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The best Bond in recent years
Die Another Day is Brosnan's show all the way
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Som Chivukula
In the 20th Bond film and perhaps one of the best in recent years, Pierce Brosnan once again finds himself on a global mission to hunt down evildoers. What makes this excursion different than others is the direction of Lee Tamahori, who excels in staging exciting stunts as well as maintaining the tension throughout.
If you were to have a checklist for Bond, it would be (in no particular order): babes, gadgets, guns, innuendo and locales. There is all of this and more in Die Another Day.
With the emergence of younger actors taking on spy roles (The Bourne Identity, XXX), there has been considerable pressure on the Bond producers to up the ante, in terms of action and overall tingling effect.
However, walking into the theatre, you know that the plot will be wafer-thin with an emphasis on the superficial. Die Another Day is no different; but it is in some ways a throwback: there are several scenes that will remind viewers of the yesteryear Bond films.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first ever Bond film, Dr No, and the producers (led by Barbara Broccoli) felt it was appropriate to honour the past. The image of Halle Berry in the new film making her way out of the sea in an orange bikini with a strapped knife will leave a lasting impression, in homage to Ursula Andress from the first ever Bond. It has been shown on all television commercials, but the true impact can only be felt on the big screen.
In Brosnan's fourth outing as the Ian Fleming character, the action unfolds in North Korea. After a mission goes awry, Bond is imprisoned there for 15 months. Upon release, he finds out that his country does not want anything to do with him after getting into trouble one too many times.
But Bond is adamant about finding the traitor.
Aiding Bond are his mentor M (Judi Dench), gadget specialist Q (John Cleese) and special agent Jinx (Berry). The action moves swiftly from North Korea to America to Iceland, where the climax unfolds in an ice palace.
Make no mistake: this is Tamahori and Brosnan's show all the way. Of special note is a fight scene in which Brosnan fences with the industrialist Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens), intent on holding the world hostage with his super satellite Icarus.
With the thin plot, the action wears on the viewer two-thirds in. At slightly over two hours, the film is lengthy, with not even the charm of the leading pair to sustain the energy. Tamahori could have clipped it easily by at least 20 minutes without missing a beat, which would have made for a more meaningful experience.
The supporting performances are noteworthy. The film's villains, Stephens (the son of Dame Maggie Smith) and Rick Yune, take extreme pleasure in their nastiness. Aiding them is the gorgeous Rosamund Pike, who makes her film debut as Miranda Frost.
The only thing regretful are the brief roles of Cleese and Dench. It is a treat to see them interacting with Brosnan, but sadly, they don't do much more than spout directions. Look for a cameo by Madonna, in what could be film's funniest scene. The pop star also contributes to the soundtrack with the title song.
There has been considerable amount of ink spent on Berry's Jinx being the toughest of the Bond girls. It must also be noted that Jinx is probably the sexiest Bond girl in a long time. Berry's charisma is enough to make the viewer feel that hers is a tough girl, no-nonsense, character. Whether or not she can carry it off into a spin-off, as has been reported, remains to be seen.
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