“Die Some other Day” (2002) is without doubt one of the maximum noteworthy of all the James Bond motion pictures.

It used to be helmed via New Zealand’s Lee Tamahori, the director of “As soon as Had been Warriors. The lead is in style Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, in his swan music as the nature. The Bond woman du jour is contemporary Oscar winner Halle Berry.

Additionally, this 007 mystery begins as some of the most powerful, grittiest entries in all of the collection, then is going in the complete opposite route.

It oddly starts on Maui, status in for North Korea (!), as Bond is noticed browsing like true wave god…and because Brosnan’s stunt double for this temporary advent used to be browsing legend Laird Hamilton. All the way through the wild prolog, Bond manages to create chaos against the North Korean army however, nevertheless, is captured and turns into their prisoner.

Bond is brutally tortured, a montage that performs over the outlet credit. I consider it’s the primary time an expectedly surreal 007 opening credit series connects with the storytelling, because the startling imagery (I like the “fireplace” and “ice” dancers and plentiful scorpions) performs into the grueling perspectives of Bond’s harrowing staying power check.

It’s a knockout and maximum sudden approach to get started issues off.

Different firsts: right here’s a 007 film that makes use of The Conflict’s “London Calling” and, a lot later, there’s a Moneypenny love scene that should be noticed to be believed. It’s additionally the primary 007 film with a intercourse scene that in truth seems like one and no longer actors in moderation posing whilst kissing.

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Bond time and again has run ins with an NSA agent named Jinx (Berry) and pursues a rich British famous person named Gustav Graves (performed via Toby Stephens as even though Tony Blair and Steve Jobs have been concurrently portrayed via Hugh Grant), whose reputation stems from public stunts and a larger-than-life character.

Grave’s assistant, Frost (Rosamund Pike, already corresponding to her “Long past Lady” persona) intrigues Bond. So does the whereabouts as a killer named Zao (Rick Yune), and a fistful of diamonds.

As soon as John Cleese’s Q is appearing Bond round and introducing him to the newest devices, the primary hints floor that the movie is ready to run into bother.

Since that is Brosnan’s ultimate access as the nature, we get overt references to the prior Bond entries, a shaggy dog story that labored in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Carrier” (1969) however no longer right here. The prop humor provides approach to the disclose of Bond’s invisible automobile. Then we’re within the villain’s ice palace evil lair/ celebration palace, the ultimate position on earth someone would need to have a mixer.

There’s the ludicrous disclose of a villain’s true identification, using an electro swimsuit or even a browsing scene that brings to thoughts Peter Fonda and Kurt Russell’s captivating pretend wave driving in “John Chippie’s Get away From L.A.” (1997).

“Die Some other Day” is astonishing and no longer for excellent explanation why.

Witnessing how this difficult, refreshingly other roughly 007 mystery develop into a caricature is a jaw-dropping enjoy. The awful nature of the opener and the soaking up rebirth of Bond after 14 months of torture are reputedly forgotten.

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There’s a sword duel, probably staged to the mum of all onscreen fencing battles, this is admittedly excessive however turns out grounded and believable in comparison to the bonkers 3rd act. How on Earth did Brosnan finally end up in part a film, the place one part is a crowning fulfillment as his signature function, whilst the opposite part is without doubt one of the maximum embarrassing within the franchise’s historical past?

Audiences naturally flocked and grew to become this into, on the time, the highest grossing of all of the 007 motion pictures. The start of “Die Some other Day” (in truth, all of the first hour) is so excellent, I need to omit how the painfully corny 3rd act and wrap up turns out like a completely other film hijacked a super one.

A side of “Die Some other Day” that definitely holds up is the casting of Dame Judi Dench as M; neither her predecessor Bernard Lee nor next Ralph Fiennes can dangle the display screen like Dench, whose casting within the function wasn’t simply impressed however crucial to the good fortune of the Brosnan generation.

Dench is so fierce within the function, it provides the movie a middle, even because it is going spectacularly off the rails.

Nonetheless, even the dramatic weight of Dench and the 100 watt aura of Brosnan can’t counter how the 3rd act embraces camp in a what-me-worry type. It’s like the primary hour used to be written via Ian Fleming and the ultimate hour used to be penned via Akiva Goldsman of “Batman & Robin” infamy.

Most likely the speculation used to be hook up with the 007 film lineage, even though that is way more bonkers than the rest in both “You Most effective Are living Two times” (1967) or “Moonraker” (1979).

The plentiful CGI results appeared pretend in 2002, with the electrical energy showing because it does in “Superman IV: The Quest For Peace” (1987). If that sounds imply, simply imagine the standard of the visible results in Steven Spielberg’s “Minority File,” launched the similar 12 months, and evaluate it to this way more pricey film.

Tamahori is a skilled filmmaker, even though a few of his alternatives right here questionable, like useless use of sluggish movement and committing to a grand finale no longer too some distance got rid of from “Mighty Morphin Energy Rangers.”

Madonna’s arguable name music is any other divisive part, even though I to find it a lot more straightforward to protect than the movie itself. Sounding like her “Track” however with calculated CD skips and spare lyrics suggesting the boastful psyche of 007 (“Sigmund Freund, analyze this”), it’s a self-consciously bizarre and hypnotic monitor.

Madonna’s prolonged cameo look within the movie could have been a little bit a lot however her extremely debated music is unorthodox and terrific.

The highs of “Die Some other Day” are so excellent, it’s tempting to signify viewing this for 70 mins, then preventing. Then again, when you watched simply the ultimate 50 mins of “Die Some other Day” out of context, you’d ask why Brosnan used to be starring in a lavish toy business and questioning when Adam West and Burt Ward will display up.

Brosnan’s ultimate stint as 007 is a bizarre beast: one part of the best Bond film ever, the opposite part absolutely the worst. No less than the overall remaining name card didn’t lie: fortunately, the franchise did are living as much as its concluding promise:

“James Bond Will Go back.”