The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

REVIEW
A straightforward, no-frills remake of the 1968 Steve McQueen-Faye Dunaway thriller, this adequate update abandons style for slickness and substitutes lukewarm in place of cool. Brosnan stars as the thrill-seeking, art-thief billionaire who becomes involved with the insurance investigator (Russo) on his trail. There's little sexual tension between the two stars (only one of the factors which makes the first film so involving), though individually each is admirable. Though the outcome is never in doubt, the ending manages to be rather suspenseful; it's just that before this, neither Brosnan, Russo or director McTiernan really makes you care a whole helluva lot about what happens to anyone. Dunaway turns up as Russo's psychiatrist -- a reminder of a more glorious past.