| Under
suspicion that a North Korean named Colonel Moon is stockpiling weapons
to use in an invasion of South Korea and Japan, James Bond is sent
in under the guise of an African diamond smuggler to kill Moon. After
succeeding in his mission, Bond is captured by the North Koreans,
held captive and tortured for 14 months. When he is eventually released
in a trade for Moon's right hand man, Zao, Bond finds himself out
of the graces of her Majesty's secret service. Following Zao to Cuba
and in search of the person who set him up, Bond meets Jinx, an American
NSA agent who is also looking for Zao. The chase warms up (or cools
down as the case may be) in billionaire diamond tycoon Gustav Graves'
Ice Palace in Iceland. Here, Bond finds Graves, Zao and a satellite
called Icarus which is capable of lighting the globe or emitting a
sun-powered laser on a specific point on the globe. After escaping
from the Ice Palace and being betrayed by a fellow MI6 agent, Bond
and Jinx find themselves battling Graves and the MI6 agent aboard
a jumbo-jet plummeting to the earth.
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Review
Quite
possibly the most hyped of all the 007 James Bond films, Die Another
Day is essentially two movies in one. Fans of classic James Bond
007 films will revel at the slow character development, Bond's early
reliance on his own skill and knowledge, the inside jokes and references
to prior movies and the capture/torture sequence. Those who crave
pure, nonsensical action sequences will find their glee with the
movie's final scenes both in Iceland and aboard Graves' jet.
In
the beginning of the movie, Bond really seems to be returning to
his Fleming roots. He has to rely on his own wit to get himself
out of situations, not Q's gadgets. In fact, Q does not even make
an appearance until halfway through the film. Also back are some
nuances that have been missing since the Connery era. During the
pre-title sequence, Bond takes the diamond smuggler Van Bierk's
sunglasses and puts them on while flashing a wry smile at the man.
Another example is when Bond infiltrates the DNA clinic; when he
runs through a patient's room he stops for a moment to take a few
grapes from the bowl by the hospital bed. He emerges from the room
nonchalantly popping the grapes into his mouth, just like in Thunderball.
It's things like this that make Bond who he is: a suave, sophisticated
gentleman agent.
Where
James Bond's Die Another Day fails is in trying to combine this
classic James Bond element with a modern action film. The final
sequences in Iceland and aboard Graves' jet contained enough action
for the entire movie, if it were spread out evenly. The film would
have been better if it had left the plot at Bond's investigation
into his betrayal and then looking to even the score between him,
Zao and whomever the MI6 turncoat is. This alone is a fascinating
plot that, at first, seems to be the focal point of the film at
first. However, perhaps out of fear that moviegoers would not accept
this retro-Bond story, the movie takes a turn for the worse with
the convoluted subplot of the Icarus satellite and the aforementioned
ending scenes.
In
an effort to appeal to everyone, the frantic final 45 minutes of
the film reveal that Gustav Graves is actually General Moon, the
North Korean General presumed dead in the teaser sequence. Miranda
Frost, the better of the two Bond girls, actually works for Graves
and that his plot is, in reality, the invasion of South Korea and
Japan in an effort to make North Korea the foremost superpower in
the world. Had these final 45 minutes been the focal point of the
entire movie it might have worked better. Instead, this tacked on
plot dilutes an otherwise fine movie.
In
conclusion, Die Another Day should have ended in Iceland with Bond
killing Graves, Zao and Frost in the Ice Palace. Had the credits
rolled at that point, the absurd CGI stunt could have been excused
and the movie could have gone down as one of the best in the series.
Instead, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli brought us back
to North Korea for perhaps one of the lowest points in the last
40 years.
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