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| Die
Another Day
Directed By: Lee
Tamahori Plot
Summary - Review 1 - Review
2 - CURRENT REVIEWS
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| The story begins in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea with a spectacular high-speed hovercraft chase and continues via Hong Kong to Cuba and London where Bond meets up with the two ladies who are to play such important and differing roles in his quest to unmask a traitor and to prevent a war of catastrophic consequence. Hot on the trail of the principle villains, Bond travels to Iceland where he experiences at first hand the power of an amazing new weapon before a dramatic confrontation with his main adversary back in Korea where it all started...[TRAILER] James Bond has been sporting his license to kill and ordering his martinis shaken for forty years now. With “Die Another Day,” it finally looks like the suave spy has found his own place in the 21st century. Updating the Bond series for modern times has not been an easy task. The days of Timothy Daulton (“License To Kill”) were atrocious, and most of the Pierce Brosnan films have been mediocre. It seems that as special effects have improved and society’s appetite for violence has increased, the fun of Bond has been lost amid bullets and explosions. That is, until now. “Die Another Day,” working within the traditional Bond formula, is one of the more surprising Bond films in years, reminiscent of the fun days when Sean Connery and Roger Moore helmed the series. Its surprises are evident from the film’s opening sequence. Typically a short film that stands apart from the greater movie, Bond openings are meant to thrill and excite. The best opening ever has to be Moore’s ski chase and parachute in “The Spy Who Loved Me,” a sequence that ends with perhaps one of the three best Bond title songs ever performed (behind “Goldfinger” and “Live and Let Die”). In “Die Another Day,” the opening is not a celebration of Bond’s unlimited abilities, but ends, in shocking fashion, with Bond (Brosnan) being captured by the North Korean army. Behind Madonna’s techno theme song, which will also shock traditional Bond fans, flash images of Bond’s torture as an inmate. Not exactly the indestructible Bond we’re used to. Upon being traded back to Britain for a North Korean, Bond is informed by his boss, M (Judi Dench), that he has revealed classified information to the enemy during his torture. He is a disgrace, and useless to the intelligence community. But Bond refuses to be labeled a traitor to his country. He goes on a quest to find who set him up, acting outside the authority of British intelligence. Just as the story seems to wander too far off the beaten path, we realize this setup actually makes Bond even more enticing. He is now free of all restraints. As he pieces together pieces of the puzzle, and M realizes that Bond is on to something, she equips him with a new arsenal of gadgets and weapons, and Bond heads to Iceland to confront a group of North Koreans who hope to use a sun-directing satellite as their ultimate weapon of destruction. So what is so much better in this installment than Brosnan’s former Bond outings? Fun. There is a sense that “Die Another Day” was made with quick winks at the viewer, that it has a bit of the sarcasm and irony that existed in Bond’s early days. In “The World Is Not Enough,” and to a lesser degree in “Tomorrow Never Dies,” the film wallowed in a rather drab violent mindset. Yes, Bond would make some jokes, get the women, and play with some new toys, but the movies would constantly drift into shoot outs, explosion marathons, and would never add anything deeper to Bond or his enemies that sharp suits, deep accents and sneers. “Die Another Day” breaks that tradition. There are still a few gunfights, but there are also swordfights, creative car chases, fist fights on a burning plane, surfers, and an invisible car. These fight scenes do not blend together, but stand apart, offering something unique that makes them memorable within the Bond universe. And the characters have something to offer as well. Bond is, for once, shown as a man beaten and defeated. Rejected by British intelligence, we get a sense for his desperation, resolve and inner confidence. Halle Berry, as the leading Bond woman, can hold her own against her male counterparts. She is a refreshingly strong Bond heroine. And another Bond woman manages to turn the tables on both Bond and the audience, creating “Die Another Day’s” biggest surprise. With the recent releases of films like “Zoolander” and “Austin Powers,” where the Bond franchise has become the basis for spoofs and parodies, it is refreshing to see “Die Another Day” find its own footing. It is not concerned in being the prototypical Bond film, but dares to mix the old Bond with the new. There is a car chase between an Aston Martin and a Porsche convertible on a frozen lake. There are the ludicrous meanies who want to redirect the power of the sun. And there is the extreme, absurd final standoff on a flaming plane as it plummets towards the Earth. This is fun stuff. Not brilliant, not enlightening, but fun. Finally, a Bond film has once again found that crucial balance between modern action and some good, old-fashioned Bond fun.
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