The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway made magic in the 1968 version of this great story, and set the bar pretty high for any remakes. There are a few significant differences between that version and the 1999 remake. Other than being in color, and having a far better soundtrack, the 1999 version is much sexier. And, the more recent version is a complex, but very funny, art heist instead of the 1968 bank robbery.

Pierce Brosnan (Mrs. Doubtfire, The Mirror Has Two Faces, and The Matador) is as good, if not better here than in any of his Bond roles. His is smug, his smirk is perfect. He is charming, and he is funny.

Rene Russo (Lethal Weapon series, In the Line of Fire, and Tin Cup) is hot hot hot. I have always like Ms. Russo and I think this is her finest hour, so far. She is both venerable and vulnerable. Her cat and mouse dance with Brosnan is the stuff Hollywood dreams are made of. Who is chasing whom and to what end?

Denis Leary (The Sandlot, The Ref, and currently in TV's Rescue Me) is a very smart but very outsmarted New York cop. Except for his voice-over work in the Ice Age series, this is the last good film work he has turned in. Rescue Me has done just that for him.

Director John McTiernan usually does big budget action pictures like the Die Hard series, Hunt For Red October, and Last Action Hero. He also dabbles well in the sci-fi/fantasy realm with Predator and 13th Warrior. So his version of The Thomas Crown Affair is a major departure, but he plays it smartly without leaning too heavily on the features of his other work.

Watch this movie with plenty of popcorn and your fantasy for living for the high life fully intact.