Well, just night we caved in and watched TWINE
broadshoulder
Acton, London, UKPosts: 1,363MI6 Agent
~TGhere was nothing on TV last night so we reached for one of my least watched Bond films. I wanted to see what it was like. 
Dissecting why The World is Not Enough doesnt work is a mystery in itself. It has everything on paper. A very healthy budget, a cutting edge director, Pierce Brosnan, Peter Lamonts production design, two talented writers – hold on, lets rewind – its Purvis and Wade we are talking about here. This was the first one they did on their own and perhaps there were two many ideas thrown into the mix because none seem to gel – a villain imperious to pain, a villain who is a beautiful woman, a plot to blow up Istanbul with Robbie Coltranes brother –in-laws submarine. Say what?
There are some very good attributes to TWINE. The pre-title sequence is very exciting and remeniscent of the Roger Moore days.Pierce blasts down the River Thames in a cartoon boat and the subsequent carnage accompanied by David Arnolds score is fantastic. If you get bored you can watch landmarks along the Thames whoosh past and I defy anyone not to grin when the said boat careens through a yuppy restaurant and shoots into the river.
I must say Sophie Marcaeu as the troubled Electra is very good as well showing the right amount of guile, seductiveness, and deceit to make an engaging character. The problem , like all the characters in TWINE, is that she is too sympathetic. She engages the audiences sympathy and you dont quite belive the peril. She's not a fully successful Bond girl/villainess as the character is too erratically written for this. The ideas behind her are very impressive - genius intelligence, head of powerful organisation, the real villain behind it all, the illusion that she is indestructable, but somehow dont seem to flow. Maybe because the direction is exceptionally hurried and the audience doesn't have time really to relate to her before the next forced action scene.
And the action scenes do seem forced. The terrahawk attack on the ski run is tiresome, the fight at the end between Brosnan and Carlyle is slow, and the fight at the Caspian Caviar factory looks as if the explosives are there for when the actors run past. The production design for TWINE shows no flair at all and Peter Lamont after 8 Bond movies is looking uninspired. There is a dreariness to this one as if the colour is washed out. The setting of the factories of Central Asia and the underground silos nearby is rather drab. The director Michael Apted injected no colour into the proceedings. He also let the action scenes be directed by ex stuntman, the increasingly bored Vic Armstrong, while he did the dialogue scenes.
Also may I add Robert Carlyle is a consumate actor but is utterly miscast as a Bond villain. Viktor Renard, the Serbian horror, is an excellent idea – a bullet slowly working through his brain making him stronger while slowly killing him. But nothing is done with it. He might as well have hooping cough the use it is to the story. Even the climactic battle between him and Pierce never gets out of first gear. But the casting director seems to have taken a holiday on this one with Goldie and Denise Richards struggling to say their lines on cue. And when you see M locked away and trying to reach the key with a broom handle you know they have run out of ideas. M becomes a dingbat in this one and no mistake.
People say I am harsh on Pierce Brosnan and his generic Bond portrayal but he is quite good here – he even does subtext. Brosnan always wanted a more human Bond and interfered in the scripts. The result works as often as it doesnt. In fact the relationships between the principals are what bog the film down (and its all arguably Ms fault) and is fundamentally alot of damaged people hurting others. The contrast between this and the action scenes is jarring. When you hear Carlyle say to Marceau “was James Bond better in bed then me?” you just cease to care and worst can’t take the thing seriously.
TWINE is lauded in some quarters as a more human touchy feely Bond. These do work ie Casino Royale, OHMSS. Bond films are no stranger to emotion . But this one is just shoddy, you cant believe the menace or the situation. In fact, you can’t believe the situations at all.
Not bad, but there are some situations which kick you out the story.
Dissecting why The World is Not Enough doesnt work is a mystery in itself. It has everything on paper. A very healthy budget, a cutting edge director, Pierce Brosnan, Peter Lamonts production design, two talented writers – hold on, lets rewind – its Purvis and Wade we are talking about here. This was the first one they did on their own and perhaps there were two many ideas thrown into the mix because none seem to gel – a villain imperious to pain, a villain who is a beautiful woman, a plot to blow up Istanbul with Robbie Coltranes brother –in-laws submarine. Say what?
There are some very good attributes to TWINE. The pre-title sequence is very exciting and remeniscent of the Roger Moore days.Pierce blasts down the River Thames in a cartoon boat and the subsequent carnage accompanied by David Arnolds score is fantastic. If you get bored you can watch landmarks along the Thames whoosh past and I defy anyone not to grin when the said boat careens through a yuppy restaurant and shoots into the river.
I must say Sophie Marcaeu as the troubled Electra is very good as well showing the right amount of guile, seductiveness, and deceit to make an engaging character. The problem , like all the characters in TWINE, is that she is too sympathetic. She engages the audiences sympathy and you dont quite belive the peril. She's not a fully successful Bond girl/villainess as the character is too erratically written for this. The ideas behind her are very impressive - genius intelligence, head of powerful organisation, the real villain behind it all, the illusion that she is indestructable, but somehow dont seem to flow. Maybe because the direction is exceptionally hurried and the audience doesn't have time really to relate to her before the next forced action scene.
And the action scenes do seem forced. The terrahawk attack on the ski run is tiresome, the fight at the end between Brosnan and Carlyle is slow, and the fight at the Caspian Caviar factory looks as if the explosives are there for when the actors run past. The production design for TWINE shows no flair at all and Peter Lamont after 8 Bond movies is looking uninspired. There is a dreariness to this one as if the colour is washed out. The setting of the factories of Central Asia and the underground silos nearby is rather drab. The director Michael Apted injected no colour into the proceedings. He also let the action scenes be directed by ex stuntman, the increasingly bored Vic Armstrong, while he did the dialogue scenes.
Also may I add Robert Carlyle is a consumate actor but is utterly miscast as a Bond villain. Viktor Renard, the Serbian horror, is an excellent idea – a bullet slowly working through his brain making him stronger while slowly killing him. But nothing is done with it. He might as well have hooping cough the use it is to the story. Even the climactic battle between him and Pierce never gets out of first gear. But the casting director seems to have taken a holiday on this one with Goldie and Denise Richards struggling to say their lines on cue. And when you see M locked away and trying to reach the key with a broom handle you know they have run out of ideas. M becomes a dingbat in this one and no mistake.
People say I am harsh on Pierce Brosnan and his generic Bond portrayal but he is quite good here – he even does subtext. Brosnan always wanted a more human Bond and interfered in the scripts. The result works as often as it doesnt. In fact the relationships between the principals are what bog the film down (and its all arguably Ms fault) and is fundamentally alot of damaged people hurting others. The contrast between this and the action scenes is jarring. When you hear Carlyle say to Marceau “was James Bond better in bed then me?” you just cease to care and worst can’t take the thing seriously.
TWINE is lauded in some quarters as a more human touchy feely Bond. These do work ie Casino Royale, OHMSS. Bond films are no stranger to emotion . But this one is just shoddy, you cant believe the menace or the situation. In fact, you can’t believe the situations at all.
Not bad, but there are some situations which kick you out the story.
1. For Your Eyes Only 2. The Living Daylights 3 From Russia with Love 4. Casino Royale 5. OHMSS 6. Skyfall
Comments
In parts but missing that " special something"
When the scene occurred where M is told by Electra to come and rescue her. My partner had her head in his hands.
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
Indeed. I don't really understand at all the hate that this film elicits in the Bond fan community. It's probably Pierce's best Bond. -{
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
I agree. -{
That apart, it is actually pretty dam enjoyable. Brosnan possibly does his best job here, just deviating a bit from his normal performance to add a bit more depth. The comedy is just in the right amounts, Robbie Coltrane lights up the screen. The plot is plausible, the action is mostly very impressive and there a bit more espionage here which is always a good thing.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Yes, and that's one of the reasons that for me it's a top shelf Brosnan Bond film.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Pierce was only the third actor after Sean and Roger to have made a third film. Goldfinger and TSWLM were such seminal works, I think. The pressure was really on to make TWINE as good and in parts it really delivered - PTS, use of London landmarks, which would work so beautifully in Skyfall and a bigger role for Judi. However, by throwing everything at it because of the pressure, it just doesn't work IMO. There is just too much going on, and it becomes a scrap book of Bondian cliches and set pieces, stitched together by a flawed script.
Its fundamentally about a lot of damaged people being shoddy to one another
Which bits were written by Mrs apted?
Mrs Apted worked on the leading ladies parts (no jokes, please, usual suspects).
Then we could all jump on board with our very funny comments, and it
Wouldn't interfere with the thread, in fact why not add a glossery term
Something like "Take it To The Pub Guys ". As Barbel did one day this week.
To keep the usual nonsense in one place.
Plus the last appearance of the great Desmond Llewellyn was another highlight of the film, lovely dialogue and a sad departure.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
He tries Bond- his character disappears after 2 movies
Harry Potter- the same
Pink Panther- the series disappears after 2 movies (he's in the 2nd)