Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode | 114 minutes | action, adventure, thriller | Actors: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Ricky Jay, Götz Otto, Joe Don Baker, Vincent Schiavelli, Judi Dench, Desmond Llewelyn, Samantha Bond, Colin Salmon, Geoffrey Palmer, Julian Fellowes, Terence Rigby, Cecilie Thomsen , Nina Young, Daphne Deckers, Colin Stinton

‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ was Pierce Brosnan’s second rendition of James Bond. It’s good to see that he took the role in a short time, in fact, had to appropriate it, because even before ‘GoldenEye’ was released, MGM/United Artists decided that its successor should hit theaters in early December 1997. to spin. So there was a lot of pressure on Brosnan’s shapely shoulders and of course on the producers and the rest of the crew. But Brosnan is feeling great, confidence is dripping.

The plot of ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ revolves around a megalomaniac again, but this time it’s not someone who wants to rule the world, but someone who wants to rule the world’s media, a more original angle. Jonathan Pryce takes on the role of this charismatic, but corpses, news guru Elliot Carver. About to launch a global cable news network, and wants everyone, absolutely everyone in the world to watch him, he decides not just to report the news, but to make it himself. He tries to ignite a Third World War. He does this by creating a conflict between a British ship, the HMS Devonshire, and two Chinese fighter jets. The ship sinks, but due to a genius (and extremely dangerous) device, the ship’s coordinates are incorrect and the British government can’t find it. Most of the crew are cold-bloodedly mowed down by Carver employees just as they think they are about to be rescued. Carver has the scoop and then Bond appears.

The British secret agent used to have a relationship with Carver’s wife, Paris (Teri Hatcher). James pretends to be a banker and comes to Carver’s party to celebrate the launch of his global cable network. During this party, the two Bond women of this film are introduced, first of course Paris, who only argues with James because she hasn’t forgiven him for leaving her years ago, and secondly the beautiful Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh), a Chinese agent sent to investigate Carver’s corridors. We also briefly see the Dutch, and almost Bond woman (she auditioned for the role of Paris) Daphne Deckers in the role of PR assistant. Of the two ladies, Michelle Yeoh impresses the most, not only because she has the most screen time relative to Teri Hatcher. Wai Lin becomes Bond’s partner but remains immune to his charms until just before the end. In doing so, she creates a powerful independent lady who doesn’t scream for James’ help, even when she actually needs it. She is an excellent defender and shows some feats of her martial arts techniques. A welcome change. Teri Hatcher can only be seen in a few scenes; but her character is not sufficiently deepened. The turnaround in wanting to help James comes too sudden to be believable. Brosnan is convincing in his scenes with her, he clearly shows that she was more for him than an adventure. The legendary Vincent Schiavelli can also be seen in a short performance. He creates an interesting character that you would actually like to see more of.

The appearance of ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ is especially expensive, the film looks slick. It’s easy to see that the film cost more than 100 million dollars and that money went to the most exotic locations and the fun gadgets (more than ever). Action is stacked on action and there is no dull moment in it. The humor is also of an excellent level, nice one-liners, which you wish you would use in your daily life. Bond fans will love this installment of the hit series, critical people will complain that it’s more of the same, but hey, isn’t that always the case with heroes who survive generations?