“I Know All About You 007”

After being captured in North Korea because of a high-profile traitor and inadvertently killing Colonel Tan-Sun Moon (Will Yun Lee) James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is released but has his 007 status revoked. Undeterred Bond decides to find out who betrayed him. To do this he begins chasing Colonel Moon’s henchman, Zao (Rick Yune) with help from NSA agent “Jinx” (Halle Berry). Eventually, they discover Zao is linked to British millionaire Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens). Who has been developing a satellite to harness the Sun’s power. What secrets is Graves hiding and how will he use that satellite?

“Such Hospitality”

Some gems are scattered throughout Bond’s 20^th outing. Pierce Brosnan is still effortlessly cool as Bond. His unflappable exterior gives the impression of someone hardened by betrayals and near-death experiences. And while he doesn’t get any standout dramatic moments Brosnan’s charisma still makes him fun to watch.

There are also some great performances among the supporting cast. Halle Berry’s Jinx often receives unfair derision, but her cheery attitude and chemistry with Brosnan make her a welcome addition in my book. John Cleese is a hilarious curmudgeonly Q. Judi Dench is always fantastic. But the MVPs are Will Yun Lee and Kenneth Tsang (General Moon). Lee has a commanding presence thanks to his confidence and how he acquits himself with the opening scene’s fight choreography. Meanwhile, Tsang’s world-weary demeanour gives General Moon real depth. His reunion with his son is the film’s emotional highlight with Tsang’s performance naturally capturing a range of reserved emotions.

And the film has some great action sequences. The opening hovercraft fight is over the top but well-staged and thrilling to watch. Bond and Graves’ sword fight has great choreography and the car chase on the ice is a fantastic vehicular stunt segment.

“You’ve Always Found It Difficult To Accept Me”

Unfortunately, these positives pale next to the pictures’ pervasive problems. Undoubtedly, the biggest issue is the narrative. The story is simple, but the plotting is dull and confusing. A lot of key information gets glossed over in boring dialogue exchanges. And because the audience barely knows the main villains in the early scenes we cannot invest in the danger of the situation. Not helping are the whiplash-inducing tonal shifts. With torture and conflict diamonds sitting alongside cringe-worthy sexual innuendos and cheesy sci-fi gadgets.

Of course, there are some production aspects that make the film hard to watch. These include the awful techno soundtrack which is grating to listen to. We also have gimmicky and overdone editing tricks that feel entirely out of place. Additionally, the awful CGI and green screen work will instantly break any modern viewer’s immersion.

Finally, Die Another Day’s villains are complete duds. Zao is an ok heavy, but he doesn’t leave much of an impression personality-wise. Rosamund Pike is wasted as Miranda Frost who is too blandly written for her betrayal to mean anything. And Toby Stephens is awful as Gustav Graves. He has no gravitas, menace, or entertainment value, he is just annoying. The worst offence though is that Graves is later revealed to be Colonel Moon having gone through gene therapy. Meaning we were robbed of Will Yun Lee’s good performance in the part. Along with the despicable issue of Hollywood whitewashing, it all adds up to leave a bad taste in the viewers’ mouths.

Was It Really That Bad? Yes

Despite Brosnan’s good Bond performance, a few standouts amongst the supporting cast and some admittedly exciting action Die Another Day is a trainwreck. The story is confusing and jarringly inconsistent tonally. The lead villain team is entirely underwhelming. With Toby Stephens’ Gustav Graves, possibly being the worst Bond villain ever. Various production elements have also aged horribly. Particularly the CGI and the gimmicky editing techniques. And the infuriatingly racist whitewashing of the main villain means Die Another Day deserves its status as the series’ nadir.

Also Read: Who Will Be The Next James Bond?

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The Contenders…

Idris Elba

Why Him? As always many names are being thrown around but Idris Elba has been a contender for some time. Elba not only brings a lot of experience for action films he is also a very talented actor lauded for his performances in The Wire and Beast of No Nation. Two other things would work for Elba – he is an exceptionally handsome man and he is very cool.

What Type Of Bond Would He Be? In his mid-forties already Elba could carry on the Daniel Craig persona of an old-hand, someone who hasn’t changed with the world. Skyfall played with the idea that Bond was “past his best”, in Goldeneye, Pierce Brosnan’s first Bond film, he was described as a Cold War dinosaur, so for some this idea has been a big part of Bond.

Cillian Murphy

Why Him? I think it’s with recent hit Peaky Blinders that Cillian showed he could play this kind of character. In that show, he plays crime boss Thomas Shelby, who while very tough, is most effective when using his mind.

What Type of Bond Would He Be? – Murphy doesn’t exactly look tough, nor does he look his age, seemingly barely ageing since his star-turn in 28 Days Later all those years ago. To me Bond often doesn’t seem very good at espionage. Don’t get me wrong – he’s very good at killing and fighting, but being subtle and discreet? Never. So maybe this could be what Murphy brings – a more intellectual hero who is actually good at being a spy.

Charlize Theron

Why Her? She might just be the best actress working today. Not only that she starred in the best action film of recent times, Mad Max: Fury Road and showed in Atomic Blonde that she is absolutely capable of all the fighting and action a Bond film would throw at her.

What Type Of Bond Would She Be? Theron was very cold and extremely ruthless in Atomic Blonde so maybe we could get an anti-hero Bond. After all, the world of espionage is not made up of heroes, it’s made up of liars and con artists who are perhaps not terribly likeable.

Daniel Kaluuya

Why Him? This British actor has been on fire the past few years and already has been successful in America, from horror gem Get Out to a supporting role in superhero success Black Panther. He can play law enforcer with a conscience, as he did in Sicario or simply be intimidating as he was in Widows.

What Kind Of Bond Would He Be? Kaluuya is a good deal younger than many contenders which could take the franchise in a new direction. – a young man brought into MI6 with lots of potential. This could perhaps a more idealistic Bond, a man not worn down by years of fighting.

Henry Cavill

Why Him? Cavill is perhaps the most obvious choice to go with. In terms of his previous acting experience, it’s almost like he has been destined for this part- he’s already played spies in The Man From U.N.C.L.E and apprenticed with Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Fallout as well as headlining a major franchise by playing Superman in the recent DC films. He certainly has the right look for a Bond and undoubtedly has the physical presence, who can forget the amazing bathroom fight scene in Mission Impossible: Fallout and the even more amazing moment where Cavill “reloads” his arms?

What Kind Of Bond Would He Be? I expect this Bond would be a more typical hero. Honourable.Decent. Noble. Perhaps a bit boring?

An interesting bit of Bond news was reported not long ago in that they had hired an additional writer for the next Daniel Craig film – Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The woman behind two recent television hits – Fleabag and Killing – is certainly a hugely talented writer but perhaps not the sort of person who would usually be found writing for James Bond. This could be suggesting a change in tone in Bond, and well, if Phoebe Waller-Bridge is writing it we might as well cast….

Jodie Comer

As Villanelle in Killing Eve Comer gave us a compelling and mesmerising performance as well as being something of a cultural sensation and I would love to see her take on such a well-established character as Bond.

What Type Of Bond Would She Be? This would really feel like a real change, not because Comer is a woman, but she’s most famous for playing a sociopath assassin and is absolutely the bad-guy. But if you really want a change she could be it. When you look at what Bond does and how he behaves, he’s already the villain, just he’s on “our side” so we see him as the good guy. This wouldn’t even be an anti-hero or someone a bit morally grey but an outright villain. Let’s unleash a truly wicked Bond and see what happens.

Also Read: The Movie Villains Who Nailed It (And Those That Didn’t) – Part 2: James Bond.

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