The World Is Not Enough (1999)
A Film Review by Mark O'Hara
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It's hard to find a film franchise with more artifice than James Bond. And what ensures the survival of this species is the natural acting of Pierce Brosnan.
The spy who is as ageless as Barbie finds himself the unwitting conveyor of a death weapon, a turnabout he finds most unsatisfying. An oil magnate and friend of M - Bond's boss at British Intelligence, played by Dame Judi Dench - has been blown apart; what's worse, the sacred ground of MI6 headquarters as been desecrated. The businessman's daughter has escaped her kidnappers just in time for her father's funeral. This woman, Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), has inherited the fortune, and immerses herself in completing an oil pipeline that will span western Asia and help supply the entire Western world into the next century.
Our hero sets out to guard Elektra's body, as he believes a dreaded terrorist is back in circulation, and Elektra may be his next target. Of course Bond is successful in saving her life, but then goes out on his own in an attempt to find the evil Renard (Robert Carlyle). During this self-directed sub-mission, Bond encounters a young and brilliant scientist named Dr. Christmas Jones (Denise Richards). It is in an underground mission complex that Bond and Dr. Jones (catchy name, no?) fall into the clutches of the saggy-faced fox Renard - just another level in the game of following the Bond formula. Will James even have time to get friendly with Christmas?
The conflict is more complicated than this, and very formulaic. There's really nothing we haven't seen before. So how does Pierce Brosnan figure? This man's acting is not as stylized as the acting of Sean Connery - the only better Bond. But Brosnan is strong precisely because he calls little attention to the artifice; he simply engages in corny one-liners and then gets into the next action sequence. Somehow he manages to maintain his dignity and wit throughout; it's as though he tolerates the whimsical demands of the script, and focuses his talents on what he's good at - interacting with others in the cast. No one before him has played a more sympathetic Bond. Most viewers won't even get angry at him for the loose morals he continually displays, or for the downright tacky sexual puns. We even get a tiny glimpse of vulnerability. Once it is implied that Bond has lost one close to him, and at various points we are convinced by Brosnan's wincing that his collarbone is not fully healed from the hi-jinx near the start of the story.
As in any Bond installment, the women are beautiful, and Sophie Marceau is believable enough in the multi-faceted role she is called upon to play. As the American scientist Jones, Denise Richards speaks and reacts sufficiently well, but gives herself away when she opens her mouth. With the accent and looks of a teenager, Richards fails to create the illusion of scholarly wisdom and worldly sophistication needed for the role. As Bond's superior, M, Judi Dench acts with understatement; we hope to see her in more scenes than are usually allotted , and we are not disappointed. We even get a peek at the skills that helped her gain her status.
One underutilized character is Desmond Llewelyn's Q. He appears in only two scenes, showing Bond a couple of gadgets and scolding him for stealing a miraculous boat he was saving for his retirement. Yes, it is suggested that he's going, as we meet John Cleese, that master of the cameo appearance, as R, Q's slightly buffoonish yet haughty replacement.
Renard does an adequate job as the main villain. Early in the narrative we are treated to a holographic profile of this evil man. What's scary is that he has suffered a gunshot wound to the head, the bullet lodging in his brain, unable to be removed. Slowly it is killing him. The right side of his face resembles melted plastic, and he sports a shaven head, which causes him to resemble a young Alan Arkin. He is hateable enough, but one wishes for a bit more motivation, a few more explanatory tidbits from the too-slick script.
Robbie Coltrane does a reprise of his character from "Goldeneye," Valentin Zukovsky, offering a degree of comic relief, and support for Bond.
Michael Apted is a very accomplished director -- he was at the helm of "Nell," Gorillas in the Mist," and "A Coal Miner's Daughter," among many others -- and it shows in this film's pace and tone. Apted takes risks here and there, but never goes too far over the top. The chase scenes are plenty, and have the necessary conventions of action. Apted is able to blend scenes of exposition well with the action. His only handicap is the script's lack of detail; the set-up is too fast, and we sometimes find ourselves wondering if we missed something.
The short review is that Apted links his scenes well, and delivers a solid third campaign in Brosnan's naturally suave Bond. This whole franchise has always been a method of delivering sex and style, wit and chase. Don't miss it if you're a fan of things Bond
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