Goldeneye
Starring:
James Bond- Pierce Brosnan
Natalia- Isabella Scorupa
Xenia Onatopp- Famke Janssen
006/Trevalyn- Sean Bean
M- Judi Dench
Q- Desmond Llewylln
Jack Wade- Joe Don Baker
Zhuchovsky- Robbie Coltrane
Boris- Alan Cumming
Arkady Ouromov- Gottfried John
Defense Minister Mishkin- Tcheky Karyo
Moneypenny- Samantha Bond
Based on characters by Ian Fleming. Story by: Micheal France. Screenplay by: Jeffrey Caine & Bruce Feirstein. Directed by: Martin Campbell. Released: 1995. My Rating: *****. Position on my top 20: 16.
Plot:
The movie opens with Bond breaking into a chemical weapons facility in Russia, or the USSR.
Inside, he meets his partner, and alleged friend, 006. They succeed in infiltrating the facility,
but Bond believes it to be too easy. They set mines, with timers to six minutes, then they are caught.
After some valiant fighting, 006 is 'captured' and Bond is told to give up or 006 will die.
Well, Bond sets the timers down to three minutes, and manages to leave. However, 006 gets killed.
Bond then makes an amazing escape involving a plane, a motorbike and a cliff.
Now, nine years later, Bond meets an amazingly beautiful Russian woman named Xenia Onatopp. Bond is suspicious,
of course, and follows her. Turns out, she's an operative for the Janus crime syndicate in Russia.
Then, we see her killing a Canadian Admiral during sex. Thighs of steel. The whole thing is a plot to steal a
state-of-the-art French helicopter; one that is impervious to electronic interference. Her and her accomplice manage
to steal the helicopter, and leave Bond in the dust.
Now, we change focus to Russia, where we meet two more crucial characters. Natalya and Boris, computer programmers of the
Goldeneye sattelites. The Goldeneye emits an EM pulse; an extremely devastating weapon. That is Xenia's destination, along with
(gasp) General Arkady Ouramov. He was the one who killed 006 nine years earlier. They then kill most of the programmers, and destroy the
installation with one of the Goldeneye sattelites. There is still another one.
This sets up Bond to go to Russia, find out who stole the sattelite, and who survived. After dealing with an ex-KGB agent whom Bond wounded
years before, he finally meets Janus. And lo and behold, its Alec Trevalyn; 006!
Trevalyn attempts to have Bond killed, along with Natalya, but in spectacular bond fashion, they escape. But, they are then captured by Russian
authorities, led by Defense Minister Mishkin. This leads to a spectacular tank chase through St. Petersburg.
Once out of the city, with Natalya in Trevalyn's hands, Bond confronts his former partner. The man narrowly escapes, and Bond and Natalya follow him to Cuba.
Once there, they find the new dish and destroy it.
My Comments
Okay, this is the best Bond movie.
There is tons of action, wonderful acting (Famke Janssen as Xenia is my favorite.), and humor to spare. It resurrected the Bond franchise. After Timothy Dalton,
Pierce was God to Bond fans. He brought a vulnerability to the role that neither Dalton or Moore had. He is a more Connery-ish Bond, and is the best.
Overall, the movie is stunning. It moves at a swift pace, despite its 2 hour plus length. But more importantly, it tries very hard not to become a standard Bond movie.
It is a wonderful film, overall, and not just a wonderful Bond film.
Tomorrow Never Dies
Cast
James Bond: Pierce Brosnan
Eliot Carver: Jonathon Pryce
Wei Lin: Michelle Yeoh
Paris Carver: Teri Hatcher
Stamper: Gotz Otto
Jack Wade: Joe Don Baker
M: Judi Dench
Q: Desmond Llewlyn
Moneypenny: Samantha Bond
Based on characters by Ian Fleming. Written by: Bruce Fierstein. Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode. Released: 1997. My Rating: ***.
Plot
After a British ship is seemingly destroyed by two Chinese MIGs, the world is poised on the brink of World War III. The news is reported by the Carver Media Group before even the governments know the full results, so Bond is sent to investigate Eliot Carver, the head of the group. Bond has a past with Carver's wife Paris, and uses that to get close. She gets killed, and Bond teams with Chinese agent Wei Lin to take down Carver, and stop him from agitating the world into a nuclear finish.
My Thoughts
Compared to Goldeneye, it wasn't quite as good. However, it was still a good romp, including a post Lois & Clark, pre Deperate Houswives Teri Hatcher, the on the rise Michelle Yeoh, and the irrepressible Jonathon Pryce. Brosnan's Bond had lightened up here, and became a hybrid of the serious Dalton Bond and the wisecracking Moore Bond. Not nearly as serious as Goldeneye, but still doing a good job. It was enjoyable, and still is.
The World is not Enough
Cast
James Bond: Pierce Brosnan
Electra King: Sophie Marceau
Renard: Robert Carlyle
Dr. Christmas Jones: Denise Richards
Zuchovsky: Robbie Coltrane
M: Judi Dench
Q: Desmond Llewlyn
R: John Cleese
Moneypenny: Samantha Bond
Based on characters by Ian Fleming. Story by: Neil Purvis and Robert Wade. Screenplay by: Neil Purvis, Robert Wade & Bruce Feirstein. Directed by: Micheal Apted. Released: 1999. My Rating: ***.
Plot
After oil tycoon, and old M chum, Sir Robert King, is killed, Bond investigates. That investigation leads to King's daughter, who had been kidnapped by Renard years earlier. She has inherited her father's company, but there are unexplained sabotages which go back to Renard. The explanation is all to clear, and very sad, in the end, but Bond must do the right thing where the world's oil is concerned.
My Thoughts
Another solid entry by Brosnan, although bordering on the formulaic. We see the death of Zuchovsky, which broke my heart, and the introduction to Q's replacement. Although he is credited as R, John Cleese's character is never given a name in the movie. This is the last appearance of Desmond Llewlyn as Q, the longest recurring movie character of all time. He passed away not long after this film was released. The main complaint was trying to buy Denise Richards as a scientist. Not happening.
Die Another Day
Cast
James Bond: Pierce Brosnan
Jinx: Halle Berry
Gustav Graves: Toby Stephens
Miranda Frost: Rosamund Pike
Zao: Rick Yune
M: Judi Dench
Q: John Cleese
Moneypenny: Samantha Bond
Based on characters by Ian Fleming. Written by: Neil Purvis and Robert Wade. Directed by: Lee Tamahori. Released: 2002. My Rating: ****.
Plot
Bond is captured in Korea and held prisoner until he is traded for a top general's son. He gets back to health, and attempts to get revenge. What he finds is a tycoon using diamonds to create a super weapon, and a woman CIA agent who just may be his equal.
My Thoughts
As Brosnan's final Bond, and released on the 40th anniversary of Dr. No, this is one of the best. It shows Bond once again as vulnerable, but strong. And it matches him up with the best Bond Girl yet. Jinx had the goods to be Bond's equal, and was rumored to have her own film, which never materialized. The whole film is riddled with homages to previous Bond films, but actually holds up as its own story. Once again, as the end of an era, it was one hell of a way to go out.
