James Bond is sent to investigate the connection between a North Korean terrorist and a diamond mogul, who is funding the development of an international space weapon.
Pierce Brosnan gives one last mission as James Bond 007. Starting off in North Korea, Bond is betrayed and captured. Fourteen months later, Bond is set free, but traded for Zao (Rick Yune) who was captured by MI6. When back in his world, Bond sets off to track down Zao. Bond gets caught up in yet another scheme which sends him to millionaire Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens). Another MI6 Agent known as Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike) is also posing as a friend of Graves. Bond is invited to a presentation held by Graves about a satellite found in space which can project a huge laser beam. Bond must stop this madman with a fellow American Agent, known as Jinx Johnson (Halle Berry). While Bond tries to stop Graves and Zao, will he finally reveal who betrayed him?Written by
simon
Due to Philips products being known as Norelco in the U.S., the Philips Domestic Appliances and Personal Care (DAP) unit of Philips, provide Bond shaving with a Philishave Sensotec shaver in non-U.S. prints and a Norelco Spectra shaver for the U.S. See more »
Goofs
The National Security Agency/Central Security Services, better known as the NSA is another DoD agency that deals with foreign intelligence gathering. The NSA has two primary functions: converting cryptic foreign intelligence communication into comprehensive text (codebreaking) and protecting U.S. government information systems by using cryptography (codemaking). The NSA does not have field agents who do in-person intelligence gathering who travel the globe... like Jinx here.
Source: h-t-t-p-s://angelialevy.com/2011/05/11/an-overview-of-the-major-u-s-intelligence-agencies-what-is-the-difference-between-the-dia-nsa-cia-and-fbi/ See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Mr. Van Bierk:
[stepping out of helicopter]
Look, what is this? I'm supposed to...
[Bond puts a gun to Mr. Van Bierk's head and takes his sunglasses]
See more »
Crazy Credits
At the end of the credits, Madonna can be heard saying "I need to lay down." See more »
Alternate Versions
The following scenes were cut from the film:
During the scene where Bond is driving on Cuba in his Ford Fairlane, there were some military maneuvers going on alongside the road.
There was an additional dialogue scene between Bond and Raoul.
The scene where Jinx kills Dr. Alvarez was originally longer: after the kill she breaks into his safe and steals a CD which she hides under her dress (in the making-of documentary you can see the CD hanging around Halle Berry's neck).
Deleted was a scene with Bond arriving at Heathrow. To avoid passport control, he disembarks the plane via the landing gear.
A scene with Jinx and Graves playing Ice Golf was cut. In this scene it was revealed why she is chasing Zao.
Lee Tamahori shot a raunchier version of the scene where Bond is rescued by Miranda Frost from Mr. Kil while investigating the biodrome. Here they were skin-deep in the hot tub to give the illusion they were lovers. This scene was cut due to censorship reasons.
A small scene where Jinx (in her leather outfit) is walking through the ice palace. This can be seen in the making-of documentary.
Originally General Moon realizes much earlier that Gustav Graves is his son. While Bond and Jinx are exploring the Antonov, they stumble across General Moon and Bond explains to him who Graves really is. He then continues with Jinx to go for the cockpit, while the General watches Graves and Miranda Frost planning the military campaign.
It's the 20th Bond film and premiered on the 40th anniversary of the series, and, in many ways, it is really a tribute to the entire series itself. This film's strength and its weakness both lie in the fact that it is a blend of the classic Connery films, the outlandish Moore films, and the grittiness of the Dalton films. It's rolling the entire series into a single two hour adventure and the result is actually pretty entertaining. The first half is definitely stronger than the second; a more serious adventure with a classic feel to it, before taking a nose dive down into utter camp territory. I didn't mind the idea of making some scenes a little over-the-top, but I think they went overboard at times. Throughout the movie, the filmmakers toss in little references to previous Bond films. I suppose it's a fun idea to stop and consider how far these films have come over the last 40-something years, and a long time Bond fan can find amusement in finding these subtle, but long remembered treasures that poke their head in this film for one last time. As for the technical aspects of the film: The special effects are a little too ambitious and don't always come across convincing. The dialogue goes back and forth from excellent to atrocious. The ensemble of actors is pretty strong, except for Halle Berry, who in my opinion was completely wrong for a Bond movie. The villains are a little more dynamic. The action sequences are an improvement, in my mind. Granted, there are some instances where the filmmakers push the envelope a little too far, as mentioned above. However, they also show a certain amount of creativity that seemed to be lacking in the previous two films. Overall, this film is really a mixed bag. At moments there is potential for one of the greatest Bond adventures. At other moments you're thinking, "What the heck am I watching." Personally, I feel the positives balance out the negatives, but if anything, this film is a good popcorn movie. All in all, it wasn't a bad way to close out the series before rebooting it again with Casino Royale.
85 of 116 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
It's the 20th Bond film and premiered on the 40th anniversary of the series, and, in many ways, it is really a tribute to the entire series itself. This film's strength and its weakness both lie in the fact that it is a blend of the classic Connery films, the outlandish Moore films, and the grittiness of the Dalton films. It's rolling the entire series into a single two hour adventure and the result is actually pretty entertaining. The first half is definitely stronger than the second; a more serious adventure with a classic feel to it, before taking a nose dive down into utter camp territory. I didn't mind the idea of making some scenes a little over-the-top, but I think they went overboard at times. Throughout the movie, the filmmakers toss in little references to previous Bond films. I suppose it's a fun idea to stop and consider how far these films have come over the last 40-something years, and a long time Bond fan can find amusement in finding these subtle, but long remembered treasures that poke their head in this film for one last time. As for the technical aspects of the film: The special effects are a little too ambitious and don't always come across convincing. The dialogue goes back and forth from excellent to atrocious. The ensemble of actors is pretty strong, except for Halle Berry, who in my opinion was completely wrong for a Bond movie. The villains are a little more dynamic. The action sequences are an improvement, in my mind. Granted, there are some instances where the filmmakers push the envelope a little too far, as mentioned above. However, they also show a certain amount of creativity that seemed to be lacking in the previous two films. Overall, this film is really a mixed bag. At moments there is potential for one of the greatest Bond adventures. At other moments you're thinking, "What the heck am I watching." Personally, I feel the positives balance out the negatives, but if anything, this film is a good popcorn movie. All in all, it wasn't a bad way to close out the series before rebooting it again with Casino Royale.