'Evelyn'

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Stephen Rea, Sophie Vavasseur

Directed by: Bruce Beresford

Running Time: 94 minutes

Rated PG

3 1/2 Gus heads

Doyle. Desmond Doyle.

It doesn't quite have the same ring as that other moniker from Mr. Brosnan, that one that has sort of consumed him for the past few years, but maybe it's a good time for a change.

After all, it's been too easy to forget that 007 is actually a great, classically trained actor when he's not cavorting with ballistics and babes.

Which, presumably, is why he made "Evelyn," a genuinely heartfelt drama about an Irish father trying to win his kids back from state care: He wants to get back some credibility, to show us he's still got it, to remind us that there can be a Pierce post-Bond. It's a beautiful plan. From a wonderfully understated script to a diverse ensemble cast that really clicks, "Evelyn" is the most fulfilling film to come out in a while.

Unfortunately, we didn't get it in Carbondale until last week. It made its L.A. premiere in December. Believe it or not, it just came out on video and DVD Tuesday.

You can see how high Carbondale really is on the cinematic totem pole.

But regardless of where you see it, "Evelyn" is a modest little film that truly resonates with its audience, a well produced and well directed tale of a father overcoming self doubt, alcoholism and constitutional law to be with his kids. Of course, Goliath never wins these kinds of battles - there's no surprise in how this story turns out - but the pleasure of watching the battle is a genuinely rewarding experience.

Brosnan's Desmond Doyle, a Dublin painter and father of three, finds himself in a tough spot: His daughter, Evelyn (a talented child actress named Sophie Vavasseur), watched her mother get into a car and drive off with another man the day after Christmas, and the government rules that Doyle's three children, now left with an unemployed father and a missing mother, would be best served by placement in church orphanages. He gets his day in court and even attempts to break his children out, but to no avail. He doesn't have the means to win.

So he's reduced to a depression that spills into booze until a woman who wants to help (Julianna Margulies), a pair of savvy lawyers (Stephen Rea and Aidan Quinn) and a grizzled legal veteran (Alan Bates) show up with an impossible idea: challenging the Irish Constitution with the fundamental idea that a parent is entitled to the companionship of his or her children. Although the Constitution has never been successfully challenged in such a way before, this team of compassionate experts is certain that they can pull it off.

You can imagine what success they find, and the film finds a conveniently teary-eyed ending. Despite its predictability, though, "Evelyn" survives by being exceptionally well acted and paced, a true example of how a film can be low-key yet undeniably moving. Director Bruce Beresford, who shows a real talent here for directing with a light, gentle touch, weaves a subtle story through a magnificently realized 1950s Dublin, and the rousing courtroom finale is powerful without being overwhelming.

All in all, it's an impressive kind of classical filmmaking that's all too rare in today's bloated market.

And as for Brosnan, who's had his share of martinis and appears ready to move on, it's nice to see him more stirring and a lot less shaken.