“How’s that for a punchline?” —Zao
Today’s quick review: Die Another Day. Betrayed and captured while on a mission in North Korea, British agent James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is set free in exchange for Zao (Rick Yune), a North Korean terrorist. To catch Zao again, Bond travels to Cuba, where he teams up with Jinx (Halle Berry), a talented American agent. Their search for Zao’s backer eventually leads them to Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens), an ostentatious diamond billionaire.
Die Another Day is a spy action adventure and the twentieth film in the James Bond franchise. Pierce Brosnan’s last excursion as Bond follows in the footsteps of his first: flashy action, high-tech gadgets, and a satellite superweapon for Bond to stop. Die Another Day cuts loose in a way that’s rare even among Bond films. The result is over-the-top action and spectacle that comes at the expense of the film’s story and sense of grounding.
Die Another Day’s willingness to be bold is its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. Everything is larger-than-life, from the villains to the stunts to the scenery. The upshot of this is that the action is larger-scale than most Bond movies, and it never lets up for long. The downside is that the movie goes a little too far. The exaggerated nature of the conflict makes it harder to invest in, and the plot logic is thin in places.
Give Die Another Day a shot when you’re in the mood for a fun popcorn watch. The movie misses out on some of the subtler virtues the James Bond series has to offer, but its action and sense of adventure make it an entertaining pick nonetheless. Viewers who enjoy all-out action will have a good time. Those who prefer more grounded spy drama may want to skip it. For a more polished Bond movie in the same vein, try GoldenEye.
6.1 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for over-the-top action with a few rough edges.