the november man

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2402157

the november man is what james bond could be if james bond was more about content and plot than flashiness and being-james-bond.  the plot was twisty enough to be interesting without being overly convoluted.  the casting seemed to be entirely appropriate.  the action sequences were extreme enough to demonstrate that these were supposed to be superagents, but not so overdone that i was forced to roll my eyes.  i was actually quite happy with the overall package.  the things i was less wild about were the contrived love story and the improbably long line of bodies that, to be fair, the title of the movie sort of required.

ok, one more thing i will complain about is the practice of giving movies a title which goes completely unexplained until the last 20 minutes.  extra negative points if it is a dedicated scene which could otherwise have just been cut.  extra extra negative points if the explanation is given via exposition.  extra extra extra negative points if the explanation is given by a bad guy to the good guy after one of them has gotten the drop on the other.  i never feel like it is a rewarding experience, i do not grin and say to my self, "oh, so *that* is why..."  instead, i think something like (sarcastic) "nice title, assholes" or (disparaging) "guess you assholes could not come up with a good title, eh?" or (disgusted/angry) "i bet you ass holes ADDED THAT SCENE to fit the title" or (elizabethian) "a pox upon thee, assholes!" or (vindictive) "a pox upon thine assholes!"

the november man gets four quarters for keeping its head down and just being a decent film.  also for violating all my rules about movie titles in the most tasteful way possible.