Plot
Bond inadvertently kills Col Tan-Sun Moon during a mission in North Korea, and is then imprisoned and tortured for 14 months.
He finds himself released, when traded for the NK terrorist (and right hand man of Moon), Zao.
Now having been suspended from 00 status, he goes rogue, to discover who set him up in NK, and why.
Direction
Directed by Lee Tamahori (who sadly passed away late 2025), who directed my favourite film The Edge. Sadly this was not a great performance behind the camera, with some of the worst visuals in a Bond film… or film in general.
Cast
Pierce Brosnan returns for his fourth and final appearance. As Bond, it is is his strongest performance, in the weakest film.
Halle Berry plays Jinx, a NSA agent who teams up with Bond to take down the big bad of the film.
Rosamund Pike plays Miranda Frost, a fellow MI6 agent, who is undercover as the assistant to diamond tycoon Gustav Graves.
Toby Stevens plays Graves, an eccentric billionaire who has ties to the late Col Moon.
Rick Yune plays Zao
Judi Dench takes a step back in her role as M, John Cleese takes over the role of Q, and Michael Madsen plays NSA director Falco.
Breakdown
This is Brosnan’s fourth and final outing as the suave 00 agent – and the twentieth film overall…. and quite possibly the worst in the franchise so far.
The opening sequence isn’t overly terrible, but it is quite poor in regards to what has come before it. Bond is finally recognised in one of his “persona” while on duty thanks to updated technology – and in a gunfight that ensues (as well as a laughably bad green screen car chase sequence) – he is captured by the big bad North Korean’s – where over Madonna’s terrible opening song we see his 14 months of torture.
Following his release and his being cut off from being a 00 agent, the narrative is clunky, disorganised and full of silly additions of diamon trading, modifying DNA, invisible cars, false sun due to satelites (some more bad green screen) and some more of the even worse green screen when Bond wind surfs in front of a tsumami…. ugh.
Halle Berry is okay, but like most of the films in Brosnan’s catalogue, she is the wrong choice for a Bond girl. The sex scene between them is completely unnecessary, and completely unsexy. Ironically I actually watched this on Ms Berry’s recent 60th birthday, so belated well wishes to you.
Other “Bond ladies” include the then 23 year old Rosamund Pike, which paired with the almost 50 year old Brosnan has almost Moore type vibes than it should.
The big bad of the film Gustav Graves, and the twist that he is the long believed dead Col Moon is so stupid, it almost should be a Scooby Doo ending… This is just one of the twists, including that MI6 agent frost is actually on the bad team too… neither twist is that much of a ‘gotcha’ moment.
There is a ‘secondary’ narrative that has M paired with the US government agents – which adds Michael Madsen to the cast. I like Madsen (RIP), but like most American actors, he doesn’t belong in a Bond film. This still doesn’t give us enough of Judi Dench though.
At a little over 2hrs in length, it is also far too long, and needed some pacing help. It just keeps going and going, and really didn’t know how to end.
Also, with all of Bond’s special gadgets… why was he forced to use a wire cutter in the final act to get through a fence… no lasers Q??? At least he got his 20th watch (a cute nod to being the 20th movie).
Overall
20th time is not the charm, instead this really is the first film in the franchise that feels like it has overstayed its welcome.
Brosnan’s age, some horrendous graphics (which I’m so disappointed considering that Tamahori directed my all time favourite film), some bad bond girls, and a ludicrous plot…. I could go on… make this my least favourite film in the franchise so far.
Skip
2.5/5
