Most Understated Crime Movie Gem of 2023 Just Dropped on Prime

Summary

• In recent years, Pierce Brosnan has not been involved in the most lucrative projects.
• Last December, however, the Irish actor starred in a new action thriller that impressed critics and audiences alike.
• Now you can watch the new movie on Prime Video.

Pierce Brosnan's career spans an incredible 45 years, during which time the legendary James Bond actor has starred in countless films and television series of all genres, from dramas and romantic comedies to high-octane thrillers and action movies. And even though the Irish actor's skills are as sharp as they were 30 years ago during the filming of GoldenEye, in recent years Brosnan has starred in fairly modest and sometimes even mediocre projects that can boast neither budgets, global grosses (often turning out to be box office bombs), nor enthusiastic reviews from critics and audiences.

In fact, Brosnan is the only thing that holds these movies together, and even Black Adam, one of the few big-budget films to feature the actor in recent years, was only carried by Pierce Brosnan's skills as Doctor Fate. Yes, no thanks to Dwayne Johnson.

But among all his movies of the last few years, one remarkable action thriller stands out, which was released in December 2023, but unfortunately went rather unnoticed. And that's a shame, because this flick is one of the few examples that showcases not only Brosnan's talent, but also that of the other actors, without shifting the balance to the former. Despite the straightforward plot, it's a fascinating feel-good crime movie that's well worth checking out. It's also recently been made available on Prime Video.

What Is the New Pierce Brosnan Movie About?

We're talking about the December 8, 2023 limited theatrical release of Fast Charlie, based on the novel Gun Monkeys by American writer Victor Gischler. It was directed by Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce (Blind Fury, Patriot Games, The Desperate Hour) and adapted by Richard Wenk, best known for his work on the screenplays for the entire The Equalizer film trilogy. In addition to Pierce Brosnan, Fast Charlie stars Morena Baccarin (Firefly, Gotham, Deadpool ), Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Wire, The Deuce) and the legendary James Caan (El Dorado, The Godfather, Misery). In other words, this is a movie that had talent both in front of and behind the camera.

The plot follows seasoned fixer and contract killer Charlie Swift (Brosnan), who has been working with mob boss and his mentor Stan Mullen (Caan) for years. One day, Charlie is hired to eliminate a small-time mobster, but when he finds him, he encounters one major issue: the target has no head and so Charlie has to prove to the client that it is really him.

Only the client turns out to be the boss of a rival crime group, Beggar (Akinnagbe), who strikes first and kills Stan and his men. As a result, Charlie is sent on a journey to avenge the murder of his friend. However, the protagonist has to take along the former wife of the decapitated target as a sidekick, whose unconventional skills will certainly help him get to the Beggar.

Critics and Audiences Were Not Disappointed

As mentioned above, Fast Charlie is one of the rare examples in recent years of a very successful Brosnan film that finally showcases not only his acting, but also the skills of the other cast members, a quality if not the smartest script, and a moderate amount of laughs and plot twists. All of this makes Fast Charlie a solid and entertaining B-movie that has earned an impressive 83% rating from critics and 88% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie recently became available for purchase or rent on Prime Video, so we highly recommend checking it out if you're a fan of Brosnan or action thrillers. Right now, Amazon is offering a discount on Fast Charlie, so you can rent it in HD for just $3.99 and buy it for $9.99.