Production Year: 1997 - Action/Adventure - Director: Roger Spottiswoode - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Pierce Brosnan, Teri Hatcher, Don Baker, Judi Dench, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Samantha Bond, Geoffrey Palmer, Christopher Bowen, Desmond Llewelyn, Al Matthews, Terence Rigby, Pip Torrens, Vincent Schiavelli, Julian Fellowes, Michael Byrne, Ricky Jay, Rolf Saxon, Nadia Cameron, Brendan Coyle, David Ashton, Colin Salmon, Gotz Otto, William Scott-Masson, Hugh Bonneville, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Gerard Butler, Jason Watkins, Bruce Alexander, Adam Barker, Laura Brattan, Daphne Deckers, Anthony Green, Andrew Hawkins, Philip Kwok, Eoin McCarthy, Hugo Napier, Liza Ross, Dominic Shaun, Mark Spalding, Colin Stinton, Cecilie Thomsen, Vincent Wong, Nina Young
Hello and welcome to my review of Pierce Brosnan’s second appearance of Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies. The version I am reviewing is the two-disc Ultimate Edition.
As you can imagine, this was only the second Bond film to be released since Licence to Kill back in 1989 and the hype around the film was justifiably huge. Brosnan had cemented his role as 007 and audiences welcomed him back to the role with a great hunger for another film to be released. The film was release in the UK on December 12th 1997, with the Odeon Leicester Square holding the premier three days previously. A film had to be released in 1997 as that year was the 35th anniversary of Dr No.
---The Plot---
Two years after the massively successful GoldenEye, Brosnan returned for a second time as James Bond. This time things were different to the previous production, the story revolved around a media baron who wants to start World War III between Great Britain and China so he can get exclusive broadcasting rights of coverage on his new satellite news channel. With little evidence that is obtained pointing towards Carver himself, Bond is sent by M to find out what media baron Elliot Carver is planning behind the façade of his business and to potentially stop World War III.
---The Film---
The film lasts for 119 minutes, in that time you see Bond travel to exotic locations and see Bond in some nerve racking predicaments that only adds top the suspense. A usual Bond is given back up from his support team of M, Q and Moneypenny, this time with the addition of Charles Robinson played by Colin Salmon. This works and it works well as you see M’s support team and how they work together. A good example of this is the pre-title sequence where Bond is sent to a arms bazaar in the mountains of the Russian border. When the British launch a missile at the bazaar Bond notices there are missiles of a nuclear nature, Bond decides to react so proceeds to take charge of the plane that the missiles hang from. A very entertaining seven minutes in total and leads nicely into the title sequence and Cheryl Crow’s slightly downbeat title song. Personally I though the end song by KD Lang was much, much better as this had the Bond feel and sound, it was also on this that the soundtrack was based on throughout the film.
Although the title of the film is not a Bond novel in its own right, the films story is everything that you would want to expect a Bond film to be. Writers Neil Purvis and Robert Wade have delivered a super script that works well on paper, unfortunately when transferred to the screen it looks out of character as a Bond film as it seems the trusty book of ‘How to write an action movie’ has been used. as there is more violence and shooting going on than in previous films, Bonds character just seems to pick up a gun and literally do an Arnie. This is evident in the scenes towards the end of the film where Bond walks down a corridor with a machine gun just shooting the enemy soldiers. What I am saying is not out of character for a man is a killer by trade, but for a film where the character at times uses his brain to get out of a situation it seems that the writers have used the description of Bond – can switch from a gentlemen to a killer in a flicker – more than enough, although this is to a degree entertaining it is a template for other films with the likes of Willis, Stallone and Schwarzenegger that could have been doing this and no-one would have noticed, but this is a Bond film after all. When this scene takes place in the film, my first thought was Die Hard.
Throughout the production of the film the director, Roger Spottiswood had a number of issues to contend with, including script re-writes which if your foundation material isn’t working properly then this is going to cause a feeling of angst on set. This is exactly what happened and for the first time this got back to the press which had a field day reporting on this. Talking of the Director, the camera angles are sharp and fresh and always fluid. For me this gave an added enjoyment as the tension is raised and with the soundtrack which was scored by David Arnold, whose was doing this for the first time. His soundtrack utilises the Bond theme at just the right places and also bring a new angle with how and when the music is played and at what level.
Gadget wise we have some things that I felt would never be seen in a Bond film, a remote control BMW and a mobile phone that could be useful on the London Underground. The mobile phone is used for a number of things included driving the BMW. Omega watches also get some advertising space… oh sorry product placement with Brosnan in a blatant pose with a watch in his hand. This is something that I have said before and this was something was going to increase over the next few films. It annoys to think that the script and storyboard has to be curtailed to include this for sponsorship of the film, I wouldn’t mind if it was subtly, but it was not, it was doe in your face. To give good examples watch out for the Smirnoff Vodka place where the label is turned to camera I the scene with Bond and Paris in the Hotel room. This spoils the film. Thankfully although this was reduced in Casino Royale, it was nowhere near the lengths when comparison is made. The producers had actually listened.
At the original time of release it was certified as 12, the DVD is a 15 certificate due to a number of additional screams being placed on the soundtrack.
---The Cast---
As you saw in the previous film, Brosnan prefers to play Bond as more of a human than a super hero, in this film you see him in an awkward position, one of Bond meeting one of his ex’s in the form of a lady called Paris, played by Terri Hatcher, who Bond had a relationship with before, he still has feelings for her, but is taken aback when he is told that she has married Elliot Carver. This was the main reason why Bond was given this assignment as he literally had a foot in the door already. Brosnan also wanted Bond to be seen as a more muscled and defined hero, and although he has the frame to do this, in some scenes it doesn’t pay off that well and he can look quite bulky. Although he does look good, he was 47 when this was made and he doesn’t show that at all in the way he moves and runs.
The other Bond girl in the film is also one of the best choices in the series. Michelle Yeoh is a well Hong Kong cinema actress and in this case breaks the mould from any previous actress. In fact in one scene she is given the chance to bust loose and her martial art moves and takes on six men on her own, oh and wins and manages to get Bond’s respect as well. She is every part as equal as Bond and can show she can take care of herself. The character works extremely well and is a total breath of fresh air, as her methods are totally chalk and cheese to Bond. She holds the rank of Colonel in the Chinese Army. There was also a rumour that she was too make a return in the next film, unfortunately this was not too be, this was a shame as the character would have worked well.
The villain is played by Jonathan Pryce, a well known actor who has recently appeared in all three Pirates of the Caribbean films. He plays the character of Elliot Carver as a hungry media baron, publisher of a newspaper called Tomorrow. Carver wants to be top of the pile and will stop at nothing to get to that position. The role is played in a manner that the character is somewhat disturbing whilst bordering on frightening and by the end psychotic, a good addition to the Bond legacy as Carver is a reflection of a number of people in the media industry combined for what he sells, media, computer software and television. All being sold in such a way that it extracts the optimum amount of money in the process. It is this greed that keeps Carver going and you really see how evil he is to get what he wants at the beginning of the film when a British warship is attacked.
The other Bond girl in the film is played by Terri Hatcher, at the time she had just finished playing Lois Lane in Lois and Clark. As I said earlier she plays Paris Carver and is the wedge that Bond uses to get into Carvers circle. Although Hatcher is onscreen for only 7 minutes she does add an extra dimension to the story as she is one of Bond’s ex’s that has returned. This has never occurred in Bond history. Her role as Carver’s wife is a tough one to play as she doesn’t trust Elliott on some of his actions, she wants to make and difference against Elliott and uses Bond as much as he uses her. Trouble is that Bond knows it as well. Her lines with Brosnan work well as it was rumoured that both of them did not get on at the time and although her screen time is limited you do feel that she had feelings for Bond which you do see resurfaced as see Bond not necessarily break but wobble as he lets go with his feeling for her.
M played by Judi Dench return and she more ballsy with Bond as well, a highlight is the scene with another character called Admiral Roebuck who is played by Dench’s on screen partner from the comedy ‘As Time Goes By’ Geoffrey Palmer. Great banter between the two of them with M getting the last word. Dench plays M slightly more aggressively than before and this really does pay dividends and gives some insight into the character as well.
Q is played by Desmond Llewellyn and brings a small amount of humour to the screen; he also introduces Bonds new BMW 750i. Q’s role is small in the film but for the time that he is on-screen you know that Bond is going to be given something to get him out of a situation. This time it doesn’t fail.
Moneypenny returns and is once again played by Samantha Bond who gets a larger role in this than GoldenEye with more screen time. Most of her scenes with Bond take place over the phone with some great exchanges between Bond and herself. Overall this is a great international cast, the star of the show has to be Michelle Yeoh for one reason and that is simply because she can look after herself.
---The Extras---
As this is the Ultimate Editions, there is plenty to see. Here goes……
Audio commentary - Stunt co-ordinator Vic Armstrong and Michael G. Wilson Audio commentary - Director Roger Spottiswoode and Dan Petrie Jr Deleted and extended scenes with introduction from Roger Spottiswoode Expanded angles with introduction from Roger Spottiswoode The Secrets of 007 featurette Storyboard Gadgets featurette The World of 007 featurette Moby's remix of the James Bond theme Interactive guide tot he world of 'Tomorrow Never Dies' 007 Licence To Restore - detailing the Bond Ultimate Edition restoration process Original trailers Photo gallery
Wow. The highlight for me is the Deleted Scenes as this includes a scene which I thought would have worked well. Obviously the Director didn’t think so and he explains why these scenes weren’t included. This not only gives an explanation but also an idea of what is cut and why it has to be cut out, I would have liked the opportunity of having these placed into the film to make up my own mind in a similar way that you could with the Star Trek DVD’s.
This is a great package of extras, there are two commentaries placed on the disc which makes interesting listening while watching the film, as these give some background to the film and the issues encountered in production. The inclusion of a storyboard comparison to film is excellent as this shows how closely the angle and pans are followed to. The documentaries that are included don’t let the side down either and ensure that the high level of information that is shown and passed across is maintained. All in all these give some background in quite some depth to what is undertaken with a production of a Bond film.
---Overall---
Overall this is a worthy addition to the Bond franchise, although the scenes with Bond and a machine gun do look violent and are a different from previous films you do get the impression that effort is being made to move away from the Roger Moore era completely and turn a fresh leaf.
The chase scenes are very good and raise the story in the right places; unfortunately everything is BMW in the film, the car and also the bike as well. That is a bit of a letdown, although we do see the Aston Martin at the beginning when Bond is visiting a female friend in Oxford we only see it driven into the Ministry of Defence.
Some of the characters are underused, especially Stamper who is the beefy henchmen, who looks the part but is not really given much to do as Bond has avoided contact with him. We see the main character is the film in different locations, for example we don’t see M in her office at al but in the war room and holding a briefing in her limo whilst being escorted through London. Bond is shown in Naval Uniform, something we haven’t seen since ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’. It is little things like this that have added a new freshness to film. This films is a good sequel to GoldenEye and works well when watching the film, there are a lot of sequences that involve an amount of high octane action. For me it is Brosnan’s acting of the main character, as he is still relatively new to the role he is the focus in the film and at times you do get the idea that he can be hurt, there is blood shown on his face and he receive some punches as well. The character of Bond in this film turns a corner; he is issued a new Walther pistol, not the Walther PPK but the new Walther P99. He also has a large amount of vulnerability as well as in scenes that he is cornered you see Bond get nervous, a good example is the scene in the recording studio.
This film was made before 9/11 and to be honest it shows, the whole story centres on conflict a catalyst causing trouble to profit. I watched this on DVD about two months after 911 and some of the scenes I found somewhat boring and unnerving to watch and in some places upset me. I wont say which ones as I don’t wish to spoil it for anyone who has yet to see this in its entirety I think this was because I had family involved in that day. I watched it again only yesterday and never felt anything at all. I can only guess that the images of that day affected me at the time more than what I thought.
---Availability---
All the usual places are still stocking this, there are two versions doing the rounds at the moment the two discs and the singular disc. You shouldn’t be paying anything more than £14 for the 2 disc set, if you can get hold of the cardboard sleeve as well that will be a bonus as that is the first run editions of the DVD in this release. Maybe not much but with the additional sleeve they look bloody good on the shelf.
Until next time thanks for reading, and take care. Tim
