When a priceless Monet painting is stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the police find themselves wondering which world-class art thief pulled the job. What they dont know is that the thief wasnt a professional, but an amateur. Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) was born poor but made his way through Oxford on a boxing scholarship. With his sharp sense for business and ruthless ambition, Crown has become a self-made billionaire; but despite his wealth and power, he still seeks new challenges, and he steals art not for the profits but for the sheer excitement. However, as fun as art theft might be, its still illegal, and investigator Catherine Banning (Rene Russo) is brought in to track down the culprit. Certain clues point to Crown, so Banning introduces herself into Crowns social circle. Police detective Michael McCann (Denis Leary) warns Banning against getting too close to Crown. She takes McCanns suggestion lightly until she finds hersel