Die Another Day Review
by Joel B. Kirk (joelkirk AT sbcglobal DOT net)October 13th, 2003
Die Another Day
A Film Review by Joel B. Kirk
What it's About:
007 is set up and imprisoned for fourteen months in a North Korean base, after a failed attempt to assassinate a young Colonel selling weapons on the black market; he turns rogue after he is set free, exchanged with international criminal Zhao.
Bond discovers, and then tracks an MI6 traitor, who may or may not be working with Zhao. He heads for Cuba, where he meets NSA agent, Jacintha (Jinx) Johnson.
He finds out about a wealthy industrialist, Gustav Graves, and his lovely companion assistant Miranda Frost—all whom are not all they're cracked up to be.
My Take:
To some, this is believed to be the 20th Bond flick, yet technically it is the 22nd if you were to count 1969's lackluster CASINO ROYALE, and the non-EON produced NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN(1983). Nevertheless, after two lackluster Bronson-era features, not too mention decades since Connery left the series, this entry proves to be a winner.
Directed by Lee Tamahori (MUHOLLAND FALLS, ONCE WERE WARRIORS, and ALONG CAME A SPIDER), CGI usage is even more apparent, doing away with model usage of previous Bond entries. Moreover, a sleek camera trick "cranking" (i.e., accelerating) of footage during certain scenes is utilized.
Other notable additions consist of the Bond girl (or "woman") portrayed by Halle Berry as being one of the strongest since Wai Lin of TOMORROW NEVER DIES. Furthermore, the main character 007 is more "human."
Pierce Brosnan, the sixth actor to portray the spy, had been itching to really break down the character; attempted by director Michael Apted in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. Unfortunately, for a film that was to return to 007's roots, the former film was a disappointment due to lazy storytelling and lack of characterization.
We get new a turn for the Bond character, with an attempt to humanize him. This was tried for the 80's Timothy Dalton era, and the 1969 George Lazenby film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Sean Connery's Bond was possibly too macho to show any pain, with the slight exception of a scene in 1964's Thunderball, where being trapped on a stretcher machine, a frightened 007 shouts for help.
More observations on this slight change for Bond:
-The apparent CGI scene of Bond surfing on a tidal wave after a daring escape from the laser emitted from Icarus the space-based super-weapon gives us a close-up of 007. To the look on his face, we almost believe the character is dead if he were to make one slip-up.
-Early on in the picture, we see (over Madonna's rendition of the title song) the torture 007 has to endure for fourteen months. When he is released, we see he has grown a beard, looks disheveled and worn, resembling Robinson Crusoe or Tom Hanks from Cast Away. Our top MI6 agent has never looked so helpless.
Moreover, believing he is to be executed, we see our British agent actually frightened that this may be his last adventure!
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Halle Berry, the high point of the film, follows Grace Jones ("Mayday" of A VIEW TO A KILL), Gloria Hendry ("Rosie Carver" of LIVE AND LET DIE) in a short line of African-American actresses whom have portrayed Bond girls. However, Miss Berry's Jinx does not intend to allow 007 to take all the credit for saving the world, or allow herself to become just a conquest (she has 007 looking for her after a night of lovemaking). Like Michelle Yeoh's Wai Lin, Jinx is Bond's equal, if not surpassing him in certain aspects. (Note the fight sequences at the Cuban medical facility, and in Iceland with the henchman Mr. Kil).
It is hinted that Jinx may have her own line of adventures courtesy of the Bond producers, and/or a non-EON produced Foxy Brown series based on the 70s character portrayed by Pam Grier.
Positive/Negative nitpicks:
-References to OCTOPUSSY, THUNDERBALL, GOLDFINGER, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, and DR. NO are apparent throughout the picture giving the audience a since of continuity somewhat…
-David Arnold's bombastic score evoking the 60s "wah-wah" trumpet mute sound (which he has done in previous Brosnan entries) is exciting, giving a nostalgic sense for the Bond purists (even those who didn't grow up in the 60s). He even may sound as if he is imitating the original Bond composer John Barry, which to a sense he has, with a contemporary update.
-Toby Stephens (who notably portrayed a young Clint Eastwood in Space Cowboys (2000) reminds one of Max Zorin from A View to a Kill.
-How it would have been if Will Yun Lee was portrayed as the main villain without the makeover? Not too many films have shown debonair Asian Male leads; it would have been interesting to have the Bond producers take a step in that direction.
Interestingly, General Moon (Kenneth Tsang) asks his son later on in the film, "What have you done to yourself?" We as the audience wonder if the Colonel had to change himself in order to get close to Rosamund Pike's lovely Miranda Frost.
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Bond has returned! (Or has he?) Previously, half-done scripts have hampered Pierce Brosnan's 007 features. Let's hope the momentum in casting and execution is kept up with the next entry.
***1/2 out of *****
Director: Lee Tamahori
Writer: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade
Producer: Michael Wilson, Barbara Broccoli
Actors:
Pierce Brosnan-James Bond
Halle Berry-Jinx
Judi Dench-M
Colin Salomon-Robinson
Samantha Bond-Miss Moneypenny
John Cleese-R
Toby Stephens-Gustav Graves
Rosamund Pike-Miranda Frost
Will Yun Lee-Colonel Moon
Kenneth Tsang-General Moon
Genre: Action
Running Time: 132 minutes
Year of Release: 2002 by United Artists
Copyright 2003 Joel Kirk
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.
