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To celebrate the release of Casino Royale, one of the best 007 films in ages, here are my initial thoughts on the last two James Bond films, both starring Pierce Brosnan as the picaresque secret agent.

Die Another Day (2002)

After a string of imitators, wanna-bes, and silly spoofs, it’s like a refreshing shot of vodka-martini to finally see the real deal on the big screen again. Secret agent 007 returns to Die Another Day, certainly the most bipolar Bond movie to date. There’s half of a great Bond film here, and half over inflated action fantasy.

The producers and the director are obviously aware that over the past few years the stakes in the action genre have been raised to the stratosphere, mainly on the backs of those little ones and zeros that make up the digital effects that are so common in modern big-budget films. On the other hand, this film is a significant milestone in Bond movie history: it’s the 20th film, and it’s been 40 years since Sean Connery first played the definitive big screen 007 in Dr. No. (Trivia note: the very first actor to play James Bond was American actor Barry Nelson in a television version of Casino Royale.) So the filmmakers probably felt obliged to pay respect to the tradition of the series. As a result, we have one half classic Bond, and one half crowd-pleasing special effects fest. And you can almost identify the exact moment when Die Another Day shifts from one to the other.

The film begins with a wonderfully exciting pre-credits sequence. Bond, superbly played by Pierce Brosnan, poses as an arms dealer in North Korea. Soon, the gig is up, and we’re treated to a traditionally Bondian action sequence featuring hovercraft racing over a minefield. To up the stakes, the mines leap three feet in the air before they explode, and the villains have high-tech guns with exploding bullets and flame throwers. Great stuff, enough to make fans of this kind of thing giddy. Then comes an interesting twist.

For the first time in the films Bond, after being captured, undergoes serious torture. In the Ian Fleming books, Bond was sadistically tortured, but the movies have rarely depicted this. The torture scene is included as a plot element during the title sequence, an inspired idea that, combined with the stunning visuals, makes this perhaps the most memorable titles of any Bond film. After that, the remaining first half of the film was excellent, and classic Bond.

Stripped of his license to kill (something that also happened in the excellent and underrated License to Kill with a similarly underrated Timothy Dalton), 007 hunts down the person who betrayed him in North Korea. Working outside of the British Secret Service, Bond follows the trail to Cuba, looking for Zao (Rick Yune), and crossing paths with NSA agent Jinx, a memorably sexy Halle Berry. The rest of this ‘classic Bond’ first half is a throwback to the Connery era, where Bond had few gadgets, and survived on his wits, intelligence, and deadly skills. There are several nods to From Russia With Love, the second and arguably the best 007 film, including a meeting with a ‘mole’ in Cuba that had echoes of Bond meeting Kerim Bay in that film. (Side note: pay attention when Bond picks up a bird book while in the mole’s office. The author of that book was “James Bond”, and it's where 007 author Ian Fleming got the name of his main character from.) Later, back in London, there is a superbly-choreographed swordfight between sneering villain Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens) and Bond, which positively oozes Fleming nastiness. However, the excellent first half of Die Another Day comes to a crashing halt the moment after Bond gets his gadgets (in an admittedly funny scene with Q, now played by John Cleese), and heads over to Iceland, and Graves’ ice palace.

For the second half of the movie, think Moonraker popping CGI steroids. For those not in the know, Moonraker featured a smirking Roger Moore in the most cartoony, silly Bond film of all. Thankfully, Die Another Day never quite sinks to those depths, though a cheesy effects sequence in the Icelandic sea comes close. Brosnan struggles admirably to keep the focus on the character of Bond, but he’s defeated in the end by trendy MTV-style editing and camera work, an overuse of CGI effects, sound that is cranked up way too loud, and just one damn action scene after another.

It is a paradox of action cinema that too much wall-to-wall action actually ends up being boring. You almost slip into sensory overload, and become disengaged with the onscreen action. The best action filmmakers, like James Cameron, understand this and give their films peaks and valleys that allow the audience time to breathe. The final act of Die Another Day piles on so much overcranked action that the climactic undoing of the villain’s plans has little dramatic effect. After the superb first half, the film ends with a whimper.

So, what are we left with? After the near-perfect mix of character, plot, and action in The World is Not Enough, this one seriously overbalances into over-the-top action fantasy. In spite of it all, however, Pierce Brosnan pulls off an excellent performance, hinting at a depth of character even in the most outlandish sections. Serious Bond fans will love the first half and shake their heads at the second. Casual fans, and fans of action cinema in general, may enjoy the whole thing.

My advice to the producers for the next one: ditch the cartoony CGI, keep the balance of plot, character and action, and don’t be afraid to be classically Bondian. These films are too precious to turn into just another video game actioner.

(Note: Glad to see they took my advice for Casino Royale!)

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The World is Not Enough (1999)

Finally! A Bond film driven by plot and character, yet still delivering the action goods. For diehard Bond fans, this movie is a long time coming. Fans of wall-to-wall action and those with short attention spans may be checking their watches, but those who prefer a little meat with their thrillers will rejoice in the latest installment in the longest-running film series of all time.

This time around, 007 (Pierce Brosnan) is assigned to protect Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), daughter of an assassinated oil baron, and unravel a complex scheme hatched by terrorist Renard (Robert Carlyle), involving the sabotage of a vast oil pipeline. I won’t say much more about the plot, because one of the joys of this film is figuring out who is doing what, and why.

It’s been a while since I was intrigued by a Bond film plot, but The World is Not Enough did just that. The screenwriters have done a fine job of developing an intricate storyline, with interesting characters, and some compelling drama. The motives of several characters are shaded, delivering just the right level of intrigue, without bogging the film down. The story does unfortunately slow down as the movie approaches its climax, just when it should be revving into high gear, but the ending is still satisfying. I’m willing to forgive a few slow spots when the overall film is so effective.

In his third appearance as James Bond, Pierce Brosnan hits exactly the right note. His Bond is stylish and witty, but coloured with darker shadings that hint at the assassin beneath. In Brosnan’s capable hands, Bond has—surprise!—depth and emotion. He plays the dramatic scenes extremely well, and is adept in the many action scenes. In my book, he has now surpassed Timothy Dalton in the role, who I consider second only to Sean Connery. Will he ever surpass Connery? Of course not, because Connery’s the man, but with this performance, he comes a close second.

The other performances in The World is Not Enough are also top-notch. Sophie Marceau is a memorable leading lady, who has some secrets of her own. Robert Carlyle offers something very different as a Bond villain—humanity, and even sympathy. Renard is no over-the-top megalomaniac, but a ruthless terrorist who is counting down to his own death. Lodged in his brain is a bullet, put there by another double-o agent, that is working its way through his head, destroying the pain centres of the brain. The result is that he can “…push himself harder, faster than any normal man.” But there is an element of tragedy in Renard, a man who is rapidly dying, and knows it. The character of Renard is unfortunately not developed to its full potential in the screenplay, but Carlyle still makes the role memorable. Denise Richards is fine as Christmas Jones, nuclear weapons expert and eye-candy extraordinaire. The part doesn’t give her much to work with, but she performs well alongside Brosnan, and manages some heroics of her own.

Desmond Llewelyn makes what appears to be his last appearance as Q, gadget-master. If so, this is the passing of an era, and Q’s final exit scene is unfortunately unmemorable. Llewelyn, who has been in almost all of the Bond films, deserved more. On the plus side, Q’s replacement, played by John Cleese, looks to be a worthy successor. This is good, as Cleese has signed to do three more Bond films.

Two other supporting performances stand out—Robbie Coltrane and Judi Dench. Robbie Coltrane plays Valentin Zukovsky, who you may remember from Goldeneye, Brosnan’s Bond debut. Coltrane brings tremendous zest and humour to his scenes, as a reluctant ally to Bond. Judi Dench, an excellent actress, returns as M, head of MI6. I always thought there was great potential for her character, and its relationship with Bond. Here, that potential is thankfully realized, after only a marginal role in the last Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies. In The World is Not Enough, M is given a far greater part in the proceedings, and is even in the thick of the danger at the film’s climax. I hope that the filmmakers continue to give M more to do in the next movie, because Judi Dench is terrific in the role.

Director Michael Apted here helms his first Bond movie, and does a great job. Both Brosnan and the producers hired Apted to emphasize the characters, and he does just that. He handles the dramatic aspects with skill and flair, while still retaining an essential “Bond style.” I have my fingers crossed that the producers will bring Apted back for the next installment. If so, he just may turn out to be the best director that the Bond series has seen, barring possibly Terence Young, who directed three of the best Connery films and set the style of the 007 movies.

Apted and stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong directed the action scenes, and they are as impressive as anything in the Bond films. The traditional “pre-credits” scene features two impressive stunt sequences, the second involving a spectacular boat chase along the Thames. This chase is tremendously exciting, pumped up by David Arnold’s adrenalin-inducing music score. Other action set pieces involve Bond and Elektra being pursued by snowmobiles gliding on parasails, and a deadly buzzsaw contraption suspended from a helicopter, plus the usual assortment of punch-ups, gunfights, and last minute escapes.

But in the final analysis, it’s the plot and characters that elevate this film to the upper echelon of the Bond series. Sure, it follows the Bond Formula (though admittedly adding a few twists), but while some past Bonds have emphasized gadgetry and silliness over plot, this movie redresses the balance. The World is Not Enough is top-notch Bond, showing the 007 formula humming along at its best.