Die Another Day Review
by Robin Clifford (robin AT reelingreviews DOT com)November 21st, 2002
"Die Another Day"
The cheesy guitar starts playing - da-da-da-la-da-da da-da-da-la-da-da - and Bond, James Bond, appears and shoots straight at us, the viewer. Thus begins the 20th official entry in the longest running movie series ever in "Die Another Day."
There are things that one comes to expect in life and a new James Bond movie is one of them. It all began 40 (yes, 40) years ago with "Dr. No" and the memorable scene of shapely, bikini-clad Ursula Andres emerging from the sea, setting the stage for all Bond babes to come. Now, the high tech world of super secret agent 007 is brought to the screen once again and Pierce Brosnan, in his 4th reprise as the irrepressible Bond, is ready to take on the world's bad guys.
James Bond and his two-man commando team secret themselves into the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea in order to thwart an arms deal by renegade Colonel Moon (Will Yun Lee). Things go explosively wrong during a spectacular hovercraft chase and James is taken captive, tortured mercilessly for 14 months and, just before his certain death by execution, he is traded back to the British for a North Korean agent, Zao (Rick Yune). But, Bond's boss, M (Judi Dench), believes that he compromised her command and rescinds his double-O status and it is up to Bond, James Bond, to exonerate himself and uncover a world shaking plot involving diamonds and one big mother of a laser hovering menacingly above the earth.
In typical Bondian fashion, the action spans continents as the story moves from Korea to Hong Kong, where James enlists the reluctant aid of a high-ranking Chinese Communist official. The double-naught spy then heads to Havana, Cuba where he investigates the goings on at Isla Los Organos, a secret medical facility that specializes in replacing a client's DNA to give them a completely new identity. He meets Jinx Johnson, a beautiful, coral-color bikini-clad lady who rises out of the surf to be lustfully greeted by our hero. Jinx has her own agenda, though, and while James seeks answers to an increasingly complex puzzle involving counterfeit diamonds, she makes her move against one of the clinic patients, none other than Zao. (Zao, a true Bond bad guy, is there to alter his scarred, diamond-studded face given to him complements of 007.)
The action heads to London where James, reinstated with his infamous license to kill, is given into the hands of weapons-meister Q (played with grand humor by John Cleese who replaces the late, venerable Desmond Llewelyn, the Q of 17 of the Bond flicks). Q supplies his not-so-favorite double-O spy with the usual high tech weaponry including, you guessed it, a new car! This time, Bond is back in the driver's seat of a brand new Aston Martin loaded with the usual high tech gadgetry, including a cloaking device that renders the car invisible.
While in jolly old England, James meets Gustav Graves, an incredibly wealthy adventurer and diamond broker who mysteriously went "from nothing to everything in no time at all. We all know that Gustav is Bond's real nemesis, especially when they go toe-to-toe in a no holds barred fencing duel that utilized foils, sabers, broad swords and samurai blades. The encounter garners an invitation for James to attend an exclusive gala in an Icelandic ice palace where Graves reveals his "gift" to mankind - a satellite that can duplicate the power of the sun. (We know, wink-wink, that there is evil intent behind this so-called gift). High-speed ice chases ensue as James and Zao do battle with their fully loaded cars. (Don't you wish, sometimes, that your car were packed with rockets and machine guns, especially in rush hour traffic?) Things finally return to North Korea for the big, big, big climax.
You can expect the usual tongue in cheek quips all along the way. For instance, when James meets one of Zao's henchmen, Mr. Kil (Lawrence Makoare), his response is "Now there's a name to die for!" More bon mots are, expectedly, scattered liberally amongst the action bits, giving "Die Another Day" its trademark Bond humor.
Techs vary from the sublime to the ridiculous. Set designs, like the ice palace, are really cool (pun intended), as are the locations that show panoramic views of Hong Kong, Havana (at least, it looks like Havana with the requisite 50's vintage cars tooling around) and London. The special F/X extravaganza is mostly very well done with a couple of obvious and chintzy sequences that aren't up to the rest of the quality technical work. The action is nearly non-stop and is, at times, stunning. If you don't like one action bit you only have to wait a few minutes before you get something else and different.
The acting suits the comic book-style adventure as Pierce Brosnan, once again, comfortably wears the role of James Bond like a well-tailored tuxedo. Halle Berry is first rate as NSA spook Jinx and is a cut above the usual Bond babe as she is his equal in every way. (There are rumors about a spin-off flick focusing on Jinx, which would be a first for this franchise.) Toby Stephens, as Gustav Graves, lends the right amount of sneering arrogance to his character as a man who strives to be perfect and brutal in every way. Rick Yune gets to be a Bond bad guy the likes of Oddjob and Jaws with his diamond studded face and mean-as-a-snake countenance.
Dame Judi Dench, as M, gives dignity to her role as the Brit spy chief. Rosamund Pike does a decent job as Miranda Frost acting as fencing master and MI6 spy with questionable loyalties. Michael Madsen is generic and without any dimension as chief American spook Damien Falco. Samantha Bond (no relation to James) gets to flesh out her small role as Miss Moneypenny in an amusing virtual reality tryst with 007. Madonna, who sings the title song for the film, has a small cameo and, at least, doesn't embarrass herself.
Director Lee Tamahori does yeoman's work in coordinating the efforts of his large cast and crew but there is little of an auteur's imprint on the proceedings. "Die Another Day" is a worthy entry in the pantheon of James Bond movies. I guess I'll always hold the warmest regard, though, for the Sean Connery vehicle "Diamonds Are Forever." I give this latest effort a B.
For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com
[email protected]
[email protected]
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
