Much too talky. But some of the talk is by John Le Carre, who adapted his own novel with Andrew Davis and director John Boorman. And Pierce Brosnan, who plays a British spy, puts an arch spin on his James Bond credentials. They help this semicomedy claim the oxymoronic status of being an Austin Powers movie for grown-ups. Brosnan’s spy enlists a cockney ex-con (Geoffrey Rush) who’s working as a tailor for the rich and famous to be his main contact; other significant characters include the tailor’s wife (Jamie Lee Curtis) and business partner (Leonor Varela) and a British diplomat (Catherine McCormack) the spy is pursuing. If you don’t find the cynicism of this mordant look at corruption too distastefuland ideologically speaking, it’s certainly an improvement over Boorman’s Beyond Rangoonyou’re likely to have a fair amount of fun. 109 min. (JR)