Tomorrow Never Dies
A Review
By Jeremiah Rickert
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode
I had been comfortable with the idea of Pierce Brosnan as 007 since the early 80s when he was originally slated for the role. Goldeneye was a slight disappointment, however, as James Bond just didn't seem much like James Bond. With Tomorrow Never Dies, both Brosnan and those who write for him as Bond seem comfortable with each other, and the long lasting series of action films seems destined to continue for a long time.
This latest offering, for the most part, can compete with various Bond classics on some levels, but falls a bit short in others. The plot concerns the attempt of Media Mogul Elliot Carver to dominate the reporting of news by making news. Carver is played with beautiful, slimy, arrogance by Jonathan Pryce (Glengarry Glen Ross, Evita, Miss Saigon, Brazil). He wants to push China and Great Britain into a war and make sure his cameras are there to see it. He tricks a British frigate into invading China's waters, and then sinks it and shoots down a Chinese plane with his hidden stealth boat. This forces the two great superpowers into a showdown, with him in between, firing in both directions, and getting the news scoop at the same time. It's up to Bond to reveal Carver's hand and stop what could lead to a nuclear war.
On the way Bond runs into an old flame played by Teri Hatcher (Lois and Clark, Heaven's Prisoners), and a Chinese agent with the same mission played by Michelle Yeoh (Supercop). Yeoh lights up the screen with her martial arts acrobatics and some of the same swaggering and gadgets that Bond is famous for. I have to say I would look foward to her appearing in future Bond films. Despite the fact that they both work "alone" as agents for their respective nations, Yeoh's Mai Lin and Brosnan's James Bond make a good team. Joe Don Baker also reprises his role as the American CIA agent who seems to loud and boisterous to do anything remotely secret. (Am I the only one who remembers he was a villain in "The Living Daylights?)
The action in this film is good, and there is not too much of it, as there was in Goldeneye. The stunts are outlandish and over-the-top as in most Bond films, and we were treated to some bond traditions such as the obligatory car chase and some underwater action, not to mention a nail-biting opening sequence where Bond flies by the seat of his pants. (Literally). There was a lot in this film that you just do not see in the run-of-the-mill action film, or if you do, it is so watered down that the excitement is completely lost. (See The Peacemaker).
Finally, the thing that nagged at me throughout the whole movie was the interaction between Bond and his former flame, played by Teri Hatcher. When he sees her he acts like his misses her, and has this intense sadness and longing in his face that we NEVER, and I mean, NEVER except from 007. The usually aloof and arrogant James Bond looked whiny and depressed, and that cut into the Bond mystique. It's almost like PC has caught up with the world's least PC agent. They dealt with that issue in a very hilarious way in Goldeneye, but I think they dropped the ball on this one. I wonder if it has anything to do with the death of Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, who had been the series producer for some time. I was reminded of similar scenes in Batman Forever (well, just about every Batman film really) where the Bat and the Belle De Jour (Nicole Kidman in this case) discuss his Dark Past, and reflect on his deep dark character flaws, and he opens up and is just a man. James Bond is not A MAN, he's THE MAN. That is the way that Fleming created him, and that is way he should be, humanizing a character that is so well-established, changing them, is a detriment, not an improvement.
Despite that major flaw, I found that the villian was slimy and great in the Bond Tradition, yet still a progression from those in the past, the action was wacky and "yeah-right" but still entertained, and the writers managed to write one-liners and jokes that were funny, and not so obvious, like the best from the Connery and Moore days. There was a good balance of Humour and Action and Suspense, but the little bits of Character Drama threw off that balance a bit. Despite that, I enjoyed the film, and think it's the best Bond film since For Your Eyes Only.
My rating, of the $6.50 I paid for it, it was worth $6.50
(c) 1997 Jeremiah Rickert
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