seen december 28 , 1997 at 8 : 45 p . m . at the crossgates mall cinema 18 ( guilderland , ny ) , theater #8 , with matt perreault and my sister jena for free ( matt paid using pre-paid passes ) .
if there’s ever been an exception to the perils of excessive cliches and non- stop action , the james bond films are it .
and if there’s ever been a james bond film that not only proves this , but does so by pushing it to the extreme , ” tomorrow never dies ” is it .
opening sequences almost always make or break action films .
when done properly , not only are they actually exciting , but they foreshadow things to come .
this film starts off on the right foot by establishing the kind of atmosphere that could only be found in an action movie , but with a sense of the self-aware , enclosed universe where james bond movies take place in .
first there’s a high-tech , slightly complicated scene involving a british warship crossing into unfriendly , chinese waters .
there’s definite tension as there seems to be an unknown , but certainly hostile , third party involved who is manipulating both sides .
when the scene ends in tragedy , it’s clear there’s some kind of powerful conspiracy going on , and who else to call on for such a case but james bond ?
the film uses good judgment in the way it introduces us to bond ( brosnon ) .
as the enemy was portrayed as evil and mysterious , bond is clearly ( and obviously ) depicted as an out-and-out hero .
he single-handedly takes out a small army of terrorists , and then must escape in the nick of time by flying away in a fighter jet while the co-pilot tries to strangle him and a terrorist in another jet tries to shoot him down !
this might sound like the kind of cliches films like this are notorious for ( over- ) using , but it works here because the film knows how to get our attention quickly .
it’s not about the payoff because it’s obvious bond will escape , instead , it’s the way it processes the action sequences by going over the top and not apologizing for it , all the while creating for witty , hysterical comedy .
it seems less emphasis is placed on the villains in thrillers anymore , because of political correctness , and just plain copping-out on behalf of the filmmakers ( even the term ” villain ” sounds passe ) .
what the film deserves kudos for is its ability to create a villain as heinous as they come , yet making him seem completely plausible .
jonathon pryce delivers a perfect performance as the arrogant , cunning elliot carver , a media mogul whose goal is to take over the world , that is , through his massive media empire , not through nuclear weapons .
through some interesting detective work , bond and the english ministry of defense believe carver is behind the trouble brewing in the southern asian seas as a way to create and accurately cover his own news .
not only is that an original idea for a conflict , but one which could carry over into reality .
surprisingly , this is about as detailed as the story allows the specific plot to become .
the film’s hook is the action , and of course those cool gadgets and we get plenty of that here as bond goes out to investigate carver and finds himself in a jam or two along the way .
the story works much like bond himself – always on the run and concentrates more on the individual conflicts than any general plot .
somehow a chinese agent , wai lin ( yeoh ) , bumps into bond a few too many times and they find themselves working together .
the chemistry between brosnon and yeoh is rigid , but also works because of this , not in spite of it .
the two are constantly on the run from carver and his goons , yet the film manages to balance the stunts and special effects with its clever story .
although ” tomorrow never dies ” is far from perfect , it is quite an impressive film in terms of its ability to be so cliche and cartoony and not make plausibility an issue .