Rated PG-13 (A Number of Sequences of
Action/Violence, and for Some Sexuality)
Running Time: 2 Hours & 10 Minutes
Cast-
Pierce Brosnan-007, James Bond
Sean Bean-006, Alec Trevelyan
Izabella Scorupco-Natalya Simonova
Famke Janssen-Xenia Onatopp
Judi Dench-M
Desmond Llewelyn-Q
Joe Don Baker-Jack Wade
Gottfried John-General Arkady Grigorovich
Ourumov
Alan Cumming-Boris Grishenko
Robbie Coltrane-Valentin Dmitrovich
Zukovsky
Tchéky Karyo-Defense Minister Dmitri
Mishkin
Samantha Bond- Miss Jane Moneypenny
Michael Kitchen-Bill Tanner
Directed by Martin Campbell
 |
| "She always did enjoy a good squeeze." |
With MGM finally emerging from bankruptcy
in late December, 2010, pre-production has finally resumed on “Bond 23,” set to
be released on November 9, 2012 with Daniel Craig returning as 007, James Bond.
As a way to celebrate, I decided to take look back on the Pierce Brosnan era,
starting with his first appearance as Bond in 1995’s “GoldenEye,” the film that
introduced me to Ian Fleming’s titular spy. The James Bond franchise has
remained as one of the few longest continually running film series in cinema
history, having been in constant production for the most part since 1962 with a
total of twenty-two films released; the last one was 2008’s “Quantum of
Solace.” The sixteenth Bond film, 1989’s “License to Kill”—and the last to star
Timothy Dalton—flopped at the domestic box office with only $35 million, barely
covering its $32 million production budget, though it did better overseas with
an additional $122 million. Although it received generally positive reviews,
moviegoers were turned off by the darker, more realistic tone and perhaps it
was just too soon to go this route until the series was rebooted with “Casino
Royale” in 2006. While Dalton was set to return for a third film, he quit the
role in 1994 due to the ongoing legal dispute between MGM/UA, which was sold to
Australian broadcasting group Quintex, and Danjaq, the Swiss-based parent
company of EON Productions. Pierce Brosnan was cast to replace Dalton and the
media made a huge fuss, proclaiming that he was ‘born to be Bond.’ Six years
after “Bond 16,” production finally began on the seventeenth film and it
modernized the character in the wake of the Cold War. The changes largely
proved cosmetic as the formula remained unchanged but “GoldenEye” was still an
excellent revitalization of an aging franchise thanks to Martin Campbell’s
confident direction, and Brosnan’s suave and charismatic performance.
In 1985, MI6 agents 006, Alec Trevelyan
(Sean Bean) and 007, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) infiltrate a Soviet chemical
weapons facility at Arkhangelsk. During their attempt to destroy the base, Alec
is captured and shot dead by Colonel Arkady Ourumov (Gottfried John) but Bond
manages to steal an airplane and escape. Nine years later, Bond is following
Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), a suspected member of the Janus crime syndicate.
Onatopp is working with Ourumov, now a General, and together they steal a
prototype helicopter that is immune to electromagnetic pulses. They fly to a
bunker in Severnaya, where they massacre the staff and steal the control disc
to a dual satellite weapons system dubbed ‘GoldenEye,’ which detonates a
nuclear weapon in orbit and the resulting EMP knocks out all electronic devices
on the ground. One is activated to destroy the complex but unbeknownst to them,
a lone survivor, Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco), manages to escape. M
(Judi Dench) sends Bond to investigate, who discovers that the head of Janus is
an old friend, seemingly back from the dead.
For the most part, the plot of “GoldenEye”
is standard Bond fare but Campbell sure does a great job in making it all seem
fresh and exciting at the time of its release. The character itself was so
closely associated with the Cold War that critics felt that it was better to
leave Bond in the past but one thing you can always count on in life (besides
death and taxes) is that he always returns. There’s a heavy dose of action with
a large shootout in the first ten minutes, leading to a thrilling escape
involving Bond riding a motorcycle off a cliff and diving toward an unmanned
airplane. The most memorable set-piece is when Bond steals a T-54/55 series
tank and plows through the streets of St. Petersburg, causing untold amounts of
property damage while the famous theme plays. When two police cars crash into
him, he looks back to see if the officers are okay, adjusts his tie, and
continues on his way. There’s the usual amount of gadgets, though it's
thankfully nowhere near as outlandish as the later installments. They include a
watch equipped with a cutting laser, a ballpoint pen that detonates after three
clicks, and a belt that doubles as a grappling gun. The most disappointing
aspect is that the script could’ve explored Bond’s internal conflict with
having to kill his former best friend and while we get the feeling that he
harbors regrets, nothing is ever made of it. The more things change, the more
they stay the same and that’s the best way to describe “GoldenEye,” a successful
modernization but with an unchanged formula. Still, the one-liners come fast,
the Bond Girls are gorgeous, and the action scenes are expertly choreographed,
making the film a fun ride.
Pierce Brosnan completely nails the role in
his first outing as James Bond, displaying a confident, charismatic wit with a
hint of vulnerability. When Onatopp gets crushed in-between two tree branches,
he quips, ‘She always did enjoy a good squeeze.’ Famke Janssen is sexy as the
sadomasochistic Xenia Onatopp, who has a penchant for killing people by
crushing the life out of them between her strong thighs while screaming in
orgasm. In contrast Izabella Scorupco’s Natalya Simonova plays a more homely
Bond Girl who seems to enjoy being bossy but for the most part, ends up doing
very little. As the main villain Alec Trevelyan, Sean Bean plays him as a dark
mirror of Bond, without the moral center and fueled by petty revenge and greed.
The rest of the cast includes Judi Dench as M, Desmond Llewelyn as the
gadget-making Q and Samantha Bond as the flirtatious Miss Jane Moneypenny. The
theme song, titled after the film, is sung by Tina Turner with the surreal
opening credits depicting the fall of the Soviet Union.
Released on November 17, 1995, “GoldenEye”
received largely positive reviews with 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, although the
film does have its fair share of detractors who found that despite the new coat
of paint, the series still seemed stale and tired. Bond had an explosive
comeback at the box office after a six-year hiatus, earning $352.2 million
worldwide, proving that Bond was still a relevant character in an increasingly
changing world. With “GoldenEye,” Campbell successfully mixes everything you
would expect from a Bond film: humor, exotic locales, gorgeous ladies, and stunning
action in the name of fun, reintroducing him to old fans that had grown tired
of him and gaining new ones. This is simply one of the best Bond films made.
Final Rating: 4.5 out of 5
"Good, because I think you're a
sexist, misogynist dinosaur. A relic of the Cold War, whose boyish charms,
though wasted on me, obviously appealed to that young woman I sent out to
evaluate you."
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