The PIERCE BROSNAN Appreciation thread - Discuss His Life, His Career, His Bond Films

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  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    edited January 2018 Posts: 7,021
    Do I stick with the spoiler tag or just drop it?
    @00Agent I agree Quan was the emotional anchor of the audience. I wasn't referring to his stopping the terrorists, but rather the fact that he could've just sat at home and waited and they would've been caught without his intervention. Of course, they wouldn't have been necessarily killed, but I'm not even sure Quan needed that at the beginning of the story, just the belief, the expectation that they were going to be caught and punished by the law. Or maybe he did need to personally intervene, because as you say, he needed to make up for the fact he had, in his own view, failed his family. At any rate, my question came from the point of view of good storytelling and the idea that the protagonist, at least in certain types of films, should have a significant effect on the outcome of the story. The Foreigner may or may not have needed to conform to that; if it did, then we're looking at a narrative shortcoming. I'd agree that a way of looking at the film is indeed as one of "character studies and gray areas." Perhaps from that perspective, Quan's journey, while ultimately not one that changes the outcome of things, is still legitimate as a reflection, a study on the consequences of war and terrorism on an individual.

    @ClarkDevlin Actually, I don't have a problem with the fact Quan sinks Hennessy at the end. He logically assumed he was a hand in the bombings, which he did, only he didn't intend them to be deadly. Hennessy was still responsible for the deaths to some extent, by agreeing to the idea of bombings, even non-deadly ones. Of course, he obviously also paid for what other people did without his consent, and he also paid because his past couldn't be washed away and thus made him irredeemably guilty in the eyes of someone like Quan. It was a tragic situation for him and I appreciated that quality of the story; it really was a tragedy in every sense.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    bondjames wrote: »
    Perhaps the film is
    an allegory for how Asia views the West? Not purely evil necessarily, but decadent and violent, causing unintended havoc wherever they go. This film did well in Asian markets and I think the narrative, emotional underpinnings & drama are designed to appeal to that audience.

    @bondjames It would be interesting to compare it to the source novel...
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    edited January 2018 Posts: 7,021
    00Agent wrote: »
    mattjoes wrote: »
    I'm not sure whether it's better to discuss The Foreigner here or on the "Last Movie You Watched" thread, but anyway, if I could turn the conversation back to that film for a moment, for those who've seen it, what do you think about the fact
    Jackie Chan's character winds up not really having any significant effect on the outcome of the story? Because if he hadn't done what he did, the police would've still found out the identity of one of the terrorists, traced it back to Hennessy's contact, probably gotten the information out of him and found the other terrorists. What Chan's character does do is sink Hennessy's public image with the cellphone photo...
    (and there's even one strange scene where Brosnan tells everyone, including Jacky, that he changed some keyword and that if the terrorists commit another bombing they will be able to get them, and everyone seems perfectly happy with that solution lol)
    The codename plot element comes from the novel. I was a little surprised by it at first, but I assumed it was both plausible and probably true to life. I actually found the plot rock-solid.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited January 2018 Posts: 23,883
    mattjoes wrote: »
    bondjames wrote: »
    Perhaps the film is
    an allegory for how Asia views the West? Not purely evil necessarily, but decadent and violent, causing unintended havoc wherever they go. This film did well in Asian markets and I think the narrative, emotional underpinnings & drama are designed to appeal to that audience.

    @bondjames It would be interesting to compare it to the source novel...
    I didn't even know there was one @mattjoes. It was just at theory on my part so yes, it would be interesting to determine if there is any underlying resentment or message. Key point is that the folks causing all the mayhem
    are an extremist splinter group.
    In that respect it's very similar to the superior (imho) Patriot Games.
  • edited January 2018 Posts: 12,837
    Agreed, @mattjoes. I didn't really see Hennessy as a villain and I don't know why Chan's character did what he did in the end. That's why the story felt all over the place for me and why I didn't enjoy it at all.

    See I understood why he did what he did at the end.
    Henessy was a fleshed out and weirdly sympathetic character but at the end of the day the deaths were on him just as much as any of the others. Does he really deserve to stay in office just because he didn't mean for so many innocents to be killed? He still organised the bank bombing. He still wanted to scare people and cause chaos to serve himself. Chan's character doing what he did at the end felt about right to me. He genuinely didn't want those people to die, so Chan doesn't kill him, but he wasn't about to let him get away with the part he played either.

    What felt off about the story to me was how exactly Chan figured out Henessy was involved. To me it seems like he just got lucky. He saw a public face on the news and starts taking out his anger on him but he has no evidence does he, apart from unconnected stuff that the apparently reformed Henessy did years ago? How does he know that Henessy is lying when he says he didn't know who was involved?

    I was also a bit confused about
    why Henessy's nephew killed the wife at the end.
    The plot was a bit all over the place for me which is a shame because everything else was great. Pierce and Jackie were brilliant and the little bursts of action were really intense and well done. I think it's the most realistic feeling out of these Taken esque movies by far.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    @thelivingroyale
    Hennessy's nephew took the wife out because she was the one that motivated the rest of the IRA to use lethal force against them as opposed to what Hennessy sanctioned. Hennessy himself let that cheating with the wife slip by and ordered her death because she was a loose end and might even try to resort to worse things.
  • @thelivingroyale
    Hennessy's nephew took the wife out because she was the one that motivated the rest of the IRA to use lethal force against them as opposed to what Hennessy sanctioned. Hennessy himself let that cheating with the wife slip by and ordered her death because she was a loose end and might even try to resort to worse things.

    Ah I see, must have missed that, thanks @ClarkDevlin.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    @thelivingroyale
    Hennessy's nephew took the wife out because she was the one that motivated the rest of the IRA to use lethal force against them as opposed to what Hennessy sanctioned. Hennessy himself let that cheating with the wife slip by and ordered her death because she was a loose end and might even try to resort to worse things.

    Ah I see, must have missed that, thanks @ClarkDevlin.
    You're welcome, mate.
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    What felt off about the story to me was how exactly Chan figured out Henessy was involved. To me it seems like he just got lucky. He saw a public face on the news and starts taking out his anger on him but he has no evidence does he, apart from unconnected stuff that the apparently reformed Henessy did years ago? How does he know that Henessy is lying when he says he didn't know who was involved?
    From the cellphone photo that he used against Hennesy in the end. The Girl that Henessy had Lunch with was one of the terrorists that Chan encountered in the Apartment. Does not necessarily mean he was in bed with them (even though he literally was)
    But he knew those people.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    edited January 2018 Posts: 7,021
    00Agent wrote: »
    What felt off about the story to me was how exactly Chan figured out Henessy was involved. To me it seems like he just got lucky. He saw a public face on the news and starts taking out his anger on him but he has no evidence does he, apart from unconnected stuff that the apparently reformed Henessy did years ago? How does he know that Henessy is lying when he says he didn't know who was involved?
    From the cellphone photo that he used against Hennesy in the end. The Girl that Henessy had Lunch with was one of the terrorists that Chan encountered in the Apartment. Does not necessarily mean he was in bed with them (even though he literally was)
    But he knew those people.
    I think he means how Quan got involved in the beginning. And to answer that, yes, he got lucky, but Hennessy was in fact the best lead he had, given his connections to the IRA. As for how Quan knew Hennessy was lying, maybe he sensed it, or maybe he didn't and just wanted to put the pressure on him to find out those responsible. He was just looking for retribution and peace of mind at whatever the cost. He wasn't a clear-cut hero, after all.
    By the way, did anybody notice how great-looking Hennessy's wife was? First time I've seen the actress in something. Orla Brady. Beautiful woman.
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    edited January 2018 Posts: 5,185
    mattjoes wrote: »
    00Agent wrote: »
    What felt off about the story to me was how exactly Chan figured out Henessy was involved. To me it seems like he just got lucky. He saw a public face on the news and starts taking out his anger on him but he has no evidence does he, apart from unconnected stuff that the apparently reformed Henessy did years ago? How does he know that Henessy is lying when he says he didn't know who was involved?
    From the cellphone photo that he used against Hennesy in the end. The Girl that Henessy had Lunch with was one of the terrorists that Chan encountered in the Apartment. Does not necessarily mean he was in bed with them (even though he literally was)
    But he knew those people.
    I think he means how Quan got involved in the beginning. And to answer that, yes, he got lucky, but Hennessy was in fact the best lead he had, given his connections to the IRA. As for how Quan knew Hennessy was lying, maybe he sensed it, or maybe he didn't and just wanted to put the pressure on him to find out those responsible. He was just looking for retribution and peace of mind at whatever the cost. He wasn't a clear-cut hero, after all.
    Oh i see. Well if you have a public figure that is known ex-IRA it makes perfect sense to question him first. I never doubted his approach. Only after Hennesy repeatedly said that he has no connections, and Chan kept going after him, blowing up his Office etc, you might have said it's maybe too much. But Jacky did give him some line about 'you're all the same' or something,
    meaning once IRA always IRA. And in the end he was not just well connected but also partly responsible. So, good job Jacky.
    By the way, did anybody notice how great-looking Hennessy's wife was? First time I've seen the actress in something. Orla Brady. Beautiful woman.
    I know i was envious of Hennesys nephew when I saw they had an Affair :D.
    Well except for the part where he had to shoot her in the head.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    edited January 2018 Posts: 15,423
    Thought I'd update you, chaps.

    After starring in a lot of B-Movies, with two already in post-production (those being Final Score and Spinning Man), Brosnan has at least three high profile films in pre-production that he will be appearing in.

    H-Block: A film by Jim Sheridan:
    Set during the events of The Maze Prison Escape, thirty-eight prisoners escaped from H-Block - a prison that became a source of propaganda used by the IRA - with only 19 recaptured. The escape was a violent breakout that included hostage taking and ended up being the biggest in both British and Irish history, leaving countless officers injured and murdered.

    Production is scheduled to begin sometime in March later this year, which co-stars Jamie Dornan as one of the prisoners. Cillian Murphy was also set to appear but opted out due to scheduling conflicts with his BBC television series, Peaky Blinders. Brosnan is believed to be portraying the prison warden. Though a high profile film, it is still under the helm of an independent production company, and a distribution deal is yet to occur.

    Across The River and Into The Trees: A film by Martin Campbell:
    Based on a novel by Ernest Hemingway, Brosnan portrays the protagonist, Colonel Cantwell, who reflects on his past while dying of a heart disease, spending time in a duck blind in Trieste. The film was supposed to begin production last September, but financial issues held the project back, according to Martin Campbell. But, it is reported to be back on track as of last October, which Campbell is hopeful to begin working on with Brosnan, soon.

    The Medusa: A film by Peter Webber:
    Set against the backdrop of the early 19th century in France, the film centers on Theodore Gericault, pioneer of the French Romantic movement, who drew inspiration from the sinking of a French frigate to paint his masterpiece "The Raft Of The Medusa". Lost at sea during the reign of King Louis XVIII, the survivors of the wreck told of trouble aboard and cannibalism after the wreck, and the resulting art fired up anti-royalist sentiment.

    Based on the novel, The Wreck of The Medusa, by Jonathan Miles, the film was originally supposed to begin production last autumn, but no report since then was ever made regarding the project. Brosnan will be portraying Caruel, Gericault's bitter uncle and sworn enemy, while Jesse Eisenberg will be playing the painter himself, with Vanessa Redgrave portraying his anti-royalist innkeeper.

    Currently, Brosnan is shooting episodes for the second season of The Son.
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    Thanks for the update @ClarkDevlin i am looking forward to anything this fine Gentleman does.

    By the way, now that The Son is finally completed, i might give it a try, has anyone seen it?
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    You're welcome, @00Agent. Indeed, I have to say he's the only Bond actor whose career I follow and keep myself up to date. :D

    I watched a few episodes of The Son, but left almost bored to death. Definitely not my cup of tea.
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    Posts: 5,185
    You're welcome, @00Agent. Indeed, I have to say he's the only Bond actor whose career I follow and keep myself up to date. :D

    Thats because he's the best. Brosnan was my idol back in the 90's. When i watched Goldeneye at a young, easily impressionable age, i just thought "this is the coolest Mofo i have ever seen", i think i even picked up some mannerisms of his in my youth (at least thats what i like to think). On a concious level even i was able to realize that Die Another Day sucked, but it did not take away one iota from his cool. (btw DAD is my second favorite of his nowadays ironically)

    All those discussions about "who the best Bond was" or who, on a technical level, is the most skilled actor, mathmatically speaking (nicelly demonstrated on some flipchart) just bore the living daylights out of me.
    To me, he's the best, end of discussion :)
  • Posts: 632
    00Agent wrote: »
    Thanks for the update @ClarkDevlin i am looking forward to anything this fine Gentleman does.

    By the way, now that The Son is finally completed, i might give it a try, has anyone seen it?

    Haven't seen it, but he's back at work in Austin, filming season 2!
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    Good to see him working with Martin Campbell again. This guy gets the best out of PB
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    JET007 wrote: »
    00Agent wrote: »
    Thanks for the update @ClarkDevlin i am looking forward to anything this fine Gentleman does.

    By the way, now that The Son is finally completed, i might give it a try, has anyone seen it?
    Haven't seen it, but he's back at work in Austin, filming season 2!
    Yep! My assumption is that he'll be done with it by March.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    Looking forward to that Hemingway film and Spinning Man.
    ...and November Man 2! ;)

    Brosnan's career is in healthy condition. Part of that has to do with the fact he has produced several of his own films, along with the late Beau St. Clair. He has created opportunities for himself.

    00Agent wrote: »
    You're welcome, @00Agent. Indeed, I have to say he's the only Bond actor whose career I follow and keep myself up to date. :D

    Thats because he's the best. Brosnan was my idol back in the 90's. When i watched Goldeneye at a young, easily impressionable age, i just thought "this is the coolest Mofo i have ever seen", i think i even picked up some mannerisms of his in my youth (at least thats what i like to think). On a concious level even i was able to realize that Die Another Day sucked, but it did not take away one iota from his cool. (btw DAD is my second favorite of his nowadays ironically)
    He's got "it." The x-factor. The mojo. Whatever you want to call it. ;)
  • 00Agent00Agent Any man who drinks Dom Perignon '52 can't be all bad.
    edited January 2018 Posts: 5,185
    The Broz Sauce
    mattjoes wrote: »
    Looking forward to that Hemingway film and Spinning Man.
    ...and November Man 2! ;)

    Brosnan's career is in healthy condition. Part of that has to do with the fact he has produced several of his own films, along with the late Beau St. Clair. He has created opportunities for himself.

    Exactly. He has the healthiest post Bond career of all the Actors except for Connery.
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    mattjoes wrote: »
    He's got "it." The x-factor. The mojo. Whatever you want to call it. ;)
    00Agent wrote: »
    The Broz Sauce
    It's what the French call... I-Don't-Know-What.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    What is the soup du jour?
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    Posts: 15,423
    Ah, the soup... That's what they call it in Belgium!
  • DikkoHendersonDikkoHenderson Daniel Craig at the plastic surgery clinic- "Gently my friend Gently... THAT'S NOT BLOODY GENTLY!!"
    edited January 2018 Posts: 50
    I read back and did not notice it covered but poor Pierce suffered an extensive house fire back round December that spread to his neighbor's home. Thankfully no one was hurt, but the cause of the fire seemed to be improperly disposed of greasy rags which can create lots of fire danger... thankfully Pierce is OK, no one is hurt, he was sued however. I hope the greasy rags were not his doing, as this article claims- but if so, shame on you Pierce! Safety is paramount! And if you yourself happen to have greasy rags laying around whether in the house of garage please dispose of them properly.

    http://www.tmz.com/2017/12/05/pierce-brosnan-sued-house-fire-rags-neighbor-malibu/
  • ClarkDevlinClarkDevlin Martinis, Girls and Guns
    edited January 2018 Posts: 15,423
    For a second time? I knew his Malibu house caught fire sometime ago, but didn't know it happened again... I don't think it's slightly even his doing because he isn't even in Malibu. Right now he's in Austin, Texas, and has been for a couple of months.
  • Wasn't the DAD Vanquish destroyed in that first fire? Bet that must have been gutting for him, losing a really cool souveneir from his dream job.
  • jake24jake24 Sitting at your desk, kissing your lover, eating supper with your familyModerator
    Posts: 10,591
    Pierce looks slightly younger in the above video so I believe it refers to the first fire, although he may be getting sued now.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Pierce and his greasy rags are a menace to the surroundings.
  • Andi1996RueggAndi1996Ruegg Hello. It's me, Evelyn Tremble.
    Posts: 2,005
    Mr. Moore: Oh, my Lord. What the devil's wrong with these shoes? Were they wiped over with an oily rag?

    Mr. Brosnan: Terribly sorry, sir.

    Mr. Moore: You blasted well should be. I don't know how long you expect to remain in my employ...

    Mr. Brosnan: I'm sorry, sir.

    Mr. Moore: Don't be so damned obsequious.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    Mr. Moore: Oh, my Lord. What the devil's wrong with these shoes? Were they wiped over with an oily rag?

    Mr. Brosnan: Terribly sorry, sir.

    Mr. Moore: You blasted well should be. I don't know how long you expect to remain in my employ...

    Mr. Brosnan: I'm sorry, sir.

    Mr. Moore: Don't be so damned obsequious.

    So Brosnan isn't fit to shine Moore's shoes? ;)
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