Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writer (WGA):

Bruce Feirstein (written by)

Release Date:

19 December 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

Meet New James Bond [Japanese Theatrical]

Plot:

James Bond heads to stop a media mogul's plan to induce war between China and the UK in order to obtain exclusive global media coverage.

Plot Keywords:

Media | British | James Bond | China | Chase

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Pierce Brosnan	...	James Bond
Jonathan Pryce	...	Elliot Carver
Michelle Yeoh	...	Wai Lin
Teri Hatcher	...	Paris Carver
Ricky Jay	...	Henry Gupta
Götz Otto	...	Stamper
Joe Don Baker	...	Jack Wade
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Dr. Kaufman
Judi Dench	...	M
Desmond Llewelyn	...	Q
Samantha Bond	...	Miss Moneypenny
Colin Salmon	...	Chief of Staff Charles Robinson
Geoffrey Palmer	...	Admiral Roebuck
Julian Fellowes	...	Minister of Defence
Terence Rigby	...	General Bukharin

Also Known As:

"TND" - International (English title) (promotional abbreviation)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence, sexuality and innuendo.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | German | Danish | Mandarin | Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS 70 mm (70 mm prints) | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2006) (uncut) | Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:16 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (cut) | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Danjaq

Trivia:

The film's Charity World Premiere was held on Tuesday 9th December 1997 (which is also Judi Dench's birthday) at the Odeon Theatre Leicester Square in London, England. The launch was not a Royal Premiere on this occasion. The Gala Charity Premiere Benefit was held in aid of the King George's Fund for Sailors. The after-party was held at Bedford Square home of Jonathan Cape, the publisher of the Ian Fleming James Bond novels. The American Gala Premiere in the USA was held in Los Angeles on Tuesday 16th December 1997 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Goofs:

Plot holes: In the opening sequence, after firing the missile, the ship reports back that they have lost contact with the missile because it is out of range and thus it cannot be destroyed. Moments later, back at HQ, M & Co are seen watching the missile's on-board camera as it flies through the mountains towards its target. If the missile can relay images back to base, they could relay a message to the missile it to self-destruct!

Quotes:

[first lines]
Charles Robinson:Our man's in position on the center camera. It's like a terrorist supermarket. Chinese Long March Scud, Panther AS-565 attack helicopter, a pair of Russian mortars, and the crates look like American rifles. Chilean mines. German explosives. Fun for the whole family.

Movie Connections:

Featured in James Bond: Shaken and Stirred (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Excerpt from Concerto for piano Nr. 5

Fine follow-up to "Goldeneye"

"Tomorrow Never Dies" is the 18th James Bond film, with Pierce Brosnan back as 007. This is a very good follow-up to Brosnan's first Bond movie "Goldeneye". "Tomorrow Never Dies" had the unfortunate task of opening on the exact same day as "Titanic" (December 19, 1997). Even though "Titanic" went on to break box office records, "Tomorrow Never Dies" was not left in the dust. It surpassed "Goldeneye" domestically with a box office gross of $125 million ("Goldeneye" grossed $106 million). There are two major assets that make "Tomorrow Never Dies" really work, a great Bond villain and a great Bond woman. Jonathan Pryce is a major standout as Elliot Carver, the megalomaniacal media magnate Bond faces off against. The other standout: Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin, Bond's female sidekick who makes a fine companion for Bond. Brosnan is fine as 007 as he was in "Goldeneye", and also returning for the second time are Joe Don Baker as CIA agent Jack Wade, Judi Dench as "M", Samantha Bond as "Miss Moneypenny", and Desmond Llewelyn as "Q". As for the other familiar face in the cast, Teri Hatcher from TV's "Lois & Clark" is just adequate as Elliot Carver's wife Paris. "Tomorrow Never Dies" is just as good as "Goldeneye"

***1/2 (out of four)