The 20th entry into the James Bond francise is another winner, even if it is a little over the top.
--Adam
Die Another Day
Directors: Lee Tamahori
Producers: Barbra Broccoli Callum McDougall Anthony Waye Michael G. Willson
Writers: Neal Purvis Robert Wade
Features: none
Characters:
James Bond-Pierce Brosnan
Jinx-Halle Berry
Gustave Graves-Toby Stephens
Miranda Frost-Rosamund Pike
Zao-Rick Yune
Q-John Cleese
M-Judi Dench
Genre: Action/Adventure
Review:
Die Another Day
Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I would like to welcome you on board MGM airlines flight 007. Our time in the air will be about one hour and twenty-three minutes. Before we take off I would like to remind you to suspend your disbelief in the overhead compartment where it should remain for the remainder of our flight. Now sit back relax and enjoy your trip.
This should be the message that runs before the 20th installment in the James bond franchise Die Another Day. While it is a highly entertaining movie you must look the other way, as with all Bond films. Because when the high jinx start everything is thrown out the window.
In this installment we find James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) landing in North Korea looking for proof of illegal weapons in the demilitarized zone. But his cover is blown and like all Bond films we open with a death defying pursuit and escape. But just when you think he has killed the bad guy and gotten out alive, 007 is captured and the opening title sequences begins. What??? Bond always gets away. How can they roll the credits? Well as they roll we see Bond being tortured, along with computer generated ladies dancing to Madonna's "Die Another Day", an average entry into the list of Bond Theme songs. We then see that 14 months have passed and Bond is still in prison. Without giving more away I can tell you Bond gets out, has his Double O status revoked and has sex with Halle Berry, all in the first thirty minutes. (By the way that Oscar the Halle Berry now holds has told her to put her boobs back in her shirt. Rent Swordfish for the real deal). So Bond begins a search for those who have wronged him, including someone on his side who has sold him out. If you are familiar with Bond movies at all, they like to dumb it down for you. This being said if you can't figure out who the traitor is before the film tells you, then you really need to ask yourself if your are that big of contributor to society and if we all wouldn't be better off if you checked yourself out.
The locals are exotic, the women are sexy, and the villains are not that bad. Zao (Rick Yune), who is injured by Bond in an explosion and has diamonds imbedded in his face, described best by Halle Berry's Jinx as " your friend with the expensive acne", makes for good number two villain. He and Bond have a classic chase on ice. Bond in his Aston Martin and Zao in his Jaguar. Both vehicles are load to the teeth with guns, missiles and extra suprises. What the film lacks is a great main villain. Toby Stephen's Gustave Grave is just another throwaway bad guy. He doesn't have the menace of Blofeld or the nasty arrogance of Goldfinger. He is more like a spoiled brat with lots of gadgets.
Of course the best scene in the film, as it usually is, is between 007 and Q (John Clesse). Clesse's Q, who has taken over for long time Q and dearly departed Desmond Llewelyn, is not the bumbling fool he portrayed in the last film. Instead he has matured and nicely filled the role that was left for him. The gadgets are cool as always and he and Bond match wits with words. When Bond receives his new car, Q speculates " I believe this is your 20th, try and return it to us in one piece", a reference to Bond's Twentieth time on film and his in ability not to destroy everything before the film ends.
There are plenty of groaner one liners and I mean plenty, but I loved this film. I was entertained from start to finish. Sure the effect are just average at times. Sure they push the edge of reality more than once. But at the end it is just fun. Mindless simple cinema fun. It is Bond through and through.
----Adam