The story goes that when Roger Moore decided to step down from the role of famed British agent James Bond, the search was on for the next 007. Most people presumed the role would go to Remington Steel star Pierce Brosnan, who seemed like the surefire choice. Instead, the role would go to Timothy Dalton, whose tenure as Bond would last two films until he dropped out… at which point, Brosnan would get the gig.
In the meantime, however, Brosnan would do other films in the interim. One of these films is Taffin, an action-thriller based in Ireland, where Brosnan plays the eponymous debt collector Mark Taffin, who finds himself at odds with not only ruthless business people who want to develop a new plant at a small Irish town, but also the very citizens that once stood by his side. In fairness, the story isn’t all straightforward and could have been cleared up in a couple places. Perhaps ending the movie on a better note – not necessarily happy, but a more satisfying end that feels earned and not just thrown out there.
Taffin is largely low-budget fare; it’s not shot in the most sophisticated manner with a slow start that takes a while to get going. Once things start to pick up, there’s some decent action bits being played out. The cast put on decent showings; Brosnan has a couple moments of cheese with a couple line readings, but that trademark charm shines through Taffin’s rough shell.
It is not what I would call a “lost gem” or anything like that. Taffin will not be to everyone’s liking, but I found it entertaining enough for a slow afternoon. Perfectly acceptable low-budget fare.
