Icarus Soars - A DAD review
TOOTS
Posts: 114MI6 Agent
ICARUS SOARS
“DIE ANOTHER DAY” reviewed. AGAIN!
A new Bond film has a lot that can be criticized. We all pick the film apart afterwards and no film will survive such close inspection. If a Bond film does its job, I am lost in the moment and become a little boy again. My first cinematic impression is the distilled essence of my opinion. I remain a fan, still crazy after all these years.
It's Called The Future So Get Used To It
When Daniel Kleinman’s bullet shoots at us from the gun barrel, the traditional Bond viewer faces the first of many challenges contained in DAD. The pre-title arms deal intervention in the Korean DMZ is ballsy and surprising, echoing that of Tomorrow Never Dies. The set-up is sinister and tense, tightly edited and densely plotted, laying seeds for story elements and motivations. Surfing and hovercraft, new elements to Bond, work well by being both exciting and different. A lovely throwaway attitude towards technology (the GPS knife, the watch detonator) enhances the human performances so the hardware never distracts.
That Bond is captured and tortured in an experimental Kleinman title sequence featuring molten and ice nudes, scorpions and pain soundtracked by an innovative Bond song from Madonna exemplifies elements traditionalists find difficult to accept. Even if the song is not immediately Bondian, credit should be given for going in a fresh direction. After repeated hearings, the song evolves and time will place it comfortably in the Bond cannon. Remember, once upon a long ago, Paul McCartney was an odd choice to pen a Bond song and Live And Let Die was cacophonous noise for traditionalists then.
Of course, traditionalists think that every song should sound like Goldfinger and sung by Shirley Bassey; think M should be a man and that Sean Connery was the only Bond. If traditionalists had had their way, he would have been. And we wouldn’t be here today.
The Mint-Julep Moment
DAD is both a personal journey for 007 to regain a role of honour (after being set up in North Korea) and his manipulation by MI6 as “a blunt instrument” as well as wider tale of intrigue and global power play. Colonel Moon’s plan is to use the Icarus solar space device to destroy the world’s largest minefield between North and South Korea allowing the forces of the North to march into the south, reuniting the country in the first step to create a new Asian empire lead by him as the latest emperor. It is a shame this great scheme is not made very clear in the film itself. A lot of the audience don’t know where Korea is, let alone the region’s turbulent history. Perhaps a bit of grandstanding would not have gone amiss: Colonel Moon, in Orlov mode, crazily lecturing his troops in front of a high-tech map, briefly educating us on what is at stake. Perhaps Damian Falco and M could have had a sparring match about the history of Korea. We would then understand the significance of the DMZ, its minefield and why Icarus is going to change our world. Latter Bond films lack the Goldfinger mint-julep moment where the genius of the villain is revealed and the danger laid bare.
Substituted Locations
The recent series trend of substituted locations deprives Bond of a genuine backdrops, lessening, somewhat, the international feel of adventure. Hong Kong was particularly artificial although these scenes were deliciously cynical. North/South Korea could have been a fascinating location had the unit actually shot there. However, in DAD, it is drab and could been distinguished with at least a few second-unit inserts establishing where we are supposed to be rather than leaving all the work to subtitles. Of course, the North Korean sequences are meant to be barren and forbidding (and the location is out of bounds to the West) but South Korea could have been a good stand-in and fascinating in itself. Iceland could have been any frozen tundra (and very nearly was) being represented only by Graves’ lair. Imagine if all we ever saw of Japan in You Only Live Twice was Blofeld’s volcano silo. Perhaps Bond could have met a contact in Reykjavik and travelled out to the Ice Palace via that country’s strangely intriguing landscape. However, the logistics and budget and schedule of a film like this impose constraints on locations and there is joy in the vibrant Cadiz-for-Cuba scenes and when London comes calling.
Sinewy Direction
Lee Tamahori directs with flair and passion and his Bond film takes chances, attempts to shake up the formula and is successful despite certain flaws. His no-nonsense style leaves little time for Bondian panache (save for Hong Kong) but it leavens bizarre and unrealistic concepts like the DNA replacement clinic and the vanishing Aston Martin Vanquish. The first half of the film is sinewy and intriguing, establishing and emphasizing character and story with a consistent thriller tone. Tamahori elicits great performances his eclectic cast. The film loses focus in Iceland with Bond’s escape and return to the Ice Palace and double rescue of Jinx including too much non-story driven action at the expense of character and plot development. Throughout the film we should have seen the military escalation in the DMZ which would pay off with genuine tension at the climax, making the world much more at stake than just a personal tussle between Bond and Graves. The CGI tsunami surfing sequence lacks photo-realism (especially compared to the real pre-title surfing) and remains the only unfortunate inclusion in the film and exclusion from the cutting room floor. Christian Wagner’s stylish, modern editing works well although the MTV cutting in the Vanquish vs. Jaguar ice bullet ballet distracts from the flow of the action and the setting itself. Elsewhere, his style is powerful and economical boiling down action and character efficiently.
Wall-To-Wall – Purvis & Wade – Screenplayed
Neil Purvis and Robert Wade exercise their imaginations by bringing back the bizarre in this Bond with DNA replacement therapy and the Ice Palace. Various story elements gratifyingly emanate from Fleming (Gustav Graves and Miranda Frost, the VR shooting range from MOONRAKER, M’s attitude towards Bond post-capture from THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN) and Bond and other characters are etched out relatively well. There is great dialogue and some funny one-liners and the nods to previous Bond films are inserted subtly (the Q Branch scene containing most is actually one of the best written scenes in the film).
Purvis and Wade have said that this was a consciously post-9-11 Bond ("while you were away [imprisoned in North Korea], the world changed"). There are subtle digs at US global imperialism both in Moon's dialogue and the Falco character (his berating of M is particularly fun). Jinx needs the President's permission to enter North Korea. Bond, pointedly, doesn't. The villain’s caper is presciently topical and appropriately Bondian but under explained.
However, Purvis and Wade do not use all the arrows in the 007 creative quiver. Wall-to-wall action needs tempering with set pieces that invoke tension and suspense (Gumbold’s safe, Bond’s rock climb in For Your Eyes Only, the circus finale in Octopussy). Bond’s relationship with Jinx could have been developed and her character better explained. Bond finales of late tend to be more personal and smaller in scale. Therefore, as a change from recent history, wouldn’t it be good to see a major military conflagration in a stupendous set?
I know there was going to be a finale in an enclosed beach complex based on something in Japan. Perhaps the Ice Palace could have been used in the finale. Imagine a horde of troops with pitons and crampons assaulting the building like ants clambering on the ceiling and down columns, gripping with ice spikes, blowing the complex away with grenades and guns. Think of the surreal camera angles and plausible use of the Ice Palace.
But in terms of originality and tweaking the formula, Purvis and Wade should be congratulated, having come up with some novel Bondian moments. DAD shows that 007 films still succeed as international, action, adventure, mystery thrillers studded with bizarre incident and characters, set 30 seconds into the future.
Writing Through Rock Candy
Pierce Brosnan’s Bond has Ian Fleming running through him like writing through rock candy. There are consistent little details which run through his performance which are informed by the man from the novels; Bond cleans his Walther P99 and places it under his pillow before energetic, PG-13 kinky sex, Bond smokes (the hazardous Delectados!), drinks (whisky, Martinis), withstands brutal torture, has a tense complex relationship with M and confronts Graves in the savage-yet-civil world of London’s club land. Notice how, when captured in Graves' office in the Ice Palace and Bond can probably only take out one bad guy, it is Frost he tries to shoot before realizing his gun has been made inoperable. Echoes of Elektra? Although this film allows him obvious drama (his brief ostracism by MI6), Brosnan’s “old-pro’s grace”, especially in Cuba and London, frames a performance of humanity, depth, and stealthy charm.
Chic Cheek
Halle Berry’s Giacinta Jordan aka Jinx is the first effective female equivalent to 007 in the entire series. People have said the same thing about Anya Amasova, Holly Goodhead, Pam Bouvier and Wai Lin but screenplay-wise, Jinx is given her own story and thread and functions in the film independantly of Bond. She shoots Alvarez in cold blood and is tortured and has her own fight in the denoument. Jinx runs through the film, driving the story along on a parallel investigation to Bond, employing ruthlessness, gadgets and chic cheek. Her casually brutal execution of Dr Alvarez was surprising and it is she who conquers Bond in his feisty, first-reel bedroom sequence. The part seems to be a victim of rewrites: we don’t know anything about Jinx and her relationship with Bond could been developed if Bond did not have to save her twice in Iceland. However, Berry brings an innate her warmth to her coquettish character, fleshing out more than what was on the page by sheer presence. Her homage to Ursula Andress is fantastic, allowing us to appreciate the magnificent view of both our memory and what is before us. Berry’s Oscar win early in production was lightning in a bottle to MGM who exploited it wisely in the marketing campaign. Berry’s win certainly propelled DAD to the highest-ever Bond gross at the global box-office. Bond is more than capable of keeping such illustrious company. It enhances Bond and Brosnan to interact with strong female characters played by good actresses…
…which brings us to Rosamund Pike’s Miranda Frost who is sharply played with a hauteur belying the performer’s cinematic inexperience. Frost has been overshadowed by Jinx but Pike is convincing and sexy as the icy English rose and Olympic fencing gold medallist. Her scene with M is a wonderful reversal (we were expecting someone else in that office), her sabre fight with Jinx cuts through but her best moment is when she reveals herself to be a double agent in league with Graves in his bio-dome lair. Pike’s line delivery has an elegant edge and Frost is the perfect feminine foil to Jinx.
BTW, Madonna as Verity works very well and her feminist "**** fight" line is witty and makes a good character point. She fits perfectly in with that great tradition of Bond casting from Lotte Lenya, Jimmy Dean, Goldie etc.
An Actual Colonel Sun
Recently knighted by his adopted country, member of gentleman’s club Blades and chasing land speed records, Toby Stephens’ Gustav Graves is a more-English-than-thou, brash adventurer, ostensibly a philanthropist who hopes to change the world by controlling solar rays by funding and devising the Icarus programme. This will make him an actual Colonel Sun, bringing light to areas of the world which so require it with obvious humanitarian benefits. Indeed, this is the trick of the knight, for Gustav’s grave plans can only come to fruition after he is transformed from Colonel Moon by DNA replacement therapy. This hidden-in-plain-sight, malevolent goodwill is a deliberate echo of the Drax character from the novel Moonraker. Interestingly, like Elektra King, Graves commits patricide. Stephens gives an energetic, detailed, sneeringly arrogant performance disdainfully mirroring Bond in a not entirely coincidental manner. Bond’s traditional preliminary fencing with the villain is taken literally and the duel at Blades is the most viscerally exciting action sequence in the film and already an instant Bond classic. Mention must also be made of Will Lee Hun, whose original Colonel Moon has an interesting backstory. Scion of the Moon family, and son of General Moon, the Colonel has Orlov-ian impatience with the status quo of the 38th Parallel and plans to reunite his country. Trading arms for African conflict diamonds, he plans to use the wealth to fund the Icarus programme at a later date. Bond's intervention causes him to transform into that which he despises, adopt a new society and values which he finds despicable and gradually work his way to the upper echelons of society before double-crossing it. Moon is lethal and impactful although his latter incarnation’s hatred of Bond is inexplicable since he only meets Bond for a few moments in the pre-title sequence. Maybe there was a reason for that anger therapist: “Get over it, already, Colonel”!
Korea Criminal
Rick Yune’s Tan Ling Zao is a Korea criminal whose pre-title diamond mishap and interrupted DNA replacement therapy creates an albino with acne that can be measured in carats. Zao is a compelling and original henchman and Yune is taciturn in a role that requires little. However, Yune presents an effective physical challenge especially in the Cuban clinic fight and when he delivers his “punchline” to Bond.
The Regulars
Dame Judi Dench is this time an unforgiving M (“The only place you’re going is our evaluation centre in the Falklands”), yet protective enough of 007 without compromising Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Samantha Bond’s assertive Moneypenny, while included briefly, is given a stand-out joke in her VR encounter with Bond. John Cleese’s acerbic “Quartermaster” scene is snappy (“Better than looking cleverer than you are”) with no trace of The World Is Not Enough’s buffoonery. His allusion to his predecessor and the references to previous Bond films in his Underground lab work well by not being too fannish. Colin Salmon’s Charles Robinson is a largely unchanged interpretation. All the regular scenes benefit from adjustments, opening up new avenues for the various relationships to explore. Michael Madsen’s Damian Falco (named after the Tony Curtis character in 1957's acidic Sweet Smell of Success - a favourite of the writers) has the louche charm of a Mr Blonde of the NSA and his scenes underline the spiky UK/US dynamic to the mission. Emilio Echevarria’s Cuban sleeper Raoul, Michael Gorevoy’s Russian sub-techvillain Vlad and Lawrence Makoare’s Maori sub-henchman Mr Kil are pithy characters and testimony to Debbie McWilliams’ fine casting eye.
Sonic Bond
David Arnold’s Cuban music is lively and the Jinx motif is as beautiful as the character. Slivers of the James Bond theme spice, but do not overpower, the score. Natacha Atlas provides an interesting ethnic choral sound in some of the Korean scenes. The action music relies more on techno-industrial sounds rather than driving melody and occasionally gets lost in Chris Monro’s hectic sound mix. The DNA clinic action theme works well with omninously descending major chords reminiscent of OHMSS and AVTAK. Bond's entry to Iceland has a great, sassy horn section propelling us with the Aston and the icebergs. However, Arnold does not allow these separate action or romantic themes to develop which denies his reactive score coherence. This is surprising as Arnold repeats a beautiful theme from the previous Bond (the skiing music – omitted from the soundtrack) at the end of this film. It is also a pity that the proposed Arnold/Don Black song, I Will Return could not find a place in the film other than in instrumental form in the Hong Kong hotel scene. All the previous Arnold/Black Bond songs, in particular the misunderstood Only Myself To Blame, are wonderful snatches of sonic Bond.
Vintage Values
Lindy Hemming’s costumes cloak characters with a rich, international look (making Jinx a minx) and placing Bond slightly beyond fashion curve by making him timelessly elegant and not slavishly trendy. Chris Corbould’s special effects are work well in the laser-fight and the destruction of the Ice Palace. He is innocent of the aforementioned CGI stunt sequence. Peter Lamont’s production design is floridly unrealistic and includes his most memorable work in the series; the Ice Palace. A wonderful invention but a trifle underused. Imagine a finale here (see above). The scale of the Eden Project (as Graves’ exotic Ice Palace appendage) is not fully captured and the section of set recreating it is visually unsatisfying compared to the vista the real location could give. The Underground MI6 base is a marvellously authentic conceit and the naval medical bay with indiscernible glass wall is detailed and atmospheric. The exteriors of the Ice Palace are a little drab – all vents and pipes, emasculating the scale of the interior. Having said that, most of the sets are enhanced by David Tattersall’s careful framing. Elsewhere, his photography experiments with the Bond palette. The Korean DMZ has a de-saturated, beige look reflecting the location’s thriller atmosphere. There are some superb shots floating shots of the hovercraft chase. Bond’s black and white flashback of his torture sequence is a series first. The film comes alive in Cuba and London and in the ice-chase in Iceland. Cleverly, when Bond tests his sonic agitator ring, he seems to break the fourth wall between him and the audience.
Traditionalists Beware!
Traditionalists beware, new ground also gets broken! DAD refines the formula and investigates Ian Fleming’s character subtly. The film’s careful touches and nuances withstand repeated cinema and DVD tastings and are a tribute to the talents of increasingly, internationally recognized film-makers. The Richard Maibaum truism that “Bond films aren’t written or directed, they’re produced” is still valid (note the recent BAFTA award given to Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli). However, DAD also showcases the work of no less than five recent Oscar winners: Halle Berry, Dame Judi Dench, Peter Lamont (Production Designer), Lindy Hemming (Costume Designer), Chris Monro (Sound). Cineastes will always appreciate a vintage Bond film. And since vintage does not mean stale, the flavours contained in Die Another Day are surprising and varied. According to all the laws of cinema, there should not be a twentieth James Bond film.
In a traditionally shrinking market for franchises, Bond should not have survived the 70’s let alone be not only alive, but thriving in his fifth cinematic decade. Hacks habitually knock Bond, comparing him unfavourably with upstarts (XXX, Austin Powers, Jason Bourne in 2002 alone) in a vain attempt to disprove their impotence. However, as Die Another Day shows for 007, it’s not his time to go. Cinematic legends are not created in a box office summer and if the quality of the 20th film in the 40th year of the most technically innovative, influential and enduring film series in history is anything to go by, the highest number in adventure cinema is STILL 007.
“DIE ANOTHER DAY” reviewed. AGAIN!
A new Bond film has a lot that can be criticized. We all pick the film apart afterwards and no film will survive such close inspection. If a Bond film does its job, I am lost in the moment and become a little boy again. My first cinematic impression is the distilled essence of my opinion. I remain a fan, still crazy after all these years.
It's Called The Future So Get Used To It
When Daniel Kleinman’s bullet shoots at us from the gun barrel, the traditional Bond viewer faces the first of many challenges contained in DAD. The pre-title arms deal intervention in the Korean DMZ is ballsy and surprising, echoing that of Tomorrow Never Dies. The set-up is sinister and tense, tightly edited and densely plotted, laying seeds for story elements and motivations. Surfing and hovercraft, new elements to Bond, work well by being both exciting and different. A lovely throwaway attitude towards technology (the GPS knife, the watch detonator) enhances the human performances so the hardware never distracts.
That Bond is captured and tortured in an experimental Kleinman title sequence featuring molten and ice nudes, scorpions and pain soundtracked by an innovative Bond song from Madonna exemplifies elements traditionalists find difficult to accept. Even if the song is not immediately Bondian, credit should be given for going in a fresh direction. After repeated hearings, the song evolves and time will place it comfortably in the Bond cannon. Remember, once upon a long ago, Paul McCartney was an odd choice to pen a Bond song and Live And Let Die was cacophonous noise for traditionalists then.
Of course, traditionalists think that every song should sound like Goldfinger and sung by Shirley Bassey; think M should be a man and that Sean Connery was the only Bond. If traditionalists had had their way, he would have been. And we wouldn’t be here today.
The Mint-Julep Moment
DAD is both a personal journey for 007 to regain a role of honour (after being set up in North Korea) and his manipulation by MI6 as “a blunt instrument” as well as wider tale of intrigue and global power play. Colonel Moon’s plan is to use the Icarus solar space device to destroy the world’s largest minefield between North and South Korea allowing the forces of the North to march into the south, reuniting the country in the first step to create a new Asian empire lead by him as the latest emperor. It is a shame this great scheme is not made very clear in the film itself. A lot of the audience don’t know where Korea is, let alone the region’s turbulent history. Perhaps a bit of grandstanding would not have gone amiss: Colonel Moon, in Orlov mode, crazily lecturing his troops in front of a high-tech map, briefly educating us on what is at stake. Perhaps Damian Falco and M could have had a sparring match about the history of Korea. We would then understand the significance of the DMZ, its minefield and why Icarus is going to change our world. Latter Bond films lack the Goldfinger mint-julep moment where the genius of the villain is revealed and the danger laid bare.
Substituted Locations
The recent series trend of substituted locations deprives Bond of a genuine backdrops, lessening, somewhat, the international feel of adventure. Hong Kong was particularly artificial although these scenes were deliciously cynical. North/South Korea could have been a fascinating location had the unit actually shot there. However, in DAD, it is drab and could been distinguished with at least a few second-unit inserts establishing where we are supposed to be rather than leaving all the work to subtitles. Of course, the North Korean sequences are meant to be barren and forbidding (and the location is out of bounds to the West) but South Korea could have been a good stand-in and fascinating in itself. Iceland could have been any frozen tundra (and very nearly was) being represented only by Graves’ lair. Imagine if all we ever saw of Japan in You Only Live Twice was Blofeld’s volcano silo. Perhaps Bond could have met a contact in Reykjavik and travelled out to the Ice Palace via that country’s strangely intriguing landscape. However, the logistics and budget and schedule of a film like this impose constraints on locations and there is joy in the vibrant Cadiz-for-Cuba scenes and when London comes calling.
Sinewy Direction
Lee Tamahori directs with flair and passion and his Bond film takes chances, attempts to shake up the formula and is successful despite certain flaws. His no-nonsense style leaves little time for Bondian panache (save for Hong Kong) but it leavens bizarre and unrealistic concepts like the DNA replacement clinic and the vanishing Aston Martin Vanquish. The first half of the film is sinewy and intriguing, establishing and emphasizing character and story with a consistent thriller tone. Tamahori elicits great performances his eclectic cast. The film loses focus in Iceland with Bond’s escape and return to the Ice Palace and double rescue of Jinx including too much non-story driven action at the expense of character and plot development. Throughout the film we should have seen the military escalation in the DMZ which would pay off with genuine tension at the climax, making the world much more at stake than just a personal tussle between Bond and Graves. The CGI tsunami surfing sequence lacks photo-realism (especially compared to the real pre-title surfing) and remains the only unfortunate inclusion in the film and exclusion from the cutting room floor. Christian Wagner’s stylish, modern editing works well although the MTV cutting in the Vanquish vs. Jaguar ice bullet ballet distracts from the flow of the action and the setting itself. Elsewhere, his style is powerful and economical boiling down action and character efficiently.
Wall-To-Wall – Purvis & Wade – Screenplayed
Neil Purvis and Robert Wade exercise their imaginations by bringing back the bizarre in this Bond with DNA replacement therapy and the Ice Palace. Various story elements gratifyingly emanate from Fleming (Gustav Graves and Miranda Frost, the VR shooting range from MOONRAKER, M’s attitude towards Bond post-capture from THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN) and Bond and other characters are etched out relatively well. There is great dialogue and some funny one-liners and the nods to previous Bond films are inserted subtly (the Q Branch scene containing most is actually one of the best written scenes in the film).
Purvis and Wade have said that this was a consciously post-9-11 Bond ("while you were away [imprisoned in North Korea], the world changed"). There are subtle digs at US global imperialism both in Moon's dialogue and the Falco character (his berating of M is particularly fun). Jinx needs the President's permission to enter North Korea. Bond, pointedly, doesn't. The villain’s caper is presciently topical and appropriately Bondian but under explained.
However, Purvis and Wade do not use all the arrows in the 007 creative quiver. Wall-to-wall action needs tempering with set pieces that invoke tension and suspense (Gumbold’s safe, Bond’s rock climb in For Your Eyes Only, the circus finale in Octopussy). Bond’s relationship with Jinx could have been developed and her character better explained. Bond finales of late tend to be more personal and smaller in scale. Therefore, as a change from recent history, wouldn’t it be good to see a major military conflagration in a stupendous set?
I know there was going to be a finale in an enclosed beach complex based on something in Japan. Perhaps the Ice Palace could have been used in the finale. Imagine a horde of troops with pitons and crampons assaulting the building like ants clambering on the ceiling and down columns, gripping with ice spikes, blowing the complex away with grenades and guns. Think of the surreal camera angles and plausible use of the Ice Palace.
But in terms of originality and tweaking the formula, Purvis and Wade should be congratulated, having come up with some novel Bondian moments. DAD shows that 007 films still succeed as international, action, adventure, mystery thrillers studded with bizarre incident and characters, set 30 seconds into the future.
Writing Through Rock Candy
Pierce Brosnan’s Bond has Ian Fleming running through him like writing through rock candy. There are consistent little details which run through his performance which are informed by the man from the novels; Bond cleans his Walther P99 and places it under his pillow before energetic, PG-13 kinky sex, Bond smokes (the hazardous Delectados!), drinks (whisky, Martinis), withstands brutal torture, has a tense complex relationship with M and confronts Graves in the savage-yet-civil world of London’s club land. Notice how, when captured in Graves' office in the Ice Palace and Bond can probably only take out one bad guy, it is Frost he tries to shoot before realizing his gun has been made inoperable. Echoes of Elektra? Although this film allows him obvious drama (his brief ostracism by MI6), Brosnan’s “old-pro’s grace”, especially in Cuba and London, frames a performance of humanity, depth, and stealthy charm.
Chic Cheek
Halle Berry’s Giacinta Jordan aka Jinx is the first effective female equivalent to 007 in the entire series. People have said the same thing about Anya Amasova, Holly Goodhead, Pam Bouvier and Wai Lin but screenplay-wise, Jinx is given her own story and thread and functions in the film independantly of Bond. She shoots Alvarez in cold blood and is tortured and has her own fight in the denoument. Jinx runs through the film, driving the story along on a parallel investigation to Bond, employing ruthlessness, gadgets and chic cheek. Her casually brutal execution of Dr Alvarez was surprising and it is she who conquers Bond in his feisty, first-reel bedroom sequence. The part seems to be a victim of rewrites: we don’t know anything about Jinx and her relationship with Bond could been developed if Bond did not have to save her twice in Iceland. However, Berry brings an innate her warmth to her coquettish character, fleshing out more than what was on the page by sheer presence. Her homage to Ursula Andress is fantastic, allowing us to appreciate the magnificent view of both our memory and what is before us. Berry’s Oscar win early in production was lightning in a bottle to MGM who exploited it wisely in the marketing campaign. Berry’s win certainly propelled DAD to the highest-ever Bond gross at the global box-office. Bond is more than capable of keeping such illustrious company. It enhances Bond and Brosnan to interact with strong female characters played by good actresses…
…which brings us to Rosamund Pike’s Miranda Frost who is sharply played with a hauteur belying the performer’s cinematic inexperience. Frost has been overshadowed by Jinx but Pike is convincing and sexy as the icy English rose and Olympic fencing gold medallist. Her scene with M is a wonderful reversal (we were expecting someone else in that office), her sabre fight with Jinx cuts through but her best moment is when she reveals herself to be a double agent in league with Graves in his bio-dome lair. Pike’s line delivery has an elegant edge and Frost is the perfect feminine foil to Jinx.
BTW, Madonna as Verity works very well and her feminist "**** fight" line is witty and makes a good character point. She fits perfectly in with that great tradition of Bond casting from Lotte Lenya, Jimmy Dean, Goldie etc.
An Actual Colonel Sun
Recently knighted by his adopted country, member of gentleman’s club Blades and chasing land speed records, Toby Stephens’ Gustav Graves is a more-English-than-thou, brash adventurer, ostensibly a philanthropist who hopes to change the world by controlling solar rays by funding and devising the Icarus programme. This will make him an actual Colonel Sun, bringing light to areas of the world which so require it with obvious humanitarian benefits. Indeed, this is the trick of the knight, for Gustav’s grave plans can only come to fruition after he is transformed from Colonel Moon by DNA replacement therapy. This hidden-in-plain-sight, malevolent goodwill is a deliberate echo of the Drax character from the novel Moonraker. Interestingly, like Elektra King, Graves commits patricide. Stephens gives an energetic, detailed, sneeringly arrogant performance disdainfully mirroring Bond in a not entirely coincidental manner. Bond’s traditional preliminary fencing with the villain is taken literally and the duel at Blades is the most viscerally exciting action sequence in the film and already an instant Bond classic. Mention must also be made of Will Lee Hun, whose original Colonel Moon has an interesting backstory. Scion of the Moon family, and son of General Moon, the Colonel has Orlov-ian impatience with the status quo of the 38th Parallel and plans to reunite his country. Trading arms for African conflict diamonds, he plans to use the wealth to fund the Icarus programme at a later date. Bond's intervention causes him to transform into that which he despises, adopt a new society and values which he finds despicable and gradually work his way to the upper echelons of society before double-crossing it. Moon is lethal and impactful although his latter incarnation’s hatred of Bond is inexplicable since he only meets Bond for a few moments in the pre-title sequence. Maybe there was a reason for that anger therapist: “Get over it, already, Colonel”!
Korea Criminal
Rick Yune’s Tan Ling Zao is a Korea criminal whose pre-title diamond mishap and interrupted DNA replacement therapy creates an albino with acne that can be measured in carats. Zao is a compelling and original henchman and Yune is taciturn in a role that requires little. However, Yune presents an effective physical challenge especially in the Cuban clinic fight and when he delivers his “punchline” to Bond.
The Regulars
Dame Judi Dench is this time an unforgiving M (“The only place you’re going is our evaluation centre in the Falklands”), yet protective enough of 007 without compromising Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Samantha Bond’s assertive Moneypenny, while included briefly, is given a stand-out joke in her VR encounter with Bond. John Cleese’s acerbic “Quartermaster” scene is snappy (“Better than looking cleverer than you are”) with no trace of The World Is Not Enough’s buffoonery. His allusion to his predecessor and the references to previous Bond films in his Underground lab work well by not being too fannish. Colin Salmon’s Charles Robinson is a largely unchanged interpretation. All the regular scenes benefit from adjustments, opening up new avenues for the various relationships to explore. Michael Madsen’s Damian Falco (named after the Tony Curtis character in 1957's acidic Sweet Smell of Success - a favourite of the writers) has the louche charm of a Mr Blonde of the NSA and his scenes underline the spiky UK/US dynamic to the mission. Emilio Echevarria’s Cuban sleeper Raoul, Michael Gorevoy’s Russian sub-techvillain Vlad and Lawrence Makoare’s Maori sub-henchman Mr Kil are pithy characters and testimony to Debbie McWilliams’ fine casting eye.
Sonic Bond
David Arnold’s Cuban music is lively and the Jinx motif is as beautiful as the character. Slivers of the James Bond theme spice, but do not overpower, the score. Natacha Atlas provides an interesting ethnic choral sound in some of the Korean scenes. The action music relies more on techno-industrial sounds rather than driving melody and occasionally gets lost in Chris Monro’s hectic sound mix. The DNA clinic action theme works well with omninously descending major chords reminiscent of OHMSS and AVTAK. Bond's entry to Iceland has a great, sassy horn section propelling us with the Aston and the icebergs. However, Arnold does not allow these separate action or romantic themes to develop which denies his reactive score coherence. This is surprising as Arnold repeats a beautiful theme from the previous Bond (the skiing music – omitted from the soundtrack) at the end of this film. It is also a pity that the proposed Arnold/Don Black song, I Will Return could not find a place in the film other than in instrumental form in the Hong Kong hotel scene. All the previous Arnold/Black Bond songs, in particular the misunderstood Only Myself To Blame, are wonderful snatches of sonic Bond.
Vintage Values
Lindy Hemming’s costumes cloak characters with a rich, international look (making Jinx a minx) and placing Bond slightly beyond fashion curve by making him timelessly elegant and not slavishly trendy. Chris Corbould’s special effects are work well in the laser-fight and the destruction of the Ice Palace. He is innocent of the aforementioned CGI stunt sequence. Peter Lamont’s production design is floridly unrealistic and includes his most memorable work in the series; the Ice Palace. A wonderful invention but a trifle underused. Imagine a finale here (see above). The scale of the Eden Project (as Graves’ exotic Ice Palace appendage) is not fully captured and the section of set recreating it is visually unsatisfying compared to the vista the real location could give. The Underground MI6 base is a marvellously authentic conceit and the naval medical bay with indiscernible glass wall is detailed and atmospheric. The exteriors of the Ice Palace are a little drab – all vents and pipes, emasculating the scale of the interior. Having said that, most of the sets are enhanced by David Tattersall’s careful framing. Elsewhere, his photography experiments with the Bond palette. The Korean DMZ has a de-saturated, beige look reflecting the location’s thriller atmosphere. There are some superb shots floating shots of the hovercraft chase. Bond’s black and white flashback of his torture sequence is a series first. The film comes alive in Cuba and London and in the ice-chase in Iceland. Cleverly, when Bond tests his sonic agitator ring, he seems to break the fourth wall between him and the audience.
Traditionalists Beware!
Traditionalists beware, new ground also gets broken! DAD refines the formula and investigates Ian Fleming’s character subtly. The film’s careful touches and nuances withstand repeated cinema and DVD tastings and are a tribute to the talents of increasingly, internationally recognized film-makers. The Richard Maibaum truism that “Bond films aren’t written or directed, they’re produced” is still valid (note the recent BAFTA award given to Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli). However, DAD also showcases the work of no less than five recent Oscar winners: Halle Berry, Dame Judi Dench, Peter Lamont (Production Designer), Lindy Hemming (Costume Designer), Chris Monro (Sound). Cineastes will always appreciate a vintage Bond film. And since vintage does not mean stale, the flavours contained in Die Another Day are surprising and varied. According to all the laws of cinema, there should not be a twentieth James Bond film.
In a traditionally shrinking market for franchises, Bond should not have survived the 70’s let alone be not only alive, but thriving in his fifth cinematic decade. Hacks habitually knock Bond, comparing him unfavourably with upstarts (XXX, Austin Powers, Jason Bourne in 2002 alone) in a vain attempt to disprove their impotence. However, as Die Another Day shows for 007, it’s not his time to go. Cinematic legends are not created in a box office summer and if the quality of the 20th film in the 40th year of the most technically innovative, influential and enduring film series in history is anything to go by, the highest number in adventure cinema is STILL 007.
Comments
But sorry about something, jinx appeareance evocates, maybe imitates, but it will NEVER be the same as Honey Ryder.
and yes, is the first half hour that make it like a bond film (paused, not like one man army kinda guy) the action scenes are pretty good, but come on, i also feel like a little more suspense-paused plot
About the gunbarrel, i don't understand the bullet. why they didn't use the smoke in the gun ( a better effect)
i can't say anythig else yet
I dislike DAD not because of close-mindedness. Rather, to me, the film tries so hard to be all things to all people that all I noticed was that it was trying to be all things to all people. The homages were fine -- better than that, they were fun -- but when I see my favorite character stopping his own pulse, driving an invisible car and trading cheesy one-liners like they were Olympic stickpins, it's too much. If that makes me a fuddy-duddy in your estimation, so be it. I have lots of company.
However, the fact that we disagree on the quality of the film does not detract from my enjoyment of your review and the obvious thought and effort you put into it. Thanks!
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I Will Return is everywhere. It's in the surfing music. It's in the hovercraft chase. It's in the sword fight. It's in the car chase. It's simply crafted into almost every cue in one form or another. BUT a crucial part is missing. The song. Without the song, it's hard to put together the pieces and hard to see how an integral part of the whole music it would have been. Had it been recorded at put at the end of the movie, the music would make a lot more sense (it's full of strong themes) and would be recognized for what it is. But alas, it's not.
Oh, and the last track is a derivation of four different songs, I don't know why the poor skiing music is always singled out.
The only reason I know that it was in the hotel room scene is that when I met Mr Arnold once and asked him about it, he told me and proceeded to sing the chorus with lyrics!
Do you have the full song? (I know you are writing a top secret book and all but can you confirm?)
Well, we disagree less than you'd think. I was not being defensive. I know most people do not like the film but when I wrote the majority of that review it was 2 weeks before the premiere!
I was not aiming at you Sir Hilary. And I suspect that you do NOT think Sean Connery should carry on being Bond, or Burly Chassis should keep singing Bond songs. And while we probably both miss Ken Adam and John Barry, we probably understand why new people have been drafted even though we don't always agree with their creative choices. There is a class of Bond fan who have and will never get over the way they used to do Bonds and wasn't it all good in the old days. I do not like the heart-stopping scene, the invisible Aston or the CGI scene. However, each of those things do not ruin the film for me. I LOVE the first hour and think many things were spot on. And it is funny how many of those who HATED Madonna, now appreciate the tune and the freshness (even though for some it is a backhanded jab at Chris Cornell!). Yeah, I accentuate the positive. Goddamit, I'm a fan and this is a fan site!;% ;% :007) I am not uncritical but I look to my overall, personal enjoyment of the film and try to capture or explain my initial feelings.:D:):p
A vocal version was never recorded (I hoped for at least a demo, but even that didn't make it).
these give us something new to look for next time we watch these movies
I like the way they finally incorporate the opening chapters of flemings tMwtGG, probably the only really important part of that book, so it was crime itd gone unfilmed up til now
but I wish theyd gone just a little bit further instead of M merely suspecting Bond had been brainwashed
and despite the nearness in villains names there were more elements from Colonel Sun in the previous movie
I loved the whole torture-scene-as-credits
but felt the awesome deconstructive potential fizzled out very quickly, mostly the film was all about spotting the clever references (eg the Book On Birds)
I wonder if theyve all been annotated somewhere? there should be at least one per each previous film, plus dozens of passing refs to Fleming
I never got the Moonraker refs until reading about them online much later,
the reinvented Blades scene is much more appropriately cinematic than the cardgame in the book
however it lost the whole nouveau-riche-spoiling-the-snooty-oldschool-gentlemens-club-with-his-crude-lower-class-manners vibe that was so important to Flemings version
but Halle Barry, I dont know how she ever won an Oscar, shes got hot abs thats for certain but she stunk up every film Ive ever seen her in
she was even outacted by Sideshow Bob in that last XMen movie!
I see your point that she was given an independent storyline, but the filmmakers were angling for a spinoff as soon as she was cast
Agent XXX however, from tSWLM, was given a fleshedout backstory and there was alot more complex motivation going on in her inevitable afair with Bond, that film is about more than a submarine car, there actually is for the first time a BondGirl not written by Fleming with an interesting story and credible reason for sleeping with our hero
Jinx had neither
8. TMwtGG 9. AVtaK 10. TSWLM 11. SF 12. LtK 13. TND 14. YOLT
15. NTtD 16. MR 17. LaLD 18. GF 19. SP 20. DN 21. TB
22. TWiNE 23. DAD 24. QoS 25. DaF
Personally, I think she should stick to more swordfish/monster's ball type roles which challenge her, rather that cartoonish efforts.
Rewatching DAD I found I really was impressed with the first half. There are little small things such as Bond casually reading a magazine about Graves on his return to London. Bond watching the knighting ceramony start with other journalists. Cuba was very well created and I also felt it was one of the best filmed locations of the series in recent years (with a great musical score too.) The sword fight also was very well staged.
Shame about the second half.
Personally, I think she should stick to more swordfish/monster's ball type roles which challenge her, rather that cartoonish efforts.
Rewatching DAD I found I really was impressed with the first half. There are little small things such as Bond casually reading a magazine about Graves on his return to London. Bond watching the knighting ceramony start with other journalists. Cuba was very well created and I also felt it was one of the best filmed locations of the series in recent years (with a great musical score too.) The sword fight also was very well staged.
Shame about the second half.
1)I am a traditionalist. It is not because I can not get past the old days, but rather because I know what I like, and DAD didn't deliver. One thing which I appreciate is a good screenplay and DAD IMO had among the worst screenplays of all time. There are things in DAD which weren't particularly Bondian (Bond's being captured) but I could perhaps accept it if it had been better done. So, yes, as I said, I'm a traditionalist because I know what I like and DAD hasn't convinced me otherwise.
2)I can't stand the first half. I really disagree with you on this because IMO the first half was almost as bad as the second half. My first problem was that Bond got captured. As someone who hasn't read the novels and is more interested in the cinematic approach, it doesn't warm my heart to see Bond captured and tortured. However, accepting that, what annoys me even more is that he didn't escape. What I would have loved was for Bond to escape and for the film to be about his seeking revenge for his capture. Instead, he got out because of a deal which suggests that if the deal hadn't taken place, he would still be in captivity, or worse. By the time he got to Iceland, he and the audience had forgotten that he had being captured, with the only reference to his capture being the discovery of Frost as the traiter. However that was halfhearted at best. There is also the PTS. Obviously it was different (for good or bad) with Bond's being captured but I remember watching DAD recently on TV and almost falling asleep during the PTS. The PTS of course had a unique twist, but it was pretty similar to TND's which was pretty similar to GE, neiher of which IMO were nearly as good as GE's. In fact it seems to me that during the Brosnan films there were two PTS's; GE's which was copied in TND and DAD, and TWINE's.
Finally there are the theme song, Brosnan's dirty beard when he went into the hotel, the interplay between Bond and Jinx and Graves himself. If the end of the fencing scene signals the point in which DAD became an absolute disaster (although IMO it was already bad enough) then in that scene we were introduced to Graves, one of the all-time worst villains IMO.
So really IMO the first half was almost as bad as the second. I do consider the second half to be inferior, but when I think of what the first half has given us (the only three good things about the first half IMO were Brosnan's performance, the sword fight and the "Say goodbye to him from us" line) I would argue that the first half was enough to make DAD one of the worst Bond films of all time.
3)I consider Jinx to be among the very worst, if not the worst, Bond girls of all time. The reason being that she was so deliberately aimed at being Bond's equal, I just wanted to kill her. Not only did they take the whole 'Bond's equal' thing too far IMO but I don't think she was a particularly interesting character, not like Anya in TSWLM was.
As I said, there is very little in your review that I agree with, however it was extremely well written and great to read.
"Better make that two."
Thanks Dan Same. I know that my opinion of DAD is in the minority. I also like MWGG. Did you like TWINE? I wrote a review on that too. My experience is that people who prefer TWINE do not like DAD and vice-versa.
Just my opinion and glad to hear debate. Thanks for even reading it.
whos this Fleming think he is anyway? he treats Bond like some sort of voodoo dolly, putting him through every physical humiliation imaginable, almost every book ends with our hero requiring weeks of hospitilization to recover from the physical trauma
sometimes the BondGirls dont look so hot by the last page either, after all the exploding fueltanks and keelhaulings etc
hawhaw! as with M calling him a "dead white male" or words to that effect in GoldenEye, this is one of my favourite subversions in the Brosnan films
he hasnt had a haircut or probably even bathed since his capture, how long ago? one year? two? he undoubtedly smells very bad
then he stumbles into this 5star hotel looking like some disreputable homeless person, and of course the manager immediately recognises him and offers him his usual room!
"and shall I forward the bill to MI6 as usual sir?"
what is it with all the maitre d's and golfpros knowing him by name? this sort of thing should be a liabilty for a spy