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New Ranking
OHMSS
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LTK
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AVTAK
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Previous Ranking
1. The Spy Who Loved Me
2. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
3. Casino Royale
4. From Russia With Love
5. Skyfall
6. Goldfinger
7. Octopussy
8. Spectre
9. Dr No
10. The Living Daylights
11. Goldeneye
12. Live And Let Die
13. Licence To Kill
14. A View To A Kill
15. For Your Eyes Only
16. Moonraker
17. Thunderball
18. Quantum Of Solace
19. Diamonds Are Forever
20. Tomorrow Never Dies
21. You Only Live Twice
22. The Man With The Golden Gun
23. Die Another Day
24. The World Is Not Enough
Pierce Brosnan – he was always someone who I thought was destined to play James Bond. I always thought that he had the look and the swagger to be 007. Therefore, when this first came out I was very excited to be going to watch it. I wasn’t disappointed at all and loved the movie and Brosnan as 007.
Watching this last night, and thanks to taking part in this Bondathon, I looked a little more closely at his performance. I still think he is really good and, at times, you can see just how much this job means to him. He certainly looks great, and actually looks as if he had just walked off the Remington Steele set and straight on to this.
The scenes with Dench and Bean are where he really shines. The better the actor opposite him, the more he brings to his own performance. His shock at facing Trevelyan, in the graveyard of monuments, is a fine moment, in particular. I love the scene with Q in the lab, he looks like he is really enjoying himself, messing around with the gadgets, getting told by Q. He’s almost the little schoolboy to Q’s headmaster. You can really see that he is very happy to be in the role.
His first “Bond, James Bond” is good I thought, if a little nervy. He walks with a great confidence throughout, tall, chest out and a little swagger. He’s great in the fight scenes, much better than Moore and Dalton for sure. This is, certainly, a movie that shows his joy at getting the part, albeit 8 or 9 years later than he could/should have had it.
Pain face is a no though I’m afraid. Other than that, a solid start to his Bond career.
Izabella Scorupco is a beautiful woman and looks every part the Bond girl. As for Natalya, she’s an ok Bond girl. During the first scene of hers, she’s a simple computer “level 2 programmer” (as Boris put it), but then she’s ok with a gun, or talking about how many feet you need to stay under to avoid radar, correcting Wade during their meeting in Cuba. Either way, she does an ok job, she is a good second tier Bond girl.
One scene she appears in that does confuse me, is the one on the beach. It’s an odd scene that is added (doesn’t need to be there), but it almost feels like it was added just to see Izabella in a bikini. Don’t get wrong, she looks outstanding, but I feel it’s there just to show her off.
There’s a decent rapport with Brosnan throughout, but I never thought that they could really fall for each other. Not as believable as, say, Dalton and D’Abo.
On to the Henchmen and Gottfried John, as Ourumov, is a joy to watch. His performance during this is quite excellent and he is certainly a highlight. I love the faces he pulls throughout, the little smiles of astonishment at Bond during the pts, the look he gives after Onatopps’ slaying of the Severnaya workers, the disbelief he shows after Mishkin (Tcheky Karyo is great, by the way) tells him of one more person alive after the Severnaya disaster. He raises every scene he is in and a very welcome addition to the Bond universe.
Speaking of Onatopp, we have one of the best Femmes Fatales of any Bond movie, played by Famke Jannsen. She is great throughout and her death scene worth of any movie, never mind a Bond. She gains so much joy through her time with the Admiral, killing the Severnaya employees and her fight with 007. I will say, though, I’ve never been sure of the need for all the sex noises during her scenes but they certainly bring across how crazy she is; it’s almost like she has a need to do these things, just to get her jollies.
On to Sean Bean – the villain of the piece. Bean is, and always has been, an actor of the highest order. This movie is no different. His performance is of the highest order. His scenes with Brosnan, particularly during the graveyard scene is superb, great chemistry between the two actors. Bean doesn’t over do his character, like some have and like some others will do, he plays it understatedly and you believe his past and he and Bond being bosom buddies at one point. Never been sure of the parent thing, but compared to the personal stories that will come in years to follow, it’s not much of an issue.
We have the Q lab scene, which I enjoy here and Desmond Llewellyn is on top form, although the use of cue cards is quite obvious. Great to have him though and the rapport with Brosnan is very good.
Samantha Bond as Moneypenny is ok, although I think she is just there to go through the usual ream of double entendre’s that become a staple of Brosnan’s era.
Judi Dench as M – wonderful. She is an actress I have admired for a long time, mainly due to her TV work on As Time Goes By with, future Bond movie actor, Geoffrey Palmer. Here, she is great right from the off, walking in on Bond’s discussion with Tanner and not in the least fazed by Tanner’s “Evil Queen of Hearts” comment. She brings a steely determination to the role and is more than a match for Bond. The scene with M and Bond is terrific, and they play off each other nicely. Bond suggests Cognac, but I love the quick reply of “I prefer Bourbon”, basically telling Bond he will drink whatever she drinks and like it. Her “sexist, misogynist, dinosaur” quip is delivered so well and the rest following it is superb. She’s someone who won’t take any shit from anybody. Her last line of that conversation “Come back alive”, despite everything she just said before, shows that she just care about her 00’s. Great stuff.
We also have the wonderful, Robbie Coltrane who chews up every scene he is in. A great, larger than life, actor who plays Zukovsky with all his might. His first scene, Bond putting a gun to his head is great and, the fact that Zukovsky knows the sound of the gun etc. is a brilliant touch. Really enjoy his “Take a hike” to his mistress as she strangles the cat, and his “SILENCE” to one of his men. Nice little touches to the character that Coltrane brings through very well. I watched the deleted scenes last night, it’s a shame that the one he was involved in was taken out as I enjoyed watching it.
Got to love Boris Grishenko, the geek of the computer programmers at Severnaya. Alan Cumming is an actor I like (I remember watching him in BBC2 sitcom, The High Life, that I used to laugh at heartily) and he is very good as Boris. He, obviously, wasn’t as invincible as he thought.
Finally, Joe Don Baker is back in Bond. Here, as CIA agent Jack Wade, pretty much a Felix Leiter replacement. Another larger than life character, I think Baker is great. Bold, brash, no time for stiff ass Brit’s (initially anyway), he’s a good character to have here as Bond’s contact in St Petersburg. Like him.
On to the Classic Bond Elements and I really do like the gun barrel…….mostly. Brosnan’s straight walk, confident and his turn and shot are great to look at, and it’s a very solid gun barrel. However, the music really does spoil it slightly. Not a fan of the music being played as it’s on screen.
The pts is up there with the best, for me. A great, action packed 10 minutes and a great intro for Brosnan to the Bond world. The bungee being one of the best stunts we’ve seen in any 007 movie. Yes, the geography, doesn’t quite add up, but I can forgive that for such a great sequence.
Some nice locations on show here, the snowy, freezing parts of Russia, the sun soaked Cuba, St Petersburg and the French Riviera. All look great, love the use of St Petersburg for the tank chase and the frozen part of Russia looks suitably dismal. Nice locations on show.
On to the gadgets, I think we knew that the pen was going to come in very handy later on in the movie, due to the showing it got within the Q lab scene. How Bond kept a count of how many clicks that Grishenko gave it is beyond me as I certainly lost count. The Aston Martin was nicely on show and I enjoyed the little touch of the Bollinger and glasses being kept nicely chilled. Other gadgets on show don’t really get used apart from the camera transmitter and the car transmitter giving us the “Transmission begins from Moneypenny”.
The actions starts from the off and never really lets up. The pts is superb, Brosnan is always believable in a fight, especially with Trevelyan (despite some obvious choreography – as has been mentioned before), I actually love the tank chase through St Petersburg and the finale contains some nice action. I almost feel that they took a bit of an idea from Die Hard 2 as well; the scene with Bond and Natalya in the helicopter, trying to escape the missile that is about to hit them and Bond initialising the ejector seat to thrown them out to, relative, safety.
The humour is a lot different to that seen in the Dalton movies before and harks back to the days of Moore, with sexual innuendo’s aplenty. Some I don’t mind, especially in this one and, even more so, because I know what will come in the future. Funniest parts for me are the Q scene and the scene meeting Jack Wade – “Muffy??”. The sexual innuendo quotes just don’t seem to fit here and are more suited to the Moore era.
The plot is as credible as anything we have seen before. Trevelyan’s scheme boils down to nothing more than greed. Steal Goldeneye, set off an electromagnetic pulse and then go “on the rob”. He is nothing more than a thief. It’s all about greed, along the lines of Goldfinger and Zorin.
Martin Campbell does a fine job of directing Brozzer’s first outing as 007. The movies zips along nicely and I was never bored while watching it. The only scene I would take out would be the beach scene. Unnecessary.
Love the opening title design. Things have certainly moved on from the 80’s and, thanks to better technology, we get a great sequence here that fits the movie very well.
The script is fine and works well, mostly. The dialogue between M and Bond, Bond and Trevelyan are all written well. Don’t think it need so many innuendos, even though, these are tame compared to what is to come. Ok, for the most part.
The movie is shot very well, without being mind-blowingly stunning. There are some great locations to look at here but don’t think they are shown off to their full potential. Still, the movie looks pretty darn good.
The music is one thing that lets the movie down. I don’t usually take too much notice of the music in the movies but, thanks to this Bondathon, I have listened more closely. The music during the pts is awful, the scene straight after the pts (Bond/Onatopp car race) I don’t like either, reminded me of FYEO in a funny sort of way. I guess being used to the wonderful John Barry, we have been spoilt, but I don’t think that this is one of the best at all. At the end, as well, as credits start to roll, I got a feel of “All The Time In The World”, before being dragged in to that awful closing song. Blu-ray was quickly stopped.
The editing seemed ok for me, apart from one thing I seemed to pick up on in the pts. When Bond takes over the plane in the pts, he shoots a guy on a bike chasing him; now, whether it’s my Blu-ray copy or not, I don’t remember the gun going off or hearing the shot. It may well just be me and I wasn’t concentrating correctly but it just seemed off.
Everyone on shows looks great in their garb, Brozzer looks great in a tux and the military uniforms all look good.
With regards to set design, there is the Janus base in Cuba, which looks good. I have to say I prefer the model work that is on show here. I read someone say that some of it was very Thunderbird-ish, which is a fair comment but I thought it all looked great.
Well, those are my thoughts on this movie, one I enjoyed watching a lot this time. It’s by no means a perfect movie, but it is very much a great debut for Mr Brosnan.
Also:
Irina wasn’t needed in the movie at all and I don’t see how there was a need for Minnie Driver to make a cameo.
The deleted scene featuring Zukovsky would have fit the movie well, I think.
I’d love to see a movie where Bond gives Zukovsky the limp.
Jack Wade – I want the shirt he wears in Cuba.
Is Jack Wade still driving that car?
Anna – If she sat on my head, would I know she was a woman?
Ok, I’ll stop now. Cheers for reading…
Ha, it was great fun.
(To anyone who reads through this blind, obsessed love letter of a review, I thank you.)
I might as well ask you if all the vodka martinis ever silence the screams of all the men you've killed. Or if you find forgiveness in the arms of all those willing women, for all the dead ones you failed to protect.
JAMES BOND:
Brosnan's first role, and in no surprise, it's my favorite of his. Connery will always be the best in the role, no question, but solely because of this movie and what it means to me, Brosnan will always be my favorite. He might not come out making the role his own, much like Connery and even Moore seemed to, but where a lot of people see nervousness in his take, my fan bias sees something else. For example, a lot seem to feel that his delivery of the iconic line is purely driven by nerves; hell, I think Brosnan even confirmed this in the EoN documentary, saying that he had the culmination of all the previous actors and their deliveries running through his head before he gave the line. In my opinion, however, I think he handles it wonderfully (hell, I'd probably be nervous, too, knowing everything that came before, and considering the fact that it was the first film of his after such a long hiatus, so he HAD to deliver), his eyes fluttering across Xenia's face during the delivery, almost as if he's reading every movement in her facial features.
In the action department, he also shines: fist fights, grand stunts, looking effortlessly cool driving the tank or chasing after the plane during the PTS, he does it all with wonderful precision. Brosnan's Bond was the textbook definition of cool to me when I was growing up, and he still never fails to impress me in this movie.
BOND GIRLS:
Natalya Simonova: Izabella Scorupco finds herself in the category of the innocent Bond girl that's merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sure, her employer isn't wholeheartedly good, but she doesn't have any villainous aims that the likes of Boris or Ourumov do. Of course, it's no surprise that's she's my favorite, a damsel in distress type who is just as confused and lost as Bond is at times, but once it's all pieced together and the finale is set to kick off, she becomes a great asset to 007: narrows down the location of Trevelyan/the second Goldeneye through a spike, helps direct Bond in the plane, alters the access codes to hamper Boris' progress, and finally, through some quick-thinking, hijacks the driver of the helicopter to ensure Bond's timely escape from the satellite. She's wonderful in the role because she isn't entirely useless, but she isn't forced down our throats as "Bond's equal," either.
Xenia Onatopp: One of my favorite femme fatales in the series - she's sexy, cunning, and lethal, which is really all I need. In one instance, she's great at toying with Bond, having a bit of a back and forth in the casino before she leaves him to continue with her own mission, unaware that Bond is on a mission of his own that involves her - or is she aware? In the next instance, she's flexing her "action" chops, either through gunning down the Severnaya employees, or through her "secret weapon": her thighs, which she uses to kill Farrell and nearly kill Bond, twice. She seems rather endearing and relatively sweet once we meet her, but the more screentime we see of her, the more we realize just how unhinged and ruthless she is. She meets a crushing, fitting end by hugging a tree.
Caroline: I like the idea of MI6 sending a psychologist along with Bond for an evaluation, but as for the actress herself, she isn't terribly impressive. Having said that, she showcases her annoyance and irritation quite well during the chase, but that's all thrown to the wayside once Bond pumps the brakes and woos her with a bit of love and alcohol. MI6 surely should've known this is how it was going to end (unless she had a face like a pig).
BOND ALLIES:
Jack Wade: Joe Don Baker, after playing the snobby Brad Whitaker in TLD, gets to return in the form of a good guy this time. I like him even more as an ally, a laid-back, wise-cracking, garden-loving agent who manages to get Bond to Zukovsky's without any issues. He makes his return once more by delivering the much-needed plane to Bond in the Caribbean. After a few more good jokes, I love that he leaves Bond with a bit of a friendly warning - Trevelyan knows he's coming, and Bond knows he's ready for him. Happy to see him get yet another return in the next installment, as well.
Valentin Zukovsky: Robbie Coltrane's first of two appearances as the character, and it's yet another one that manages to impress me with just a scene or two and a few lines of dialogue. After stealing his car, girl, and one working knee years prior, Bond seeks him once more for his help this time, in the form of getting a one-on-one with Janus. After a tense meeting between the two, Zukovsky easily spares him and shares a drink with him in his office as they go over the plan. I do like their first scene together, but it's the moments in the office that really shine for me, the way they go into a bit of World War II backstory that comes into play later with Trevelyan's betrayal. It's all pretty well done, and while he doesn't get a lot to work with (which seems to be the case for several characters throughout), he still cements himself as another wonderful addition to the series, particularly during Brosnan's tenure. His appearance and backstory is a bit more fleshed out later on in TWINE, which is more than welcome, too.
Also, here's a cool bit of trivia regarding his character: Bond shoots him in the knee years prior, which develops the limp. The limp gets worse over time, which requires the usage of a cane in TWINE. This cane is actually a weapon, which he uses to save Bond from the torture chair before dying by Elektra's hand. Thus, by shooting Valentin in the past, Bond saves his own skin in the future. Pretty cool.
Bill Tanner: I've always been a fan of Michael Kitchen in the role, and we get a wise-cracking introduction to him, before M tears him a new one. He's only present in this scene, but he does well enough, in my opinion, with how little time/dialogue he's given. However, this is when the character starts to slowly fall into "useless" territory, spouting off exposition/information for the audience that other characters are much more well-versed on, such as the brief information he stumbles with, until M corrects him. Having said that, I still like him. Side note: in hindsight, it may seem obvious, but I don't believe I knew that Kitchen was slated to return for TND, but due to some scheduling conflicts, the character of Charles Robinson was created for the role - an original role that I not only love, but one that managed to stick around for the following two films, even being alongside Tanner in TWINE.
M/MP/Q:
M: After a six-year hiatus, we're given our very first (and so far the only) female M, in the form of the terrific Dame Judi Dench as she steps in for the first of seven installments. I've always loved her as an actress, and growing up with/being introduced to the series through the Brosnan Era has made it so she holds a special place in my heart. Don't get me wrong, Bernard Lee is the quintessential M for me, but I don't have any sort of hatred for Dench's take like others do. We get our introductions in the Situation Room, as she quickly tears into Tanner's sarcasm. She seems pretty updated on everything that's going on, even besting Tanner once or twice in the knowledge department.
The "face-off" between her and Bond in her office is great, as they share slight jabs at one another in between sips of bourbon. Sure, the way she tears into Bond during this is something we haven't seen before, mainly because she's a woman, but I think it does a wonderful job of showing that she isn't to be taken lightly whatsoever, while also letting Bond know that she does care about 007 succeeding AND surviving, as she leaves him with a final smile before he exits her office. I think the consistency of her appearance throughout is great - not too overdone, but it isn't nonexistent, either.
MP: Samantha Bond takes over as Moneypenny, thankfully, as Bliss was already wearing thin after just two Dalton movies. I think her take on MP gets a bit too exaggerated as the Brosnan movies go on, but here, it's well done. I've always felt that she manages to invoke the same chemistry that Bond and MP had during Maxwell's tenure, until it charters into overdone quip territory, with way too many "in your face" sexual innuendos. Thankfully, that comes later on, and isn't too bad in this movie.
Q: Perfect, no-bullshit pacing makes for my favorite Q Workshop scene with Brosnan's first appearance alongside the wonderful Desmond Llewelyn, who I'm more than happy got to return after the hiatus (was this a sure-fire thing at the time, or were there possibilities of him being recast due to his age at this point? I figured it'd only be a topic of discussion since there was such a long period of time in between LTK and GE.)
Anyway, like I said, he's great here. Q has that short patience with Bond as usual, but we're treated to some light-hearted moments that Llewelyn seems to be having a blast with. His "Along with the rest of him!" line seems to heartily tickle Desmond, and I've always seen his laugh/Brosnan's smirk to be a genuine moment between the two, much like Bouquet's laugh during the car chase in FYEO.
It's tough to not be happy when Llewelyn is making an appearance, and it's equally hard to have a workshop scene that isn't fun or enjoyable, and thankfully, the whole thing shines in this one.
VILLAIN/HENCHMEN:
Alec Trevelyan/Janus: Sean Bean takes over as the big baddie here, which could've been played by Anthony Hopkins at one point; would've been interesting to see, but given the events of the film, particularly the hard-hitting finale between Trevelyan and Bond, I'm glad that Bean got the role. Having said that, it's Sean Bean, so you knew from the start he was going to meet a grisly end eventually.
He does a terrific job at being Bond's polar, yet equal, opposite: equally skilled, trained by the same people, knows the same tactics and methods employed (which is why he so easily negates the mines that Bond places during the finale, with just a press of the watch), while subsequently being on the opposite spectrum of a hero: he's out for blood, revenge, and a lot of money. This is another instance of a villain not getting much screentime until the latter half of the film, but what he does get to work with is more than excellent (the graveyard scene is a standout performance, as is the way he goads Bond inside the train/during the finale bunker sequence as he holds him hostage). He's sinister and deadly, enjoying watching Bond flail in his own ignorance as he chases after someone that ends up being one of his oldest friends, long thought dead.
Aside from a pre-fight shootout, he only gets one proper fight against Bond, but that makes for my favorite fight in the series - a brutal back and forth that has one of them with the upper hand in one moment, and in the next, that same person is getting his ass kicked. They punch, kick, and toss one another all throughout that utility room, with him eventually getting the upper hand on Bond, until he becomes preoccupied with Natalya being in the helicopter and finds himself eventually crushed underneath the falling satellite. My favorite villain in the series, for sure.
"For England, James?"
"No. For me."
Xenia Onatopp: (See BOND GIRLS.)
General Arkady Ourumov: The late Gottfried John makes for a particularly frazzled and nasty henchman, under the cruel tutelage of Trevelyan's orders, as he seeks to clear his name and any evidence that may incriminate him in the Severnaya attack. While Trevelyan seems equally driven by the revenge for his parents AND the vast amount of money awaiting him at the end of his plan, Ourumov only seems in it for the money, working any alliances and backstabbing anyone he can to get his way. He gives a lot of subtle moments throughout that really say a lot about what he's thinking: his smirk as Bond chases after the plane during the PTS shows some incredulous doubt, or the way he nervously gulps down the alcohol from his flask as Trevelyan notifies him that Bond's escape is "Good for Bond. Bad for you." shows just how much he fears the two-faced villain.
His motivations seem a bit more clear in his final moments, as he is taken aback by the fact that Alec is a Lienz Cossack, fearing the same sort of betrayal that took place in the 1940's. Before he's given proper time to weigh his options and what exactly he should do, Bond opts to save Natalya by cutting him down with an AK. Sweet, sweet revenge that's almost a decade late for 007.
Boris Grishenko: The absolutely underrated Alan Cumming plays an ego-driven computer hacker who loves recognition for his work just as much as he enjoys the idea of getting rich off it, he's a treat in this department because he's one of the few characters throughout the series who goes from being good to bad without having to rub the obvious twist in your face from the start. Granted, I wasn't terribly old back in 1995, so the trailers could've made this twist obvious from the start, like the Alec/Janus one. Having said that, obvious or not, I've always liked him, and feel that his specialty makes him a good addition to the vast array of henchmen we've had over the years: he's great with computers/hacking, which is exactly what Trevelyan needs, but he isn't physically threatening or skilled in hand-to-hand combat whatsoever, so he plays his role perfectly before turning into a human popsicle.
I like how a lot of the movies tried to give a unique quirk/standout ability, no matter how small, to the henchmen, and his finger-passing with the pens is a lovely little addition, much like Truman-Lodge's pong ball-passing through his fingers, Stamper's heterochromia, Elvis' wig, etc. That finger-passing technique is something I tried out several years ago, and I'm pretty damn fast at it now.
Dimitri Mishkin: While he may not be an outright ally of Bond's, or even a "henchman," he's still "bad enough" (until he isn't) to make the list, simply because I've always been a fan of Tcheky Karyo. In our first scene with him, he's displayed as Ourumov's superior, of sorts, and plays the role very well, even if we don't have a full grasp of whether or not he's an outright bad guy or not. Even through the wonderful interrogation scene, he's still painted as the one who will be deciding Bond's fate, hence his inclusion in this category. However, just as soon as Natalya confirms who the real enemy is and we find ourselves siding more and more with Mishkin, Ourumov enters and saves his own skin by framing Bond for the murder of Mishkin. Great, but short-lived, character.
STORY/ACTION:
The PTS here helps perfectly kick off the story, at first glance giving us a "throwback" mission that may or may not have anything to do with the events in the film. As the aforementioned mission goes awry, 006 is killed and Bond barely manages to flee the explosion and escape with his own life. Cut to nine years later, and Bond is back to doing what he does best, eventually chasing after the unknown head of a seedy criminal organization, whose inevitable aim is simple enough (stealing a bunch of money) with some Bondian flair thrown on top (destroying London immediately after to wipe out all traces of the crime). Unfortunately, in terms of plausibility, robbing the Bank of London and then destroying London immediately after would render the money all but worthless. Perhaps Trevelyan should just seek revenge through the destruction of London, without a "get rich" scheme that wouldn't pay off.
The action, for me, absolutely delivers throughout the entirety of the film, and it's one of the few installments that seems to kick off as excitedly and wonderfully as the finale leaves us: both are filled with thrilling stuntwork and fun action that holds my attention throughout.
The PTS: Perfection. I'm glad the film opens up the way it does, as the deleted scene of Bond tricking the guards and opening up the gate kills some of the momentum. We're then treated to Bond (or, rather, Brosnan's stunt double, as he doesn't make an appearance himself on the dam whatsoever) taking a breathtaking, record-breaking bungee leap to the bottom of the dam to break into the facility, which never, ever ceases to impress me. (I recall the commentary saying that the last thing that went through stuntman Wayne Michaels' head before jumping was, oddly enough, 'Beavis & Butthead.') Another spectacular thing about the PTS that I've picked up on more than I used to, is the way they manage to keep Bond's bungee jump in frame perfectly, as he quietly falls to the bottom; however, the fact that he pulls out his rope gun and aims it just a couple of seconds before disappearing behind the rocks? So impressive.
After a bit of silent infiltration and disposing of a guard in the bathroom, he meets up with 006, teaming up together to continue their mission. Past the brilliant stuntwork that kicks off the film, their scenes (particularly the shootout/Bond's squeaky escape) inside the room they aim to plant explosives in is my favorite part of the PTS. The way Trevelyan takes out the first two guards and tosses an AK to Bond is an excellent shot, as is the way Bond one-ups the entire room with a mere cart and a couple rounds to bring out the barrels, and we're off.
Just when you think the PTS can't introduce any more stunning shots or moments, Bond takes off outside, cutting down several guards in quick, deadly fashion, before removing the motorcycle from one of them and chasing off after the driverless plane - surely he isn't going to catch up in time, is he? Of course not...until he drives himself off the side of the cliff, still in pursuit, with just enough time to catch up and fly off, as the subsequent explosion rocks off in perfect unison. Sure, it's heavily implausible, but the Brosnan Era is one that can get away with these sort of things, when the series was pure, escapist fun. No grounded realism being shoved in my face here, which is why I can overlook the fact that Bond would've never caught up with the plane, and if he had, he would've surely fell into the driver's seat instead of comfortably climbing into it. What a damn fine PTS this is, perfection in my biased eyes.
Post-TS Car Chase: The only thing that can kill this car chase for me most of the time is the score here; Serra's choice in music borders on cheesy porn music, and it doesn't fit the feel whatsoever. Hell, I suppose it isn't even a "car chase," but more like a friendly race between a good guy and a bad girl who may or may not even know who one another is just yet. Even still, it's fitting enough for the events that have already taken place, and aside from the score, I love it. It's made even more impressive by the fact that Famke Janssen did some of her own stunts, such as the one where her car spins out on the side of the road.
Monaco: The only "action" we're really treated to here is Bond's casual dispatching of the guy on the yacht, using a towel to take him out before using it to dab away the sweat he worked up. Too cool.
Severnaya: We're treated to some Bond-less action as Xenia and Ourumov visit Severnaya to steal the Goldeneye and kill all those involved, sans Natalya and the traitorous Boris. Not much goes down, aside from Xenia showing just how heartless she is by having a near-orgasm as she guns down a dozen or so innocent civilians (or as innocent as you can be, working on a program like that). The puzzled look that Ourumov gives her, which seems to question her sanity, is a wonderful touch.
Grand Hotel Europe: Again, a tiny bit of action, and possibly one of my least favorite moments, due to the odd usage of obvious stunt work for no apparent reason at all. Was Brosnan not available for a few days? Surely he didn't need a double for falling down on a bench and being flipped over by Xenia. Even still, I like how he one-ups her and takes out her assistant (who I've always liked to think is the one that portrays Chuck Farrell, since they look so much alike with the facial hair) to continue his mission.
The Graveyard of Statues: Just a brilliant scene, this one, and one of the better, quieter moments in the film. The only action we're treated to here is the quick-thinking escape by Bond, so he and Natalya aren't killed by the rockets it fires. Like I've said before: when all else fails, headbutt everything in reach and hope for the best.
Russian Archives/Tank Escape/Train Assault and Escape: This just might be my favorite action sequence throughout the entire series, as so much happens with little time to breathe in between all the action, as Bond hops from escaping the archives to rescuing Natalya to attempting to escape once again.
His quick work to flee Ourumov's framing is terrific, as Bond grabs Natalya and an AK and makes quick work of the soldiers upstairs, cutting them down in fast and violent fashion, before re-arming himself and making for the archives themselves, where more quick-thinking allows them to block the door they came through. Natalya unfortunately gives up their positions as they attempt to hide, and they're forced to run once more as Bond kills several more guys and makes his own last-second escape as Ourumov flees with the captured Natalya. All this work is great, as is the usage of the theme song as Bond runs along the upper floor. His actual escape from the archives is shot in a very nice, sweeping way, culminating with him flying out the window and hiding amongst the tanks.
Now, with Ourumov on the run back to Trevelyan's train, Bond takes the not-so-subtle route by driving a tank through a giant wall and pursuing him. This is also another impressive moment in the film, as the tank had to gain enough speed on an empty runway to allow him to fly through the wall perfectly, at the exact same time as the car drifts the corner and takes off, all in one shot. I believe it took quite a few times to get this right, and I feel awful for the guys whose job it was to put all those bricks back when the stunt didn't go according to plan. A lot of heavy-hitting action follows, as Bond drives through statues, over/through vehicles, buildings, etc. to get to Natalya. Sure enough, after besting the local police force and the bad guys on his tail, he locates his target in time, and will somehow magically drive the other way AND catch up to the train; must've been some hidden speed boost ability in that tank!
One final note: I also love that 007 gets one last usage out of the tank by firing a shell straight into the front of the oncoming train, and it's damn lucky that Natalya wasn't in the front car at the time. The tense exchange on the train is another wonderful moment in the movie, and Bond lets Alec flee so he can ensure Natalya is alive long enough to have sex with him.
Bond vs. Xenia: Our last one-on-one with the two, she gains the upper hand by coming in fully armed against someone who just barely survived a plane crash. Kicking his ass up and down the jungle, I like that he takes a brief moment where she isn't paying attention to hook her back up to the helicopter, gunning it down and yanking her along with it, inadvertently crushing her to death against a tree.
Finale: After this, we're finally off: the location of the satellite unveils itself as the lake drains, and Bond and Natalya are back in pursuit to stop Trevelyan. I like how they slide off to the bottom of the reservoir and make their way inside; seems the most obvious route to take, as surely there are hidden entrances throughout, but with the bad guys surrounding them and no easy way back up, they have no choice.
Once they enter, Bond does his thing by making quick work of two guys with his PPK, and this gunfight seems even more intense than the others, given the amount of men and firepower he's up against with only a pistol and explosive pen to guide him. Brosnan's era, in my opinion, was filled with the slightest "cool" moments, and one of the greatest ones takes place here: as he arms the mine, a couple of bullets smack right near his head, and in an undeterred manner, he jerks his head to avoid the impact of them, in a casual manner as if there was a fly irritating him. I love it.
After a very heated exchange between Bond and Alec, the tensions heighten more and more, as Bond gets closer and closer to a number of deaths: being executed by Trevelyan, or having Boris accidentally set off the grenade he doesn't know he's playing with. They eventually escape, and I love how as soon as the explosion detonates, they're both off to the elevator, inside and closing it in mere seconds.
As I mentioned earlier, this is one of the few films that kicks off as strongly as it ends, and this final confrontation between the two showcases why. After they take their own routes in a race to beat the other one to the satellite, they exchange a few magazines of AK fire, before Bond's out and Trevelyan is left with a pistol and only two mags, which he quickly expels the majority of as an unarmed Bond flees as fast as possible for cover against the oncoming fire. The way he dodges the shots and front-flips down the stairwell is awesome; you can even see a shot or two smack the railing just inches away from him.
Finally, after taking Alec's gun off him and putting a round through his arm, Bond rigs the satellite to explode by jamming a rod into the gear belt and pursues after him once more. We're then treated to my favorite fight scene in the series, a violent back-and-forth between the two that ends with both of them bloodied, bruised, and exhausted. One last quick escape (the only escape he's got left, really) by Bond has the two former allies facing off for the final time, several hundreds of feet in the air with hardly anything supporting them from falling off the side. All it takes is Trevelyan taking his eyes off Bond for a split second for the latter to easily gain the upper hand, and finally, sweet, sweet revenge. The kicker here is that such an extreme fall doesn't even kill him, but critically breaks and distorts his body (you can see his leg snap at a horribly awkward angle), leaving him crippled and immobile as he has to watch the cradle collapse atop him. Brutal stuff.
Final Thoughts: If you couldn't tell, it earns the #1 spot in my ranking, and it will never, ever leave that position.
MI6Community Bondathon: (May change at any time.)
1.) GE
2.) DN
3.) OHMSS
4.) LALD
5.) TSWLM
6.) GF
7.) YOLT
8.) FYEO
9.) FRWL
10.) OP
11.) LTK
12.) TB
13.) AVTAK
14.) DAF
15.) TLD
16.) TMWTGG
17.) MR
I thought nobody remembered it except me!
Gosh I love the internet.
GE is in my top five Bond movies for sure, and might make it into my top three on a good day.
This is a real humdinger of a PTS and easily one of my favourites. The opening dam jump was stunning in the cinema, sending a clear message of "We're back and we're at the cutting edge of cool stuff again", and it still looks fabulous today. I like it when we're reminded that other 00 agents exist (and that none of them are quite as good as 007), and I very much enjoy Bond's escape by motorcycle and light aircraft. I don't care that it's physically impossible. Be quiet and leave me to my fantasies.
I remember being very impressed by the titles on first viewing, with all the tumbling Russian symbols, and I still like 'em. About as subtle as a sledgehammer (and sickle), but they get the point across and actually bear some relation to the movie. The theme is...probably the best of the Brosnan era, for what that's worth. (Possibly the problem here is that in my teens I had a cassette of all the themes up to LTK, so I know all those ones really well, and find everything later a bit forgettable.)
Favourite scenes: the post-titles silliness in the mountains is a nice change of pace after all the action, introducing this new Bond, his new world, and an old car. The chase with Xenia is a lot of fun, too; I've done motorcycle trips on similar roads, if not those very ones, and I have had plenty of "oh ****" moments on rounding a corner only to find a bunch of cyclists or a farm vehicle ahead.
The tank chase is another standout for me, even with the obvious product placement (my 007 Perrier bottle is still proudly displayed at home).
I confess I wasn't all that fond of Brosnan's Bond when he was in situ; I found him smug, and his good looks slightly too perfect. I've mellowed as the years roll by, and these days my attitude is: look how much fun he's having, that's adorable. And my goodness, he is having fun: in the DB5, in the tank, in the plane, and so on and so on. I would absolutely get into a vehicle with this man. Even though I'd be carsick within five minutes.
Natalya is a Bond girl with brains and a personality. She adapts very well to going from a programming job in the middle of nowhere to saving the world (she's probably pretty grateful for the change, apart from seeing all her friends massacred), and I enjoy her interplay with Boris. We've all had colleagues like that.
I don’t feel much romantic or sexual chemistry here; she and Bond seem more like buddies who will share a bed or a smooch for mutual comfort when times get rough. And I rather like that.
Bond gets some great villains to play with. I'm not a huge Sean Bean fan but he is a first class actor. Rewatching in the knowledge that he's going to switch sides, I felt I could spot little tells in his behaviour during the PTS. Then he gets some scary makeup and goes full on nuts for the finale, to the enjoyment of all.
Xenia Onatopp is an outstanding creation. Her fetish for violence and pain is terrifying, but also provokes a few laughs, and Bond really seems to be struggling in every encounter bar the final, fatal one. I'd have liked to have seen more of her ace pilot abilities (I think there was a dogfight scene that got the chop, alas).
And I have a soft spot for the raddled-looking General Ouromov, who doesn't seem to be coping very well at all in the post-glasnost era.
The supporting cast is also of very high calibre. We get two superb comic actors, Robbie Coltrane and Alan Cumming, who come across as well-rounded characters rather than caricatures and each have an aura of menace. Joe Don Baker's character takes it just a shade too far for my tastes, though; "Yo! Marines!" indeed!
(I might be guilty of overusing Boris's catchphrase a little. To the point where if I hit caps lock and type IN, my phone immediately suggests INVINCIBLE.)
Meanwhile, back at MI6: When I heard the new M would be a woman, I thought it sounded a bit gimmicky (although presumably inspired by the real-life appointment of Stella Rimington as head of MI5). Then Judi Dench hove into view and immediately became My Favourite M, owning every scene she gets and delivering some of my favourite lines of the entire series. After Pussy Galore, she's my great Bondian girlcrush.
Samantha Bond is a no-nonsense Moneypenny who keeps up the tradition of flirting with 007, but in a way that suggests she's having fun with it rather than pining in the Lois Maxwell vein. Her establishing scene with Bond is similar to the one in OHMSS ("you never do anything with me" / "you've never had me"), hammering home the idea that this is the same James he's been all along.
It's really nice to see Q back; he never puts a foot wrong and the lines he's given are always perfect, no matter what's going on in the rest of the script.
Misc
Planes: A big cheer from me for the Tiger helicopter. I saw this beauty on display at a lot of airshows in the early '90s, as Eurocopter were shilling for a big defence contract they ultimately failed to get. Cool looks, cool name, and star of a Bond movie - what a sexy beast of a chopper it is.
Moving on, because I'm starting to sound a bit weird.
Outdated computer technology: I was laughing at Boris's online activities back in 1995. I 'm still laughing now.
Huskies! I'm somewhat obsessed with huskies. Shame they only get 10 seconds of screen time.
Favourite outfit: Bond's woolly jumper in the Pyrenees car chase. He looks all...cuddly?
And finally: @NicNac pointed out Bond's uncanny ability to count the number of times Boris clicks the pen, and now I can't stop thinking about Sterling Archer and his bullet-counting skill.
I was lucky enough to have a dogsledding holiday in Sweden a few years ago and it was the best time I've ever had :D
Octopussy used to be one of my least favorite Bond movies. I just couldn’t get past Bond in a gorilla suit, followed closely by Bond in a clown outfit. When Roger Moore’s Bond announced to the General and the audience at large, “I’m not a clown, I’m a British agent!” I nearly stood up in theatre and shouted back, “What took you so long to figure THAT out, Rog?”
Well, the passage of years has mellowed me a bit. I tend to grade Bond movies on their own curve. A Sean Connery Bond film is graded against other Connery films, a Roger Moore film is graded against other Moore films, and so forth. While I’m not a fan of the type of humor Moore Bond films are inevitably going to bring to the table, I certainly appreciate the job Sir Roger did as Bond overall. The series was in serious danger of going under post-Connery. Whatever else one may feel about Roger’s Bond, he left the series in a much stronger position when he left the role than it was in when he took the role on.
So: while Sir Roger is not my favorite Bond, I give his films a little leeway. Graded against Moonraker and The Man With the Golden Gun, I’ll give Octopussy a 008 out of 0010. Maud Adams has a very strong chemistry with Moore. She has a mature beauty that lets the issue of his advancing age slide past for one more film (a point that cannot be granted to Tanya Roberts in the next Bond film.) Louis Jordan is great fun as Kamal Khan -- his delivery of the line that we all love (say it with me, folks,) “Octopussy, Octopussy, Octopussy” is a hoot and a half. Steven Berkoff is the best Crazy Russian General ever as General Orlov. Even the henchmen are well cast in this film -- Gobinda is a top flight henchman without being quite in the league of Jaws or Oddjob (and let’s face it, you don’t get guys like that in every movie.) I love the expression on his face when Kamal Khan instructs him to “go outside and get him!” while they’re inside a plane in flight and Bond is barely hanging on to the plane. Mishka & Grishkaare quite memorable with their knife throwing act, and Magda……ah, Magda.
There’s something just subtly…weird…about her face (to my eyes) that makes Magda memorable aside from her athletic skills. Her escape from Bond’s room with the Faberge egg, flipping off the balcony and sliding down the folds of her sari, is one of my favorite moments in the film -- and once I get started counting them, this film is just riddled with memorable moments. And Magda gets at least one more: her embrace of Q during the climactic battle with the Octopussy circus girls in opposition to Kamal Khan’s guards, is (to my mind) a pivotal moment for MI-6‘s gadget master. I think he finally sees the pleasure that Bond gets out of being a field agent…and I don’t think Q would have gone out into the field after 007 in License to Kill, without him having experienced his moment with Magda!
Surely, there’s plenty of over-the-top stuff in this film. I think we all could have done without the Tarzan yell, or Bond telling the tiger to “Sit!” But, bottom line for me is Q’s observation regarding Bond’s visit to Octopussy’s island: “007 alone on an island full of beautiful women? We’ll be here all night!” And what, I ask you, is not to like about a night spent with James Bond on an island full of beautiful women? I’m totally down with that!
A View to a Kill used to be my guilty pleasure among all the James Bond films. Lots of folks don’t like it much…and I can understand their objections. Moore finally is just obviously too old to be playing the part any longer. Tanya Roberts in certainly in the running for the most obnoxious Bond girl ever. Let me say just one word in support of this point, and I’ll say it over and over and over again: “James! Jaaaaaames! JAAAAMMMEEES!” But let us now move on, hoping that just this once Stacey will indeed perish in flames… There are a few too many unsubtle nods to Goldfinger in the plot of this film. And yet…I have a real fondness for this film. Christopher Walken is a wonderfully unhinged villain. Grace Jones is one of the more… unusual… henchperson/femme fatales ever to be presented in a 007 film. (Some people see that as a negative. I do not.) Patrick Macnee has a great interplay with Moore that makes for some significantly amusing moments whenever the two are on screen together.
And, oh, let me just own up to it: as a life-long resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, I just love seeing Bond toolin’ around the City by the Bay. One of the cutting-room floor moments (available online or in some video releases) clearly shows Bond in a boat near the Richmond/San Rafael bridge, observing the Chevron refinery at Point Richmond. This is my old stomping grounds, folks. Anyone who’s ever had the thrill of watching James Bond doing his thing in their old home town has got to admit: you just can’t hate a movie with Bond making a personal appearance in your own neighborhood.
There’s plenty of other cool stuff in this movie that does indeed make it worthwhile: the jump off the Eiffel Tower. Zorin’s massacre of his own men at the mine. General Gogol’s brief scene with Zorin, where he does make it clear that the Russian We Love To Have In Friendly Opposition is still an iron-willed instrument of the State. “Nobody leaves the KGB!” Go tell him, Walter!
SO: As I say, AVTAK used to be a guilty pleasure for me. But now I'm not even going to feel guilty about it. I like it ... somewhat. More than some people, at any rate. My standings at the end of the Roger Moore era are as follows:
1) Goldfinger
2) From Russia With Love
3) On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
4) The Spy Who Loved Me
5) Thunderball
6) Dr. No
7) For Your Eyes Only
8) You Only Live Twice
9) Octopussy
10) Live And Let Die
11) A View to a Kill
12) DiamondsAre Forever
13) Moonraker
14) The Man With the Golden Gun
Goldfinger
the living daylights
from russia with love
ohmss
the spy who loved me
octopussy
for your eyes only
live and let die
a view to a kill
yolt
the man with the golden gun
moonraker
dr no
diamonds are forver
thunderball
i also Love casino royale think quantum is pretyy good think skyfall is shit and spectre is okay, rip it apart
Listen again. To my ears, he's saying that Carver has an "Edifice complex." That is, he likes building monuments to himself. It's a pretty lousy pun, but it's a pun nonetheless.
My previous doubts about Brosnan began to dissipate a little, and I put it down to several (wonderful) years of Daniel Craig's angst-ridden Bond. As Silva would say, it's exhausting. So going back and watching the frothier Brosnan is actually enjoyable and for once quite easy on the eye.
Pierce looks good in this film. Wearing naval uniform, casual, dinner jacket (on and off) he has a certain coolness, he looks comfortable in his skin.
Slightly heavier than in GoldenEye it's clear he has put on a few lbs.
He does still slip into a self parody mode when faced with Q at the airport.
Not once, not twice, but three times he looks Q up and down to suggest he is amused by the garish quality of Q's overcoat. I feel the director should have reigned him in a little,otherwise we are left screaming 'YES, WE GOT THE JOKE THE FIRST TIME' at the screen.
In his scene with Jack Wade Brosnan repeats this visual joke (this time it's Wade's shirt), but thankfully he only does it once.
And at times he feels the need to stress the jokes in case no one gets them.
"Ask the Admiral WHERE he wants his bombs delivering"
But I like him in this film. The director gives the film a lighter feel than we got with GoldenEye (and certainly more so than the overly earnest The World Is Not Enough). It feels like a Bond film even when it loses direction, and it suits Brosnan's style. The actor may have wanted to be Connery but has to accept he is more Moore.
Wai Lin played by Michelle Yeo is an odd one. I have never been sure how I feel about her. Probably the most independent and capable of Bond's leading ladies to date, but is that a good thing?
Paris is Bond's old squeeze. A bit of a back story here for Bond, explored all too briefly. Terri Hatcher gives the tragic Paris a sense of helplessness and muted despair.
Jonathan Pryce as Carver, a return to the crazed villain trying to (sort of) take over the world if not to destroy it. I quite like his performance. Slightly fey but always totally in control of every aspect of his empire and his people.
Vincent Schiavelli has one brief scene as Dr Kaufman but he makes a big impact. He is however there ultimately for a few laughs ("Did you call the auto club?") and Bond disposes of him without too much trouble.
I would like to have seen more of Ricky Jay as Gupta. Some of his card throwing scenes were cut from the film even though the director cast him because he was impressed by this aspect of his magic act.
Judi Dench returns as M, as does the usual crew including new recruit Colin Salmon as Robinson, replacing the unavailable Michael Kitchen. Bland, but sometimes a steady company man is needed to show the flipside of the Gung Ho! James Bond (Rory Kinnear coming up folks).
A good if not spectacular cast in a good if not spectacular Bond film.
Me too. Partly nostalgia, partly, as you say, the relief of going back to a style of Bond that doesn't repeatedly headbutt me in the emotions.
He's not my favourite, but Pierce brought Agent 007 back from the dead and won over a new generation of fans.
Making the best of a bad job.
One of the reasons I enjoy this film is because it does try to include Bond elements wherever possible without allowing it to weigh the film down.
David Arnold allows the Bond theme to sift through his score.
We get to see the Aston Martin although only briefly.
Bond beds the women randomly as we have come to expect.
The much loved scene in Bond's hotel room as he drinks shots of vodka waiting for one of Carver's men to come and deal with him is a moment of quiet amidst the mayhem and Brosnan has never looked so good as Bond.
Roger Spottiswood may not be one of the greatest Bond directors but he certainly was willing to respect the franchise and added a few very nice touches to a film which was apparently in crisis from day one.
A lot of the film was shot in places doubling for the supposed locations, so it's always difficult to assess how well or otherwise these locations are represented. London, Germany, areas of the globe around the South China Seas (seriously can't be bothered to look up where this was actually filmed). During moments of quiet we do get some nice sunsets and overall good use of locations
The film is loaded with action. Not so much the first half which still looks as stylish and classy as any Bond film since the 60s. It starts at a blistering pace and includes Bond escaping from the print factory, and later a car chase in a multi story carpark. Otherwise the half is nicely paced.
The second half however is where Bond and Wai Lin spread death and destruction across the South China Seas. Even so this second hour includes some incredible bike stunts, an enjoyable escape by the pair using the banner on the side of the Carver building and a HALO jump.
The humour comes from the Q scene, Doctor Kaufman and Jack Wade. Bond has a few cheesy one liners that Brosnan seems to have little idea what to do with.
The villain seems to be something of a return to the old days of a mad man trying to rule the world (as opposed to the more recent penchant for drug barons, arms dealers and bank robbers). His dominant control of all aspects of the Carver group is reflected in his clothing - a nod towards the Mao suit.
All in all the Bondian elements are there, giving the viewer a warm glow as opposed to the cold detachment we feel when watching the endless, clumsy nods to Bond's history in Die Another Day.
As a fan of Fleming’s material, I sometimes found it difficult to get through the Roger Moore years. Oh, how I longed for an actor -- and a production -- that would take the material seriously again. For two brief, brilliant films, that’s what we got with Timothy Dalton’s stint as James Bond 007.
TLD is my favorite of the two. I was quite impressed with the way Eon took Fleming’s short story fairly well verbatim…and then used it as a launching pad for a much longer, more involved tale. Dalton is at his best in this initial (post-theme song) scene, clashing with the officious Sanders, scaring the living daylights out of the girl with the cello, and spiriting their defector out from behind the iron curtain in a fashion that can’t be shared with Saunders because, you understand how it is, old boy: Need to Know and all that.
Dalton gets some flack for his less than deft manner with the humorous elements that have become somewhat obligatory in most Bond films. I don’t fault him for that any more than I fault John Glen or Cubby Broccoli for trying to give him some lighter moments as well as the tenser ones that play more to his strengths. He’s trying to do the character in a way that feels right for him, the producer and director agreed with his desire….but they found it hard to move too far away from the formula that had worked so well for so long. In an all-too-human fashion, they tried to have things both ways. Yes, yes, of course we want a grittier Bond than Roger’s been giving us….but would you please give this magic carpet scene a try anyway? At least they were smart enough to leave that less than magic moment on the cutting room floor. At times I think Dalton tried to move the formula in a way that didn’t serve the franchise well. He tosses off his trademarked “Bond, James Bond” introduction in a fashion that says, “this bit isn’t really very important to me. Is it important to you? Tough!” But overall, his Bond is just what I’d been wanting for all those years of saucy Roger’s smirks and quips. His bursting the “Smiert Spionym” balloon just bristles with tension, and the scenes where Bond confronts General Pushkin and his girlfriend in their hotel room, followed by Bond’s public “assassination” of Pushkin, are absolutely brilliant.
I quite like Dalton’s chemistry with Maryam D’Abo as Kara Milovy. She’s just inconsistent enough to register as realistic to me. Sometimes she’s innocent, sometimes she’s cynical, sometimes she’s a damsel in distress and sometimes she’s willing to charge into battle and do the rescuing. Rather than simply falling into Bond’s arms at the first opportune moment we see them edge their way toward a romance that feels genuine in its own slightly loopy way. My biggest gripe with this film, in fact, is the bullet hole suffered by her cello during the course of the pair’s snow-sled escape. Folks, I will believe some of the improbable physics of the James Bond universe because that’s the way Q says it works…but as a musician, I know for a fact that a bullet hole in the top of a cello (especially one built by Stradivarius) is going to ruin the sound of that cello. Kara is NOT going to be able to play that cello on a world tour. Period.
Yes, Whitaker and Koskov aren’t exactly the strongest villains the Bond series has ever seen…but their scheme is about as “real world” as anything the franchise has presented since FRWL and they get points for that in my book. Necros is one of the best blonde Aryan menaces in a long time, and he gets his own theme song courtesy of the Pretenders…plus he gets two of the best fight scenes in the whole darn series: his fight with Bond, hanging onto the cargo net and his fight in the kitchen at the MI6 safe house.
I’m a big fan of the inclusion of Kamran Shah and the Mujahedeen in this film, just because of the impact of real world politics it brings into Bond’s world. I’m entirely in favor of Bond operating in something akin to our own plane of existence. SPECTRE (and other assorted millionaire megalomaniacs) can’t be the sole cause of strife in Bond’s career, after all -- every now and then it’s nice to see a secret agent of Bond’s caliber actually coming into a conflict dictated by the course of world events.
So, bottom line: this is easily a Top 10 Bond flick in my eyes. I think Timothy Dalton never really got a fair deal by being limited to only 2 outings as James Bond, and I rate them both as superlative offerings to this series.
MY CURRENT STANDINGS
1) Goldfinger
2) From Russia With Love
3) On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
4) The Spy Who Loved Me
5) The Living Daylights
6) Thunderball
7) Dr. No
8) For Your Eyes Only
9) You Only Live Twice
10) Octopussy
11) Live And Let Die
12) A View to a Kill
13) DiamondsAre Forever
14) Moonraker
15) The Man With the Golden Gun
Cliches become cliches because they're repeated often enough to become ingrained into our consciousness. Such lines are generally repeated so often because they contain an element of truth that most people can relate to. The occasional judiciously used cliche is not inappropriate, especially in a film about a fellow whose favorite drink is known to bartenders all over the world. "Stirred, not shaken -- I did get that right, didn't I?"
Roger Spottiswood was up against it from day one, what with strikes in Hollywood, deadlines to meet etc. How he managed to produce anything as cohesive and free flowing as Tomorrow Never Dies is something of a minor miracle.
Where GoldenEye was a tiny reinvention of the franchise with Bond entering the high tech world of the 90s, and a new composer trying to update the Bond sound, here we have more of a gentle nod to the past.
Paris murdered and left on Bond's hotel bed is a sharp reminder of Gill Masterson, as is Bond's reaction (keeping his emotions in check).
Being dragged from a lady's bed to attend to more pressing affairs is right out of the Connery era ("James, where are you?" asks Moneypenny, just as Lois Maxwell would have done).
Points off for Bond not knowing how to use Wai Lin's keyboard. Oriental languages at Cambridge my eye!
I liked the use of the camera. On a couple of occasions it was placed practically on Bond's shoulder to give the impression of him being followed. The simple act of Bond walking along a pavement was therefore given a degree of tension.
The opulence of some of the settings, the softer photography, the lush use of strings and smooth jazz offering actual melodies rather than...noise. All of these add to a movie that is so easy to watch despite the shoot 'em up finale.
The titles continue the trend from GoldenEye, with plenty of symbolism based around Carver's media empire.
The plot started so well but really needed a re-write in the final third. We've said that a few times over the years though. Carver is a Robert Maxwell figure, a ruthless press baron who ultimately drowns at sea under mysterious circumstances. It's a great idea, but as said by @Birdleson, the idea is lost amidst a gun crazed final 20 minutes.
Good to see Bond in naval uniform (he always looks good). I like Brosnan's look overall in this one.
The sets representing Carver's vast empire were suitably vast themselves. The hotel rooms were beautiful. Overall it was fitting for a Bond film.
David Arnold has stepped in as composer. He seems to understand the Bond legacy and creates some memorable moments, swapping from orchestra to jazz to pop. The use of k d lang's lovely song 'Surrender' in the Vietnam scenes is also excellent. Nice to hear the song at the end. Sheryl Crow's main title song is okaaaaaaay I suppose.
I think the film ticks most of the boxes. As we all keep saying the last 20 minutes loses it's way, but up until then it's a fast paced, opulent, stylish piece of work.
I'm rather a fan, I have to admit.
Psst, royale, aren’t you falling behind? Well yes. What’s up with that? Well, do to the films and the forums justice, I have to take 3 or 4 hours from my week to watch and dissect each movie, and I don’t have the time, the energy or the inclination to do it. So, that’s the rationale behind your laziness? Yes, that pretty much sums it up.
I’ve always had a strained relationship with GoldenEye. Being a child of the 90’s one would expect GE to be amongst my favourites as it is with so many of My Generation.
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
GE certainly is at the top of the tree for my friends. Perhaps that’s my problem – who wants to be a sheep? If they are going to have GE as their favourite, then I shall choose From Russia With Love. At high school one was trying desperately to have ones own identity, be it fashion, music or indeed films.
I also find GE to be straddling the classic era of films (DN to LTK) with the modern era (TND – present). It doesn’t have the “slickness” of TND, yet it doesn’t have the charm prevalent in the classical era. Chronologically speaking, too, the look and feel to GE, is seemingly closer to LTK than TND, despite the two year gap.
Maybe my disquiet over GE stems from the fact that it feels kind of alien. Just not quite a Bond movie. Which will make some of you start. For many Bond fans, GE is the quintessential Bond film. Yet, the music, the model work, the sets – the “concrete wall” buckles when Bond leans against it after he exited from the floor vent in the PTS, F.E. - all have an underlying cheapness to them, hinting at the budget was not, should we say, expansive as previous entries.
A greatest hits Bond film* that launched our venerable hero into the nineties, and just what was needed after the long hiatus - all the classic hallmarks are there, but given a modern twist. There really is a lot to enjoy with this one, namely a superb primary cast and a very strong script; indeed this script helps anchor GoldenEye’s more fantastical elements, allowing for some rare moments of introspection (think Bond and Alec in the graveyard/underground lair and Bond and Natalya on the beach.) The script also cleverly asks Bond to validate himself in the post cold war era, something he achieves with aplomb.
* I understand completely why the filmmakers went down that route. The Brosnan Era was all about cementing the franchise financially, so of course they were “tick box checking”. Makes fiscal sense. If the filmmakers had gone for a more experimental route, who knows what could have happened to our beloved series.
Despite his nerves, Brosnan came up with the ideal blend of humour and steel, with a little bit of dramatic stuff to keep things interesting. The script helps a lot with this; Brosnan would never get a script as strong as this in his subsequent adventures. Indeed I was quite impressed with Brosnan's performance in GoldenEye - more quiet and unassuming, than his later ones, full of the self confidence, the sense of purpose, that defined Fleming's Bond. I think it has something to do with Brosnan's nerves; it gave his performance a kind of "flinty" quality, which is somewhat lost, as Brosnan got more comfortable in the role. Think off the scene where Mishkin interrogates Bond and Natalya, where Bond is quiet and subtly menacing, as opposed to the scene in The World Is Not Enough, where Bond confronts Elektra, where he is too animated.
The Brosnan era always suffered from weak climaxes, but not in the case of GoldenEye; the film reached a crescendo - in fact both Campbell and Brosnan got more assured as the film went on.
There are a few quibbles, however; the music is distracting for a large part of the film; Campbell's direction during the tank chase - some scenes required a bit of trimming; Boris gets far too much screentime, especially for such an annoying and superfluous character, and the screenplay was too erratic, at the beginning of the movie, flitting between the MI6 gang, Severnaya situation and Natalya's escape to St Petersburg. (Now then ITV, back in the day, used to edit the bit out where Boris, Natalya etc. are mucking about in the Severnaya control room. Instead the film picks off with Boris outside having a cigarette - I prefer this version, much more efficient, and effective.)
All in all in was rather pleased with my latest viewing of GoldenEye. It was most gratifying to see Brosnan's Bond walk off into the sunset, with Natalya in his arms - Brosnan and Scorupco have great chemistry, and Natalya is such a resourceful woman, and such a survivor.
Notes on GoldenEye -
- Of late it was widely regarded that GE felt a little dated. I’m upgrading GE’s status to “retro”.Not as “in its time” as say LALD or AVTAK but not quite as timeless as others in the series.
- I’d rather take Derek Medding’s retro model work over CGI any day of the week.
- Physics be damned – the PTS is rather good.
- Introducing Brosnan in a bathroom stall.
- In Daniel Kleinman we trust.
- Brosnan looks damned good in anything.
- Brosnan is cool.
- Brosnan has that Bondian swagger down pat.
- The Admiral looked like he enjoyed his final “squeeze”.
- Moneypenny has too much hair. Fitting with the 90’s aesthetic I guess.
- There is needle between the fantastic supporting characters of General Arkady Grigorovich Ourumov and Defense Minister Dmitri Mishkin. Which makes them seem like real characters, and not the cardboard dummies one would usually expect from a Bond film.
- Brosnan has real chemistry with each of his ladies, throughout his tenure, I find.
- “Tell him Dimitri!” “Well, it depends..” “Silence!”. Always raises a chuckle.
- There is a zip and effervescence to the proceedings in GE.
- Bond karate chops Xenia. Rather un-PC. Good on Bond.
- “Thwack!”. The sound effects were boosted on this latest viewing. Perhaps it was to do with the T.V. Either way, it enhanced my engagement, sucking into the murky world of post Cold War Russia. And reminds me of the exaggerated sound effects from the 60’s, courtesy of Norman Wanstall et al.
http://www.expressandstar.com/entertainment/weekend/2013/05/22/i-swapped-the-dream-for-job/
- Ah the tank chase. Bond was back.
- It’s good job the producers saw sense and re-scored the Tank Chase. It’s meant to be a triumphalist, bombastic return for Bond, not a discount “Fresh Prince of Bel Air”-equse sound, with added Russian grunts and random noise and instruments. What was Serra thinking?
- When they are in the plane looking for the radar dish, Bond and Natalya are like two teenage lovers, lost in their romance, oblivious to the world.
- Where did all the water go? Bond and Natalya rapidly descend the dish and end up at the bottom, where the water is clearly shown draining into a concrete trench. Are we to assume that the trench, that Bond uses to access Alec’s underground base, is containing all the water, or did it drain somewhere else?
- The smirk from Alec as Natalya clouts Boris one.
- The fight between 006 and 007 is quite diverting!
- Ron Quelch and Syd Cain are in the final credits.
Royale’s Ranking -
1. From Russia With Love
2. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
3. Dr. No
4. Goldfinger
5. Licence To Kill
6. Thunderball
7. The Living Daylights
8. The Spy Who Loved Me
9. Octopussy
10. For Your Eyes Only
11. GoldenEye
12. You Only Live Twice
13. A View To A Kill
14. Moonraker
15. The Man With The Golden Gun
16. Diamonds Are Forever
17. Live and Let Die
Anyway, iwill watch asap and update accordingly. Cheers...
GENERAL THOUGHTS:
Bit late in the week to post this, but figured it was better late than never. While I certainly loved this as a kid, it hasn't set well with me in the last decade, and these days, I surprise myself by almost ranking DAD above it, at times. It was always going to be impossible for this one to be better than its predecessor (in my opinion, anyway), and while it certainly has its strengths and moments, it's a rather weak installment to me. Barring a few good moments (like the PTS and the motorcycle chase, the HALO jump is another highlight), I find most of the action to be rather cheesy and generic, with the sound effects not helping, either, as they're very dull and fake sounding - the fist fights themselves aren't terribly gritty or special, either, being more akin to a bland TV show or a cheesy 80's action movie.
The supporting cast is great, given a bit more to work with without going overboard like the films have done lately. The dialogue is a bit weak throughout, as is the delivery in some cases; this is made even worse when Bond and his superiors are essentially trading sex puns back and forth in their post-briefing car ride, and this is when the Brosnan Era went overboard with the sexual, cringeworthy quips.
In the end, I've managed to enjoy this one slightly more here and there, but it seems to be a rare occurrence. TWINE fares much better, and as I previously mentioned, sometimes I struggle with the placement of this and DAD, as I almost feel like I enjoy more of DAD, while subsequently finding more to despise about it, too. Still, it's not the worst movie in the series, and the parts that are fun make it worth a viewing anytime.