Thomas) is at the top of his game and may be involved in something illegal. Ms. Russo (Catherine) is called in to investigate, claiming an office and sharing confidences with the local police department looking for clues. Catherine epitomises sophistication with hair, makeup and fashions styled to perfection. She's an understatement of success; a woman playing a man's game, bounty-hunting life and sex on her own terms and 'enjoying the chase'.

Once Catherine is on the trail of Thomas Crown you'll join her in a hedonistic game of one-upmanship. She's done this kind of work before and must stay on her toes if she's going to implicate the wealthy Thomas Crown. The local cops and cultured community believe Mr. Crown to be beyond reproach; an untouchable pillar of wealth and good taste.

These two characters exist in their luxurious world through strange circumstance and have made it their own through hard work and some bluffing. The movie provides glimpses into their lifestyles, and at the same time, keeps them both just outside what you'd expect from a wealthy businessman and a woman working for an insurance company.

Supporting character Mr. Leary makes a cynical, yet caring detective attempting to save face by nabbing Thomas Crown - however it's quite obvious in a city the size of New York that a bored millionaire looking for thrills by staging a theft is not his priority. Mr. Leary is guilty of a bit of cussing and jaded police behaviour, but ya 'gotta hope he's still on the force.

The story races from one clue to the next, and we glimpse a world where time means nothing, and money is just, well, not an issue. The film really sets the tone for the lush life with ultra-posh, elegant sets, millionaire-hobbies and exotic locations. The soundtrack is perfect, giving the entire movie an upmarket, worldly feel that befits a modern romance.

This is really a love story for anyone who imagines being whisked away from the mundane into places that you've only read or heard about in glossy magazines. It's a film for any person out there who'd like to have the freedom to do what they want and damn the consequences. Well, either that or have enough money to do anything, then disappear.

There is some hot on-screen chemistry between Thomas and Catherine, making the love scenes, coupled with the sexy music and breathtaking backgrounds, erotic. They have a healthy appetite for each other so the love scenes in his apartment and 'island retreat' are the 'stuff that dreams are made of.'

Yes, there are little snafus, such as a painting being folded in a manner that would permanently ruin it, and the usual gaffes that serious film-goers will pick over - but heck, it's just a movie and a love story - let yourself go and imagine you're a woman who's just crashed a black tie event in a dress making every man in the room salivate, or that you're the man she's heading for on the dance floor - then have fun with it . . .

In the end, for all their cunning, Thomas and Catherine must decide if they can trust each other, just like most men and women must do in any love story. What you may find hard to decide though, is who to root for, and who really wins the game of cat and mouse at the end of this movie.