Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
cast: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, and Goetz Otto
director: Roger Spottiswoode

The 18th James Bond film, which marks the confident return of Pierce Brosnan as 007--after reviving the series from a hapless Timothy Dalton--pits Bond against someone greater than international terrorists and more mechanical than a madman: the media.

In light of recent events dealing with the Clinton administration and the controversial film "Wag the Dog" it would only be fair that one of our own heroes (even though he's British) dukes it out with the media on the bandwagon after everyone else has got in their licks. Moreover, we're sure Bond won't be the last either.

The villain is media madman Elliot Carver (Pryce) a smiley faced media genius with a neatly deranged plan in mind. Carver owns newspapers, TV stations, and is the proud owner of a nuclear warship cloaked to satellite transmissions. His plan is steal nukes from the British--aim them at Mainland China and watch as China counter attacks against the West with a case of mistaken identity, plug the events on his stations, and print on his newspapers that he anxiously makes ahead of time for his own gratification.

Enter "Bond, James Bond" who happens to be an ex-lover of Carver's wife (what are the chances?) For Hong Kong cinema fans, more importantly enters the Bondwoman at hand Wai Lin played by Michelle Yeoh. Yeoh, like so many other Hong Kong talents of the minute makes her U.S. film debut with a bang. She holds nothing-back talent wise and gives a fine performance without some of the restraints she might have been under say five years ago when people like Jackie Chan and Chow Yun-fat were ignored in the American markets despite being Chinese film icons in their own countries.

Lin is part of the "Chinese External Security Force" and obviously nothing is going to stop Bond and Lin from taking out Carver and the likes of his evil plans. Along for the ride are Bond regulars: the fussy inventor Q, Bond's boss M, and his constant dreamy-eyed secretary Miss Moneypenny who is often left in Bond's wake.

Of course there are also the gadgets...exploding ballpoint pens for instance. Let's not forget the car: a gizmo infested 1997 BMW that has a rack of missiles and alternate options for control, all of which come in handy for each little morsel of trouble.

Even if you're not a fan of the 007 films (now the longest running film series in the 21st Century) I'm sure many Hong Kong film enthusiasts will pay the price of admission simply for Yeoh's presence. Put mildly, even if you're not a fan of Hong Kong cinema--Yeoh is an amazing screen gem in "Tomorrow Never Dies." In more than one scene Yeoh eats Brosnan alive on screen.

Entertaining, though certainly nothing new, "Tomorrow Never Dies" is certain to please Bond fans of old and may trek new fans to further 007 films.