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Die Another Day
(Reviewed November 9, 2002, by James Dawson)
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This is the first of the Pierce Brosnan James Bond movies I've liked at all. Having damned it with faint praise, however, I should add that this might well be the best Bond film since Sean Connery ejected from the series.
Unlike every other actor besides Connery who has played 007, Brosnan is improving with age, as his "pretty-boy" puss matures into a more masculine appearance. This installment in the franchise also has fewer supposed-to-be-snappy groaners (the corny lines Bond says after a baddie meets his end), and its complicated-as-always plot is more coherent than usual.
Here's what else is good about "Die Another Day": Judi Dench, Samantha Bond and John Cleese are terrific as always as M, Moneypenny and Q (as Cleese's character is now known, apparently no longer "R" now that his predecessor is deceased). Newcomer Rosamund Pike is absolutely delicious as the icy blond Miranda Frost. I liked the gritty feel of the movie's opening, which takes place near the DMZ between the Koreas, and subsequent quite unexpected events that range from the brutal to the brutally funny.
What's not so great: Halle Berry has a terrific body but her performance is (believe it or not) far too casual and uncommitted; I just didn't buy her as an NSA agent, even in the James Bond universe. Some of the movie's nods to other Bond films will be appreciated by fans (such as the presence of the jet-pack from "Thunderball" in Q's store room), but the plot's main gimmick is far too similar to that of "Diamonds Are Forever." A few of the special effects are non-state-of-the-art cheesy. Many scenes are framed too closely, when the camera should have been pulled back not only to give a better view of the proceedings but to keep things from getting confusing (such as in the ice-palace car chase). Finally, what's with these painfully generic titles? First "Tomorrow Never Dies," and now "Die Another Day?" The perfect title for this one would have been "Diamondhead," for reasons that will be obvious when you see it.
All in all, this is a Bond flick that's better than it had to be. I'm still hoping Jude Law will take over as Bond eventually, but this Brosnan guy is finally starting to win me over.
Back Row Grade: B-
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