The November Man - an explosive spy-thriller

Packed with on-the-edge-of-your-seat action sequences and loaded with mystery and human drama, this exciting film offers first-rate entertainment from Australian-born Roger Donaldson (The Bank Job, No Way Out, Thirteen Days). Pierce Brosnan is fantastic as Peter Devereaux, better known as 'The November Man', an extremely dangerous and highly trained ex-CIA agent, who is lured out of quiet retirement on a very personal mission, with great support from super-sexy young Australian actor Luke Bracey as David Mason, his friend and daredevil protégé.

The teaming of Brosnan, who has had plenty of experience in the espionage world, with Bracey, an up-and-coming young star, is electrifying and gives the film an incredible emotional depth, exploring the relationship between two men from different eras.

For Brosnan, who made his mark on audiences playing the ultimate fantasy spy - the suave and sophisticated James Bond in four 007 films: "The spy genre is a great one, it's been good to me. It's a genre that is much loved and, when you get it right, it's a great night at the cinema."

A spy for our times

But what was wanted now was more contemporary, a spy for our times, a man working in the real world and taking on recognisably current issues all while being tracked by his protégé.

In The November Man, Devereaux must protect valuable witness, Alice Fournier, (Olga Kurylenko) who could expose the truth behind a decades-old conspiracy, but soon discovers this assignment makes him a target of Mason.

With growing suspicions of a mole in the agency, there is no one Devereaux can trust, no rules and no holds barred.

The screenplay is by Michael Finch and Karl Gajdusek, based on Bill Granger's novel There Are No Spies. Written from the late-1970s onwards, the 13 books in the series offered a strong, complex and intriguing central protagonist in Peter Devereaux - a man operating within nail-bitingly realistic scenarios of the time and surrounded by characters who, by turn, present the best and worst of human nature in a world of international power broking, deception, trade off and self-interest. What's more the Cold War backdrop of Granger's books could convincingly be updated to reflect the current global political climate.

Screenwriters Finch and Gajdusek (individually co-writers of Predators and Oblivion) started with a considerable amount of research and development. Not only did they read all 13 of Granger's books to get into the heads of the key characters, but they also looked at the political realities of the 1980s, when the author was writing the book, to compare and then update to where we are today in an exciting way.

Gajdusek says: "The whole point of adapting the story for the screen was to give image and voice to the rich characters that Granger created. In Devereaux, it was about staying true to Granger, and in Mason we found the vehicle to update for the times."

We needed to bring the story into the present

As the original book series was based around the Cold War and the history of that time, Finch and Gajdusek felt an update was necessary. "We needed to bring the story into the present, which meant finding geography and politics that resonated with the current geopolitical world. The story that we used as the heart for our script is a present-day story, but it calls back in plot and revelations to the era of the Cold War and some of the terrible seeds that were planted then," says Finch.

While based around their current times, spy films of movies' past have been based in the fantastic: impossible gadgets, cars that can drive into the water, and time bombs with digital clocks.

The November Man is a real spy film that is long overdue. It is gritty, it is real, and it tackles issues that are relevant in our day and age. It places the audiences into the life of an actual spy and tracks as he must outsmart and outmanoeuvre his targets.

"I think it's extremely relevant. The world we live in congealed now with secrets and politicians, and they're jockeying for power on the global stage - the geopolitical situation is very volatile," says Brosnan.

Edge-of-your-seat action

The film has no shortage of edge-of-your-seat action, so both the stunt and the SFX team were kept busy on set. Award-winning stunt coordinator Mark Mottram, who worked with Pierce on three of the Bond films, also served as his stunt double. He had a core team of four, which included two additional stunt doubles, a stunt rigger, and a stunt utility bike and car specialist.

Some scenes were so elaborate that 30 Serbian and Russian stuntmen joined the British team, particularly for car chases that required real precision driving through the often-narrow streets of Belgrade.

The stunt team also worked with the actors to rehearse and perfect fight scenes, as well as dropping off high balconies and simulating the impact of explosions and gunshots.

Until now, few spy films have delved this far into the deep, gritty and realistic world of international espionage.

As Brosnan says: "People love this genre, especially when it has heart, a sense of human drama and intrigue mixed in with the great violence and storytelling." The action, explosions, and car chases are only some of the many reasons why The November Man is the spy film that audiences have been waiting for.

If you're looking for escapism at its most exciting, make a date with The November Man. You won't regret it and will be glued to you seats until the last captivating moment.

Read more about The November Man and other films opening this week at www.writingstudio.co.za.