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All the clichés in 'November'

Roger Donaldson makes efficient hack work of a script adapted from a book by Bill Granger, stringing together every cliché, trope and cherished chestnut from the canon of Thrillers 101 for "The November Man" (R, Fox, $30-$40). Ex-CIA agent Pierce Brosnan's attempts at a sexy scowl makes him look tetchy or mildly peeved, depending on how many explosions he's dodging. He is pulled back into service by his old mates and winds up in the middle of a shadowy conspiracy involving a sleazy Russian politician and some dubious doings in Chechnya. His ally in this shifting landscape of loyalties is a statuesque social worker (Olga Kurylenko). Contains violence, including sexual assault, and profanity, nudity and drug use.

WASHINGTON POST