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For his fourth outing as James Bond, Pierce Brosnan shows us that he can be strong as Bond. This time, Bond is captured in Korea and tortured for 14 months. He gets released in exchange for a traitor, Zao (Rick Yune). He meets up with Jinx, played by Halle Berry. The two go off to Iceland to track a terrorist, Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens). Exotic locations and non-stop action ensue.
Not being a gigantic Bond fan (love the Goldeneye video game but only have seen one other film), I can't really compare this to others. The action was almost non-stop with fun to spare. The special FX didn't really seem that visible compared to most blockbusters. The invisible car seemed "stolen" from I Spy, but it was probably the other way around. Bond got some pretty cool gadgets to work with, including a glass-shattering ring and the invisible Aston-Martin.
You can tell all of the product placement plagued from other companies. Bond is being chased in his Aston-Martin by a Jaguar after using a Norelco shaver, etc. That kind of stands aside, though.
Brosnan was very good as Bond. I think that he could go on for at least two more Jimmy Bond movies. Halle Berry, whom I love a lot, is also great as Jinx (soon to become a spin-off movie), but if more insight had been given into her character it would have been great. Stephens underplays his role, though menacing enough. It couldn't be a Bond film, though, if the bad guy didn't go for the "slow but painful" death that has become a trademark.
The locations were very beautifully shot, traveling from Korea to Cuba to, where the majority of the film takes place, Iceland. I've always liked icy conditions (don't ask why) so I thought this would be fun (especially with a car chase on it). It was. Seeing two weapon-packed sports cars go after each other on two-feet-thick ice is my idea of having a good time.
Madonna sings a truly terrible song in the beginning, with a subpar opening credits sequence, though FX ridden. She, unfourtanetly, also has a cameo as a fencing instructor. But, you've got to take the bad with the good.
The twentith Bond film doesn't lack on fun at all, continuing the tongue-in-cheek humor that it had before, and is definately a high seven on my list.
Rated PG-13 for action violence and sexuality.
Review Date: November 23, 2002