GoldenEye (1995)

Directed by: Martin Campbell | 130 minutes | action, adventure, thriller | Actors: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Joe Don Baker, Judi Dench, Gottfried John, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Cumming, Tchécky Karyo, Desmond Llewelyn, Samantha Bond, Michael Kitchen, Serena Gordon

While the Soviet Union is still the undisputed leader of the Eastern Bloc and the cold war is in full swing, secret agent 007 James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and agent 006 Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean) are sent there to investigate a chemical weapons factory. to blow up. The mission succeeds, but Alec is murdered in front of James by General Ourumov (Gottfried John). Alec was not only a colleague with whom he would do anything for good old England, but also a good friend.

Nine years later, the Berlin Wall has fallen, the Iron Curtain has slid open, and a wind of freedom is blowing through the former Soviet Union. The threat to the West no longer comes from the Russian government but from the violent and ruthless Russian mafia. One of the crime syndicates is led by ‘Janus’, the Roman god with two faces. On his behalf, the former air force pilot Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen) and Ourumov steal an advanced combat helicopter. They destroy the secret military base where, among others, Natalya Semyonova (Izabella Scorupco) is working on ‘GoldenEye’. Miraculously, Natalya survives the attack and James helps track down the culprits.

After Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton, it’s Pierce Brosnan’s turn to introduce himself as ‘Bond, James Bond’. His predecessors could still be very masculine unimpeded, but this Bond has to do with a female ‘M’ played by Judi Dench. Don’t define someone you can just ignore. The faithful Miss Moneypenny (Samantha Bond) also likes a flirt, but in these modern times has hair on her teeth. Brosnan seems a little dazed, but of course he is the hero in the end, saves the world and gets the girl.

‘GoldenEye’ is a good, very profitable James Bond film. The gadgets, the stunts and the large dose of humor are perfectly fine. The opening sequence of James and Alec breaking into the Russian factory is one of the most spectacular in the series. Brosnan is absolutely Bond in appearance. Dark hair, athletic tall stature and merciless when necessary. You effortlessly believe that he saves the world and that he is good with the women. The Dutch Famke Janssen plays fantastically and wittyly the evil woman who gets excited when she can use violence. Her thighs are a deadly weapon. Her name ‘Onatopp’ is of course bland, but nice and bland. Totally Bond.