# Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

### reviewed by
Ted Prigge

    TOMORROW NEVER DIES (1997)
    A Film Review by Ted Prigge
    Copyright 1997 Ted Prigge

Director: Roger Spottiswoode Writer: Bruce Feirstein Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Ricky Jay, Goetz Otto, Judi Dench, Desmond Llewelyn, Joe Don Baker, Vincent Shiavelli, Samantha Bond

The Bond series is an island in the film world; where else would we look forward to cliches, and all of the other things that occur in most of these films? Where else would pure escapism, a vulnerable hero, the "talking villains," blatant product placement, predictable action sequences, and lots of promiscuity be hoped for instead of a significant change? I don't understand it myself, but that's what the Bond series is based on. For (I think) 18 films, we've mostly got the same thing over and over again, with some variation (and a bit of change, most notably in the two Dalton films). But even I, a king of cynicism, can't bitch about it. And "Tomorrow Never Dies," the (again, I think) eighteenth Bond film, and second Brosnan Bond film, is no exception. Thank god!

The plot, as in most of them, is pure balderdash, but seems to have a nice kind of edge to it. Instead of just plain billionaire psychotics, we get a Rupert Murdoch-esque media mogul/psychotic - Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce, looking bitching with a white-haired cru cut, and always talking like he's out of breath), who has the admittingly ingenius idea of getting ratings by creating a war. No, this is not "Wag the Dog" - he wants a real war, between China and England, and is stupid enough to put the coverage out before anyone else discovered it...in comes Bond.

James is sent all around the world, trying to do research on Carver, fighting with his men, and running into (on more than one occasion) a Chinese secret agent like him: Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh, Asian action star extraordinaire...and co-star of "Supercop," nearly stealing the screen from Jackie Chan in that one). The two eventually, and predictably of course, begin working together, and yes, there is some sexual tension between the two. Luckily, their relationship is never strained, and she never gives into his Cassanova-ness until the finale. Thank god again.

In every Bond film, James bags, on average, three women (sometimes more, sometimes less - the latter being more potent towards the AIDS-cautionary Dalton), and he doesn't spoil this one (though we never see them, of course - I mean, they need to stay around a PG-13 rating). There's always one at the beginning with some chick we never see again, the big Bond girl (Yeoh), and this time we have an almost-cameo by Teri Hatcher as Carver's wife, Paris, who, it seems, was once one of the girls he bags at the beginning. Yes, Teri's very attractive, but she seems kind of dull. Of course, it's not really her fault; her part is under-written, and she's only in a small part of it. Oh well.

And there are always the big henchmen, the guys who do the dirty work for the polished big villains. This time we get a tall, arian-looking (not to mention Robert Shaw in "From Russia With Love"-looking) guy named Stamper (Goetz Otto), who is pretty awesome, although a bit stiff (well, mostly his posture, really). And for a bit of comedy, we get a cameo from Vincent Shiavelli as a German or Austrian assassin who is ordered to do in Bond at one point.

The government people have small parts, as usual, with Q (Desmond Llewelyn, looking near death, sadly) getting only one scene (in a more grouchy mood than usual), and M (Judi Dench), getting more than M usually gets (I mean, it is Judi Dench). And for no reason whatsoever, except 'cause he was so good in "Goldeneye," Joe Don Baker shows up again as Wade, admitting he has no reason for being there, and is this time more annoying. Again, oh well.

The action sequences are not a let-down, although sometimes go on too long. They pop up every now and then, mainly because they have to (for the sake of the series), and some significant ones are the opening one, one in a garage with a BMW that runs on remote control, and a motorcylce chase (on a BMW cycle, nonetheless) through China streets (or was it Vietnam...the plot's not really essential). They're more high-tech, and feature much more laughs, which, yeah, I dig. So what if they're distracting; they're supposed to be!

The acting, from most around is great. Yeoh is, actually, one of the better Bond girls, mainly because she's so unique. The better Bond girls are more independent, and have a certain wily-ness to them. Pussy Galore, with her homoerotic undertones and all, is one of the best, and Diana Rigg, who married Bond at the end of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" only to be killed, added some emotional depth. Yeoh is notable since she's so active, and has great chemistry with Brosnan. Pryce is an awesome villain, being slimy and lovable at the same time. And Brosnan is, once again, the mack daddy.

The Bond series is built on cliches, mainly because they're so fun and add to the escapism. If you can remember the Dalton years, and they're serious direction, you remember how unsuccessful they were, both financially and aesthetically. The series would falter if bogged down with too much plot, too many themes, and too much characterization. I don't really understand it myself, yet I'm one of the bigger fans of the series in the Northeast United States. Having seen all of them more than once (yes, I've seen this twice already), you can tell I adore them. While it's not one of the best, like "Goldfinger" or "From Russia With Love," "Tomorrow Never Dies" is nonetheless a truly awesome installment, even if not being as fully amazing as some of the better ones.

    MY RATING (out of 4): ***

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