Brosnan a steely killer in 'Survivor'

<b>Mini-review: 'Survivor'</b>

First as a mentoring agent in "November Man" and now as a sociopathic international hit man in "Survivor," Pierce Brosnan demonstrates the brutal brand of steely-eyed blunt instrument that his lightweight Agent 007 should have been, but never was.

In James ("V for Vendetta") McTeigue's disappointingly routine thriller "Survivor," Brosnan plays Nash, a feared assassin known as "the Watchman" for his inventive ways of taking out targets.

But he's only the antagonist to Milla Jovovich's Foreign Service Officer Kate Abbott, a dedicated agent out to thwart a plot to kill a million people at Times Square on New Year's Eve, even as fellow workers try to stop her, believing her to be a dangerous double agent.

"The longer she lives," says U.S. Ambassador Maureen Cranepaul (Angela Bassett, with brow fully furrowed), "the more people die!"

Cranepaul's assumption of Kate's non-loyalty doesn't jive with the facts. Poor Kate was in the cafe with her co-workers when the Watchman's skillfully set bomb detonates, killing everyone around her.

How smart can an assassin be to blow up the room she's sitting in?

Early in the movie, Kate proves herself to be remarkably good at reading people, such as a Romanian doctor (Roger Rees) visiting the U.S. for a conference that has nothing to do with his expertise.

Her alarm is pooh-poohed by her boss Bill Talbot (Robert Forster) with such lackadaisical concern for security that even viewers sleeping through "Survivor" will suspect something's fishy.

Jovovich, the Ukrainian-born actress, model and singer most known for starring in the popular "Resident Evil" film franchise, strikes a proper balance of vulnerability and action hero stamina as Kate, although some of her fight scenes appear to be too cautiously choreographed.

"Survivor" comes equipped with plenty of crosscut chase scenes, accompanied by Ilan Eshkeri's thumping, throbbing techno music resembling a retro '80s electronic score.

The movie, written by Philip Shelby, also includes cheesy flashbacks to 9/11 and a postcard with Kate's friends at the Windows on the World restaurant where they died in the twin towers.

The only thing missing is Kate gritting her teeth and uttering the tagline, "It's not personal this time. It's personal all the time!"

"Survivor" opens at the South Barrington 30. Rated PG-13 for language, violence. 96 minutes. ★ ½