Die Another Day ---- *** (out of 5) (2002)
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, Rosamund Pike, Toby Stephens, Rick Yune
Director(s): Lee Tamahori
Screenwriter(s): Neal Purvis, Robert Wade
Released on: November 22, 2002
Reviewed on: November 30, 2002
Rated: PG-13 - for action, violence, and sexuality
I haven't been around long enough to truly appreciate the evolution of the James Bond era, but I've seen plenty of them before and I'm rather surprised at what the series has become in this 21st century movie reality. If you don't understand what I mean, then I'll simplify it. In no way, shape, or form should DIE ANOTHER DAY be compared to an old Bond film like DR. NO.
James Bond, the British spy and assassin, is sent to North Korea to infiltrate an army base under an alias, of course, due to his notorious fame throughout the crime world. But, once identified, the dust hits the fan as explosions and ceaseless gunfire take up the entire screen along with everyone's range of hearing. Bond ends up killing the son of Colonel Moon and this angers the Koreans enough for them to take Bond hostage and torture him for 14 months. Eventually, Bond is given freedom as he is handed back over to his people in exchange for the Koreans taking back Zao, an unfortunate man whose face was damaged by out-of-control shiny objects that flew from the briefcase of diamonds, which Bond lovingly packed with C4. Once free, Bond decides to take matters into his own hands by searching for the person who let the Koreans know his true identity. His search leads him to encounters with the new Bond girl, Jynx, along with new insane villains focused on the typical task of world domination. One of them is a mysterious diamond collector named Gustav Groves who we find out has a special link to the deceased son of Colonel Moon.
I'm afraid that, at this point, I must sell my soul into believing that the James Bond saga has officially lost its old style. The old films were subtle and only had action when necessary. But this new release, packed with rehashed material, seems to want to outdo itself with outrageous stunts and absurd action that numbs your mind after about three minutes of it. Luckily for me, there were usual 15 or 20-minute interums between each big breathtaking action sequence. First, there was Bond zipping through the muddy woods of North Korea on a hovercraft while clearing a minefield with an Uzi and dodging wild shots from a large flamethrower. Then there was a good break for explanation where Bond was given his usual assortment of high-tech gadgetry, including a ring that you can activate that will break any type of glass once you make contact with it, and a fast sportscar that will completely camoflauge itself into its surroundings, making it invisible. There was a milder fighting scene in there between Bond and Groves. Second, we had a loooong car chase between Bond and Zao through the corridors of a melting ice hotel, which ended cataclysmically. Third, we had the last major battle between the main enemy on a burning plane that was violently plummeting to Earth.
If you can't handle a film that moves at a fast and energetic pace only to throw more intensity at you and not let up until you're going into cardiac arrest, then DIE ANOTHER DAY is not the film for you. But, if you're a young and sporty kid who likes a good heap of action, then I highly recommend this. I apologize for possibly misleading you these past two paragraphs into thinking that I spotted nothing but flaws in DIE ANOTHER DAY. Once the ending credits were done rolling, I found myself enlightened by this fast-paced romp enough to consider it a good film for a weekend when there's nothing to do.
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