Directed by:
Michael AptedCinematography:
Adrian BiddleComposer:
David ArnoldCast:
Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards, Robbie Coltrane, Judi Dench, Desmond Llewelyn, John Cleese, Maria Grazia Cucinotta (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Bond (Pierce Brosnan) must race to defuse an international power struggle with the world's oil supply hanging in the balance. Sophie Marceau is the sultry Elektra King, the daughter of a murdered oil tycoon whom Bond is assigned to protect. Robert Carlyle steps into the villain role of Renard, who can feel no pain, and Denise Richards is nuclear weapons expert Dr. Christmas Jones; John Cleese and Judi Dench also star. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (7)
Why can't James get both of the girls? That in particular I wished him the most. The sensual Sophie and the almost teenage expert Denise seduce 007 with every gesture. Pierce Brosnan is also in the purest relaxed form. Despite his injured shoulder, he travels on a boat, on skis, or on chains, he cracks jokes, destroys everything, and at an unstoppable pace in a story full of twists, clearly enjoying himself immensely. ()
Since I have a soft spot for Sophie Marceau, it's probably obvious that my assessment won't be perfectly objective. But not even Sophie Marceau can save it when the story is completely stupid in places. I still feel that Brosnan is perhaps the worst Bond ever. In this case, he's not helped by the casting of the utterly miscast Denise Richards. Instead of casting the role with an interesting, mature actress, they put in a young, busty beauty. There are also more mistakes, with the ending being ridiculous. But Sophie Marceau's role is great. If only the writers had done their job a little better... ()
One world is not enough for me to be happy at the time, but with hindsight I have to evaluate very positively the sparkly duel between Bond and Elektra, which culminates in a really rough demonstration of agent 007 principles. The script is a bit shaky at first - confused, very conversational, but as soon as the plot gets going and the excellent caviar tycoon Zukovsky played by Robbie Coltrane enters the game, the entertainment is taken care of. This time, the main villain "actor" has the surprisingly emaciated face of Robert Carlyle, and in essence it is a rather turbulent fate that attracts attention and sympathy uncharacteristically. The action scenes aren't that crazy, the story keeps a low profile and takes on fewer fantasy elements, and Brosnan has hardened a lot in his expression since GoldenEye, which is a good thing. It fits him. Judi Dench as M definitely proves herself, the chemistry of the feminist hooker boss is great, and John Cleese's new "Q" (actually R) is also more than promising. Plus, the title song GARBAGE is really great! Summarized and put into context: probably the best Brosnan Bond film. Edit 2012: Apted's direction is terribly professorial and boring - it is clear, but the slow and long camera rides and the use of the shot x counter-shot scheme in the frenetic action reveal an old-school director. Moreover, the screenplay that draws Bond to the melodrama contains an excessive amount of pathetic filler. Looking back, I'm a little sad that M, who originally profiled herself as a sharp and ruthless commander, is turning into a bit of a funny grandmother without an edge. There are interesting attempts to experiment with linking Bond's susceptibility to women and the main villain, but with a little poking, it smells like a lot of bad theater in places. Years later, I'm going back to my first impression from the movie theatre. In the context of Brosnan Bond films, this is not the weakest, but the title of the best belongs to the film after. This one's not enough. ()
Pierce Brosnan finally stopped making grimaces, and the film might not have been bad at all, but the script just didn't work for me. A very nice boat chase quickly turns into an idiotic "cruise" through the streets, followed by an extremely funny scene with Q. All that is topped off by Bond declaring that it doesn't matter if a nuclear reactor explodes because it's flooded anyway. Oh well. ()
Denise Richards and Sophie Marceau are quite possibly the best (meaning: best + add any flattery you want) Bond girls of them all. In this film, they reunite with Brosnan, who, more than ever, gives a flashback to the days of Connery's charm and Moore's wisecracking. In addition, John Cleese appears as R, to whom Q hands over the token toy scepter, Carlyle is interestingly slimy as the villain, and the action is pretty decent. The best scenes, however, come at the beginning of the film (the boat chase, the ski chase) and the ending in the submarine is a bit of a letdown - uninteresting. ()
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Photo © 1999 MGM
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