Tomorrow Never Dies

• Title:  Tomorrow Never Dies
• Director:  Roger Spottiswoode
• Date:  1997
• Studio:  United Artists / MGM
• Genre:  Action
• Cast:  Pierce Brosnan, Teri Hatcher, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yoeh, Judi Dench, Desmond Llewelyn, Samantha Bond, Colin Salmon, Geoffrey Palmer, Vincent Schiavelli
• Format:  Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format: R1, NTSC

"Mr. Jones, Are we ready to release our new software?"  - Carver

"Yes, sir. As requested it's full of bugs, which means people will be forced to upgrade for years." - Jones

"Gentleman, and ladies, hold the presses. This just in. By a curious quirk of fate, we have the perfect story with which to launch our satellite news network tonight. It seems a small crisis is brewing in the South China Seas. I want full newspaper coverage. I want magazine stories. I want books. I want films. I want TV. I want radio. I want us on the air 24 hours a day! This is out moment! And a billion people around the world will watch it, hear it, and read about it from the Carver Media Group." - Carver

Tomorrow Never Dies is my favorite Pierce Brosnan James Bond film, and it's one of the best James Bond films in the modern era because for once it has a relatively realistic premise - told in the high-action style of James Bond, of course. The film is about Elliot Carver, a media mogul played brilliantly by Jonathan Pryce, who isn't merely reporting events, or even spinning events to fit his own point of view, but actually causing the events his media group reports.

For once the opening gambit of a James Bond movie actually fits with the rest of the plot. One of the items up for sale at a terrorist bazaar in Russia is a satellite encoder, which can influence (or change) GPS data. James Bond manages to locate the bazaar, and launch and take away a plane loaded with nuclear missiles prior to the British Navy's missile destroying the bazaar and the terrorists who are shopping there. However, though the analysts see the encoder, and recognize what it is - they don't realize it wasn't destroyed and that Henry Gupta - a hacker for fire escaped with it.

The encoder is important because it allows the next major event to happen. A British ship, HMS Devonshire, is cruising in what it thinks are international waters off the coast of China. The ship is overflown by Chinese migs who insist they are only 11 miles off the coast of China. The Devonshire's captain double checks their position with GPS - and then they are attacked and sunk by a stealth ship. The British ship reports they were attacked by the migs, and gives their position before calling abandon ship. The survivors are collected by Stamper, Carver's thud and enforcer, and shot with Chinese ammo. Carver reports on the developing crisis - using the potential for war, to launch his satellite news network.

James Bond is sent to investigate - first to Hamburg, where he's instructed to get close to Carver's wife, Paris (Teri Hatcher), whom he had previously had a relationship with. Paris gives him some information, and is killed for her trouble by Carver. While investigating, Bond runs into a Chinese reporter, Wai Lin. Later it will turn out she's his opposite number, an agent for the Chinese security service. Bond's able to get the GPS encoder and escape from Hamburg.

He takes the encoder to the CIA, because it's an American device. Bond's CIA contact shows it to a tech, who confirms it could have been used to send the Devonshire off course. The CIA also arranges to drop Bond into the Ocean to find the ship's wreckage. The Americans assume Bond is jumping into international waters, but one of the British naval officers on the flight realizes he's actually jumping in to waters belonging to Vietnam. Meanwhile, Bond succeeds in his HALO jump. He find the Devonshire and runs into the Chinese woman again. The two are caught by Stamper, and brought to Carver. They escape, handcuffed together, on a motorcycle. Bond and Wai Lin end-up working together, sending warning messages to both the British and Chinese governments that Carver's playing them against each other, then head out to locate Carver's stealth boat.

Bond and Wai Lin plan on blowing up the stealth boat with sea bombs, but are again caught by Carver and his goons. Carver explains his entire plot - not only is he using the crisis he created to "sell papers" and successfully launch his news network - but he's working with a Chinese general. Carver's stealth boat will launch an attack on the British fleet (after some initial minor attacks on both fleets) it will then use one of the cruise missiles stolen from the Devonshire to attack Beijing - wiping out the current government and military leaders, except Carver's general who will be conveniently stuck in traffic. After setting up his new government, the general will grant Carver exclusive media access in China - creating a captive audience worth billions. In short, Carver is creating events, for ratings.

Wai Lin and Bond again escape Carver's clutches and manage to kill Carver and his muscleman, Stamper, and sink the ship before the cruise missile is launched.

Tomorrow Never Dies has several action sequences as well:  Bond and Wei Lin handcuffed together, on a motorcycle, riding through a densely-populated area while being chased by Carver's men; Bond using a remote control built into his (rather ancient-looking) cell phone to control his car; even Bond's escape from Carver in Hamburg; and the scenes on the stealth ship, of course. All the big action sequences one expects from a Bond film - and they are well done, technically, and because we care about Bond and Wei Lin - they work in the film too. The action sequences are not overly long, overly complicated, nor do they have effects that no longer work - everything looks really good. So the film satisfies on the level of what a Bond film should be. But what I really liked about the film was the villain and the plot. Elliot Carver is a totally unscrupulous reporter turned media mogul, who's incredibly psychopathic. Throughout the film we see him fire people for "mistakes" that aren't their own (such as the woman who's fired for not knowing what caused the power outage during his media launch party) or even kill any one who gets in the way of his plans, including his own wife. And, of course, he's willing to sink a British warship, cause a crisis, and risk world war - just to get what he wants, complete power. Throughout the film - Carver gets the best lines, as he explains how the press can not only manipulate events to suit their own corporate purposes - but in Carver's case, cause events in the first place. Pryce is delicious as Carver.

I also really liked Michelle Yoeh as Wai Lin - the Chinese agent who's a female Bond. Wei Lin is just as smart as James, and just as dedicated to her country. And I'd watch a film or two about her! Yoeh also plays the part brilliantly.

And, like all of Brosnan's films, the reoccurring roles of M, Q, Moneypenny, and M's aide, are all played by excellent regulars. I love seeing Judi Dench as M. Samantha Bond is excellent as Moneypenny. And I really like seeing Colin Salmon as Dench's aide - even when he has little to do as in this film. Geoffrey Palmer, Dench's frequent co-star in BBC comedies, also appears as a British Admiral. Having the new Bond family there, as well as Desmond Llewelyn as Q just makes the Bond film a Bond film, as well as adding that unique something they all bring to it.

Recommendation:  See it

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

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