TWINE is massively under appreciated. (Page 1 of 2)

It always surprises me when I hear that people don't like this one. It has always been my favourite Brosnan Bond film since it was released. Apart from some issues with Dr Jones and a dull look overall (though Bilbao looks great), I think it's fantastic. I think it has some of the best action sequences of any Bond film. I think the story is quite compelling.

Pacing is its biggest weakness.

I've never heard of this widely held view?
I don't even know what "resulting in the his next film calling for a reboot" means,  I'm not getting the cause and effect in that sentence.

I like it the best of Brosnans four films, because it is the only one where story rises above action setpieces. Some of our friends here like it too, but I know some also think its the worst. I guess it depends on what you want from your BrosnanBond films.
Some actually like the all-action no-story formula of the two films with ...Die... in the title. They might be confused by why the action should slow down for boring character stuff in tWiNE.

And there is the very understandable view that Goldeneye was the only good Brosnan film, and it was all downhill after that. I remember at the time Goldeneye was a popular smash at the theatre, and it was suddenly as cool to be a Bondfan as it was back during the days of the Spy Who Loved Me. By the second film, normal folks were back to being cynical about the how formulaic the franchise was, and I dont think gave tWiNE a chance. I remember at an office christmas party telling people I was surprised to be surprised at a plot development in the new Bond film, and nobody believed me! but thats what tWiNE had to offer for folks who were willing to go see it.

Die Another Day had a lot of hype because of the anniversary and Halle Berry. It seemed more nonfans gave that one a chance, and were reminded why they didn't usually go see such films when they went. I would say that last Brosnan was entirely responsible for the required reboot. I've never heard of that responsibility being assignd to tWiNE before.

Last edited by caractacus potts (10th Aug 2019 23:09)

Very well said. 

Spot on Barbel  
TWINE is my favourite Brosnan. Some truly classic Bondian scenes. It's a film I can watch over and over. Of course it has its faults, as so eloquently put above, but I think it has and will age well in the series.

I just thought that most people seen Tomorrow Never Dies as a well crafted action adventure and solid follow up to the GoldenEye. TWINE is where a lot of complaints start to creep in about the schizophrenic tone, bad bond girl, terrible one liners and the formula becoming stale etc etc.

My other point was that DAD pushed the series so far that the producers hit the reset button with Casino Royale.

To be quite honest, I think Pierce could and should have played Bond until at least 2010...

The name is Walker by the way.

IG: @thebondarchives
Check it out, you won’t be disappointed

He had a 5th film in him for sure.

I like bits of it (the speed-boat chase, the bank, Electra), but the locations are the epitome of dullness and nothing is ever done with Renard's no=pain ability. It's introduced, then forgotten completely. And Denise Richards is awful, of course.

I’d say the locations are unique and refreshingly off the beaten path.

Renard’s fate of being “already dead” was more important than the no pain thing. They go hand in hand, but the overall point is that he’s doomed.

Sounds like you have a prejudice against Denise Richards. Is it because of other films she has been in? If TWINE was the only time you have ever seen her on screen would you still dislike her?

Anyway, just thought I’d try to offer a different perspective. I love your top 10 btw!

I'd be interested to know what are the reasons that you find TWINE such a poor Bond film? And do you enjoy the other Pierce Brosnan films?

I hadn't seen this topic until it recently resurfaced, and I felt I'd add my two cents to the discussion that went on a few months ago.

The first time I saw TWINE I went into it massively excited, it was only the second Bond film to be released after I had discovered the series. I grew up in a small South African town and we seldom went to the cinema at that time so I watched the film on home video, and although I enjoyed is, something about it felt a little off. Somehow the film had subverted my expectations and delivered something that I wasn't anticipating.

Over the years and subsequent viewings, my appreciation for TWINE steadily grew as I discovered all of its strengths, and in many instances the things that caught me off guard the first time I saw it were the things that I appreciated later on.

Firstly, I definitely think that this film is Brosnan at this best. His Bond has to go through a lot in this film, from physical injury, to emotional vulnerability and having to kill a woman that he has fallen for. I probably wasn't expecting to see a Bond stripped of some of the unflappability that I was used to.

Another moment is the Q scene...which has an odd and eerie ending as Desmond Llewellyn takes his final bow in the series. The tragic event of Llewelyn's death not long after filming made this extra poignant.

The Elektra-Bond relationship is quite a unique one in the series. Her transition from victim to villain was actually quite a shock to my 12 year old self. Brosnan and Marceau gave fine nuanced performances, making this relationship believable. Imagine if the likes of Denise Richards had attempted to sell this relationship on screen!

Another element which didn't appeal to me at first were the locations and the look of the film. The locations are quite bland and unglamorous, and shot in a fairly plain, unstylised way. Over time I've actually come to like this aspect of the film as I've begun to enjoy more realistic and unglamorous espionage fiction and movies.

Some of the things which I'm not a huge fan of in this film...Firstly the dialogue. I think that Purvis and Wade did a good job of constructing a story, but the dialogue falls flat in places. In particular some of the dialogue involving Christmas Jones, and other lines such as "Welcome to my nuclear family." Second, although it is nice to have Valentin Zukovsky back, I've always enjoyed his performance in GE a lot more. He comes across a little buffoonish in the caviar factory sequence, and the way he exclaims "Bond, James Bond!" when he and Bond meet in the film has always been one of my least favourite moments. Denise Richards' performance, of course, is a major weakness in the film - I don't feel I need to go into more detail on that point. And I've never been a great fan of the final action scene on the submarine, although to be honest compared to the action climax that preceded it and followed it (ie the stealth ship in TND, and the Antonov plane in DAD) I'll take the submarine sequence anyday. 

My overall impression of TWINE now after nearly 20 years and probably well over 20 viewings is that it is a solid mid-table Bond film, sitting in my ranking just behind For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy. The potential for a top 10 Bond film was there, but a few of the film's weaknesses result in it being a bit of a missed opportunity in my opinion. But there is plenty there to enjoy, and some unusual depth to the characterisation of Bond and his relationship with Elektra.

Last edited by Golrush007 (3rd Dec 2019 06:17)