Tomorrow Never Dies Review
by Bill Chambers (wchamber AT netcom DOT ca)December 17th, 1997
TOMORROW NEVER DIES *** (out of four)
-a review by Chambers, Bill Chambers
(What movie do YOU recommend? Cast your opinion on my updated website, Film Freak Central:
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/7504)
starring Pierce Brosnan, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Pryce, Teri Hatcher written by Bruce Fierstein
directed by Roger Spottiswoode
Let's face it: the $100 million-plus smash that was "Goldeneye" was not a good film by any means, and as a Bond movie was only marginally better than, say, "A View To A Kill" or either of the Timothy Dalton pictures, by virtue of nice pacing. But it did revive the series, and granted the producers some new directions in which to take the it (ie. the new "M" is a woman). "Tomorrow Never Dies" is the picture "Goldeneye" should have been; it's also the most entertaining Bond outing since "The Spy Who Loved Me".
The new picture opens with China considering war with Britain after a standard military operation is misconstrued as a hostile threat from an English submarine. As an attack occurs, the front-page headline is already being prepared, courtesy of Carver media. Carver (Pryce) the man is a deluded magnate, a sort of hybrid of Ted Turner, Bill Gates, and Peter Sellars' German scientist from "Dr. Strangelove" (physically, Pryce even recalls Sellars in his Kubrick days). It's up to James Bond to take him down, with assistance, of course, from a wealth of gadgets (including a multi-purpose cell phone), and beautiful women. Enter Michelle Yeoh, fresh from "Supercop", as a Chinese secret agent with her own agenda; with effortless grace, she cat burgles, dispatches baddies seemingly with the ease of preparing pasta, and refuses the advances of our philandering hero. They make a great team.
"Tomorrow Never Dies" is a surprisingly entertaining and efficient film, given that at the helm is none other than the director of "Turner & Hooch". Spottiswoode has crafted some breathtaking set pieces, each much more intricate and impressive than, for instance, the tank scene in "Goldeneye". Moreover, Brosnan has at last settled into the role some feel he was born to play; last time out, the fate of the franchise rested on his shoulders, and there was noticeable discomfort in his body language. Returned in Brosnan's eyes has some of the playfulness he demonstrated for so many years on TV's "Remington Steele", as has his deadpan wit. And though Carver's motives are muddy (when Carver explains that "genius is insanity with some success", screenwriter Fierstein is taking a lazy shortcut), Pryce makes an agreeable, memorable villain. In the future, they should pursue actors as talented and experienced as Pryce to breathe life into these cardboard figures.
There a few too many explosions in "Tomorrow Never Dies", perhaps so many they qualify as dialogue. And it could have used a sharper script, though I was amused by the double entendres, none of which I will reveal here. As it stands, the plot suffers many holes (I'm not taking about implausibilities), and the dialogue tends towards the hackneyed. Now that the elements are in place: modern special effects and stunt work, cool Pierce Brosnan, kickass female allies... it's time to put them to use in something truly special. There's no mistaking, however, that "Tomorrow Never Dies" is ideal holiday escapism, and for the first time in perhaps years, you'll walk out wanting more Bond movies.
-Reviewed December 17, 1997
More on 'Tomorrow Never Dies'...
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.
