Die Another Day Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)November 25th, 2002
"Die Another Day" – Let's Get Together and Bond by Homer Yen
(c) 2002
If the James Bond franchise decides not to invite Pierce Brosnan to return for the 5th time as the debonair British secret agent, Brosnan will have certainly left an indelible impression in the minds of Bond fans that he was the most stylish Bond of them all. Despite the fact that Brosnan is in his late 40s, he has never looked better. And despite the fact that this is the 20th Bond movie, the franchise has never looked more stylish, more inclusive, and more robust. As a result, with its polish, pizzazz and panache, this is probably the best Bond film in the last 25 years and one of the most entertaining films of this year.
This time, Bond seems more vulnerable as he comes face to face more often with his mortality. Meanwhile, the women are capable and seem to be a bit more immune to Bond's charisma. One questions the faithfulness of Bond (M, who is Bond's boss, played by Judi Dench); one questions the arrogance of Bond (Frost, a fellow MI6 agent played by Rosamund Pike); one, to a certain degree, questions the ability of Bond (Jinx, a mysterious woman, played by Halle Berry).
In addition, what you see on screen seems to be more invigorated, more refined, and more fun-to-watch than previous Bond films. Much of the credit goes to the director who energizes the story. It offers pace, quick edits, a smattering of slow-mo, and a light dose of Asian-style directorial touch. And it also offers the usual array of wild but impossible-not-to-watch stunts.
The film starts off very ambitiously with 007 surfing the treacherous waves off of the N. Korean coast. His mission is to assassinate a rogue military Colonel who envisions crossing the demilitarized zone and attacking South Korea. This eventually leads to an awesome hovercraft chase sequence over minefields.
But his mission doesn't end here. He eventually sets off globetrotting to the prettiest of locales that are all worthy of Conde Naste coverage. From Hong Kong to Havana to Iceland, he attempts to track down another pair of targets, N. Korean militant Zao (Rick Yune) and philanthropy-minded Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens) who are engaging in futuristic criminal activity.
As the film breezes its way through, we get more than what we expect, starting from the incredible gadgets. Forget the in-car DVD/Navigation system. How about laser guided machine guns to blow up pesky grenades being lobbed at you or a thermal imaging scanner to detect where a damsel in distress may be held or where an invisible car might be hiding? We are treated to great locales and magnificent architecture. The villain's ice castle with its fog-enshrouded floor is very…uh…cool. And we get lots of great action sequences, including a high-speed chase across a glacier and a hand-to-hand combat sequence inside a room full of laser beams.
At times, some sequences seem a bit too ambitious, as computer graphics are introduced for the first time in favor of stuntmen. One scene, involving Bond para-surfing to outrun a collapsing glacier, seems too unrealistic. Also, the final sequence, which takes place upon a crippled plane difficult to watch because of all the movement and turbulence.
Nonetheless, this film has shown that Bond remains atop the spy film world. And while the technical work might seem a bit too enterprising at times, saving the world and getting the girl is just a great feeling. May Bond live on.
Grade: B+
S: 1 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 2 out of 3
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