Die Another Day Review
by Christian Pyle (Tlcclp AT aol DOT com)February 1st, 2003
Die Another Day
Reviewed by Christian Pyle
Directed by Lee Tamahori
Written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade
Starring Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike, Rick Yune, John Cleese, and Judi Dench
Grade: A-
"Die Another Day" is the twentieth entry in the official Bond series (not counting "Casino Royale" and "Never Say Never Again") and it comes on the fortieth anniversary of the first Bond, "Dr. No." Such longevity is unprecedented in popular culture. Before Pierce Brosnan took over the role of superspy James Bond (in 1995's "Goldeneye"), the series looked like it was grinding toward an ignoble end. After several silly outings by an aging Roger Moore and the creative misfire of the two Timothy Dalton flicks, the formula seemed tired. It was the second Brosnan that convinced me that the series wasn't dead; 1997's "Tomorrow Never Dies" gave us a supervillain for the 21st century and a "Bond girl" who wasn't just a pretty face.
During the Brosnan reign, a spy fad has erupted that has spawned parodies ("Austin Powers," "Spy Kids," "Cats & Dogs") and imitators ("XXX"), and the producers seemed to approach "Die Another Day" with the goal of taking Bond where he had bever been before . . . torture and disgrace.
In the "mini-mission" that opens the film, Bond infiltrates a diamond smuggling ring within the North Korean military. His cover is quickly blown, and he is captured. The surreal title sequence condenses several months of torture by a sadistic female (the first time the trademark title sequence has been used for a narrative purpose). When he is recovered by the Brits, Bond is not welcomed with open arms. During his imprisonment, the North Koreans have learned all sorts of British secrets, and everyone assumes Bond gave them up.
After escaping from British custody, Bond is quickly reborn as the suave superspy we know and love, but the beginning of the film brings an edge to the character we haven't seen since Connery. (With, perhaps the exception of 1989's "License to Kill," in which Bond quit the Secret Service to follow a personal mission of revenge, but that movie seemed more a rehashing of the overworked "maverick cop" genre popular at the time.) The new tone may be credited to director Lee Tamahori, whose previous films include "The Edge," "Mulholland Falls," and "Once Were Warriors."
The rest of Bond's adventure follows familiar formulae and brings Bond into contact with a beautiful American agent (Halle Berry), a sophisticated super-villain (Toby Stephens), a dangerous femme fatale (Rosamund Pike), and a gruesome henchman (Rick Yune of "The Fast and the Furious"). Yune's character, Zao, is the most visually interesting henchman since Jaws (of "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker"). An explosion early in the film imbeds diamonds in Zao's face; later a bizarre medical process takes all of his hair and leaves him with albino skin.
Berry is no Michelle Yeoh. Although she proved herself as a actress in "Monster's Ball," as spygirl Jinx Berry shifts back and forth between "confident superspy" and "helpless victim" without any apparent reason.
In honor of the Bond anniversary, "Die Another Day" features references to every other film in the series. The filmmakers cheat a bit by including a visit to Q's junk room, where gear from previous missions is stored, including the knife-toed shoe from "From Russia with Love" and the jet-pack from "Thunderball." My favorite reference has Bond pick up a book on wild birds; Ian Fleming took his hero's name from the author of that book.
© 2003 Christian L. Pyle
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