[FILM] Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

A solid follow up to Goldeneye. And one that ive always preferred over it for some reason.

Apparently this film was rushed in production and suffered from constant rewrites, though overall the end result doesnt seem to suffer.

Interestingly this is the first Bond film where we actually see him sleeping with a married woman. The films first Bond girl, played by Teri Hatcher.

This character also provides the personal motivation for Bond in this film, since she is married to the villain and was a former girlfriend (apparently quite serious) of Bond.

This is an interesting idea that really wasnt used well at all. Paris Carver as a character isnt interesting enough. And neither the relationship between her and Bond or her and Carver is explored. She sleeps with 007 hours after being reaquinted, even though she's married. And her husband has her killed. Even in a Bond film, which arent exactly character studies are motivations equality explored.

Brosnan by this time feels total at home in the role. He's a pillar of quick witted competence surrounded by an insane world of explosions and action. The key to any successful Bond portrayal is absolute confidence, and pretending not to notice that the scenes you are in are essentially mostly ridiculous.

The second and main Bond girl fares a lot better then the first one in this film. Michelle Yeoh in a role similar to that of the main Bond girl in The Spy Who Loved me, a communist agent on the same case as 007. Yeoh has excellent screenpresence and a very good chemistry with Brosnan. She's also excellent in the films stunt and action scenes.

The film has many of them. Starting out with a s plane fight at an arms deal, then a rather nice carchase where Bond drives the car from the back seat. But the center piece is the impressive motorcycle chase though a Vietnam cities center. Gone are the days that stunt doubles did all the location work and the actors just stood in front of a blue screen. This is a extravangant yet tightly shot action spectacle where you honestly believe that Brosnan and Yeoh are doing a lot of the work (they dont of course).

The Bourne Legacy has a chase much like this one, though not quite as good.

The story of this film broadly resembles The Spy Who Loved Me. But has been given an unusually satirical edge bu featuring a maniacal villain who wants to dominate the world...and then broadcast it on TV. Elliot Carver plays like a parody on Ted Turner and Rupert Murdiock and I've always loved Jonathan Pryce in this film. Chewing the scenery with his rather excellent voice, he oozes despicableness. Mixing delusions and grandeur with arrogant petulance. A showman who wants to make headlines. Pryce isn't as physically intimidating as Robert Davi or Sean Bean, but is an excellent Bond villain.

Like Goldeneye this is a good looking film, shot well by Robert Elswit. Especially the scenes in Asia look very nice. Director Roger Spottiswoode does an overall fine job directing. Though doesnt quite find the monents of depth that Goldeneye had. I guess the script didnt provide him with many. Makes light use of CGI as Bond films did at that time, but those effects actually still look very convincing. And all the life action stunts and miniature work looks as good as ever.

David Arnold's first Bond film. And since Goldeneye was bashed for barely using the Bond theme he gets the change to literally go for broke with it in this score. Arnold immediately makes great full use of it and many other familiar John Barry aspects to create a score that celebrates the musical history of the series, as well as paving a road for the future.

It also works excellently as an action score. Starting out with the stunning White Knight, complete with fan pleasing FRWL brass to the rousing Bike Chase (essentially 7 minutes of Bond Theme for large orchestra and ethnic percussion) and finishing with All In A Day's Work.

The Song by Sheryl Crow is fine, but I really do prefer Arnold's first Bond song. You cant beat a big brass section and Don Black lyrics,

Like I said, I prefer this over Goldeneye, though I cant really explain why. Maybe it's because Brosnan feels more at home. That the stunts are even better this time round, and that it actually has a really good score?

I wouldnt say it was one of the great ones by any means. But it's a perfectly good and exciting action thriller.

*** out of ****

[JoeinAR 1,949]

As much as I wanted to like PB as Bond the movies have little rewatchability for myself.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

The only Brozza Bond I generally dread revisiting is TWINE. I find the whole movie a dreadful bore.

[Sir Hilary Bray 235]

TND starts off alright, fizzles and ends with flashes of a Stallone shoot-em-up on the sea-cat. Pryce is worth his money and my guilty pleasure is the old Royal Navy riding into the rescue at the end, doing things the old fashioned way with Michael Byrne at the conn.

[EdwardHall 30]

I enjoy "Tomorrow Never Dies" immensely. I remember seeing it in the movie theater on Christmas Eve 1997. It is the only Pierce Brosnan Bond film which I view regularly, and David Arnold's work on that film is the best non-Barry score, in my opinion. Michelle Yeoh and Brosnan are very good together onscreen. Unfortunately, one of the very best cues "Kowloon Bay" is not on the CD! It is absolutely stunning. The other major romantic cue, "Paris and Bond" is almost as beautiful. I also enjoy the film's production design, which I think was the best since Moonraker. I have always been a fan of large, deep sets which complement the characters. Elliot Carver's buildings with the massive flat screens and the absurdly spacious interior of the stealth ship in the last half hour were terrific spaces.