Review

Review Date: 24-November-02
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Juicy

Die Another Day (2002)

James Bond movies sort of flit in and out of my consciousness; I see them, derive pleasure from them, and then forget them to the point where they form one big jumble in my mind. (Rather like Bond himself with his women.) Based on good reviews for "Die Another Day," the 20th episode in this most tenacious of series, I had hopes of maybe seeing something deeper, bigger, and more memorable. In this I was disappointed --- "Die Another Day" is, for the most part, just another Bond flick: fast paced, sexy, enjoyable, but, in the end, forgettable.

The movie starts out promisingly, with a rare edge not seen since the Timothy Dalton days (when it didn't work out so well). Interspersed with the traditional naked dancing women in the movie's opening credit sequence are scenes of 007 (Pierce Brosnan, and a fine looking man he is at 49, if I may say so) being tortured in a North Korean barracks. Betrayed, abandoned by his country, unshaven and unkempt --- this is not your father's Bond, but he is, for some reason, more compelling. Freed unexpectedly, he returns to his suave self with vengeance on his mind, and bounces back from a long incarceration by enjoying a good romp between the sheets with Jinx, an American secret agent (Halle Berry). The two of them, unbeknownst to each other, begin tracking a mysterious Englishman (Toby Stephens), his coldly beautiful assistant (Rosamund Pike), and an escaped Korean terrorist (Rick Yune, marvelously disfigured by DNA therapy and diamond shards in his face). The trail leads them to Iceland, where the major confrontations occur before the big, airborne finale.

The action here is generally ho hum (the car chase scene is just a Jaguar ad, and Bond's wheels in this film are ridiculous), although there is an exciting swordfight almost worth the price of admission. Halle Berry, for all the hoopla and talk of a spin-off series for Jinx, is disappointingly dull, and the movie goes on too long, never matching the tension and drama of the opening scenes. Still, there is a new element to "Die Another Day" which adds zest and seems to speak to the franchise's determination not to become outdated or obsolete: the youth of the villains. In the past, the bad guys have been a lot like James Bond: middle-aged, cultured, ambitious, unfearing men who like being in control. Here, however, the villain and his heavy are not yet in their thirties and seem to desire, more than world domination, the opportunity to prove themselves to their elders (Bond included). These are the kind of anarchistic, hot-headed thugs you'd expect to be brought down by Vin Diesel's XXX instead of a randy British gentlemen twice their age. But the dynamic of fathers and sons, older pros and younger rebels works nicely, thanks in some degree to the solid work of Brosnan and Stephens (Dame Maggie Smith's son, who seems capable of carrying on the family honor). With "Die Another Day," the James Bond series continues to serve up hollow but entertaining fare, and states its intention to remain a viable definition of cool. And as long as it does so, I will continue to follow it.

Copyright © 2002 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.