The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
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A bored billionaire and an insurance investigator fall in love while engaged in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse over a stolen masterpiece.
The story
After a group of thieves is apprehended during a heist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, billionaire Thomas Crown is revealed as the mastermind who successfully stole a Claude Monet painting. He is pursued by insurance investigator Catherine Banning and NYPD Detective Michael McCann. As Banning investigates the theft, she discovers that Crown is motivated by the thrill of the crime rather than financial gain. The investigation leads to a complex game of cat-and-mouse where the two begin to develop a mutual attraction, complicating the professional stakes of the investigation as they navigate the mystery of the stolen artwork.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a heist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, billionaire Thomas Crown steals a Claude Monet painting. He is pursued by insurance investigator Catherine Banning and NYPD Detective Michael McCann. Banning discovers Crown is motivated by the thrill of the crime and the two begin a romantic affair while she investigates his motives. They discover the painting he left behind is a fake. During a trip to Martinique, Banning realizes Crown is preparing to flee. Later, Banning learns that the fake was painted by Crown's associate, Anna. At a final confrontation at the museum, Crown uses a series of decoys and smoke bombs to escape. He reveals that he had Anna forge a painting over the original Monet, which is then 'revealed' by sprinklers. However, he has successfully stolen a second painting that Banning had preferred. The film ends with Banning and Crown reuniting on a flight after she receives the second stolen painting.
- First release year
- 1999
- Runtime (minutes)
- 113
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John McTiernan
- Writers
- Leslie Dixon · screenplay; Kurt Wimmer · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Pierce Brosnan · Thomas Crown; Rene Russo · Catherine Banning; Denis Leary · Michael McCann
- Genres
- romantic heist film; crime thriller; romance
- Themes
- romance; art theft; cat-and-mouse game
- Tone and mood
- sophisticated; tense
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1968 film of the same title
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics and a B+ grade from audiences.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 72 · scale: 100 · review count: 23
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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