GoldenEye (1995)

6 years after Licence to Kill, Timothy Dalton's second and final Bond movie, Pierce Brosnan slipped comfortably into his shoes as Agent 007 in GoldenEye. This movie is the only one of Brosnan's four that I've not rewatched, as I saw the others on video/DVD or at the cinema, and this one somehow passed me by - presumably because I was only 11 when it came out. I really like Brosnan's Bond, and watching GoldenEye in sequence I can see why his portrayal really sticks with me - he's got the sincerity of Dalton, the wry humour of Moore, and the Bond 'look' of Connery (and Lazenby...), all wrapped up in a suave, modern take on the British secret agent.

I'll start with what I didn't like so much about GoldenEye: The music is pretty piss-poor at times, mostly during action scenes, and it's good that 1-time Bond composer Eric Serra was dropped in favour of David Arnold from Tomorrow Never Dies to date. Sean Bean's villain, Alec Trevelyan, is a bit of a wet lettuce and he doesn't make much of an impression - especially not next to Famke Janssen's manic Xenia Onatopp (whose double entendré surname didn't even register with me until this viewing!). Bond girl Natalya Simonova is well portrayed by Izabella Scorupco and she's given a useful role, but again I felt she was a bit overshadowed by the most enigmatic Onatopp. 

The best bits of GoldenEye are: Pierce Brosnan. Judi Dench's debut as a no-nonsense M, one of the highlights of post-Dalton Bond movies in general. Her iconic speech to Bond about his womanising ways and description of him as a Cold War dinosaur are on the money without emasculating and belittling 007 and his past adventures. For a Bond in the 90's not to acknowledge how some of his attributes are a little outdated would be unbelievable - almost as unbelievable as Bond's opening dive into a nose-diving plane... Equally, Samantha Bond's Miss Moneypenny presents a more modern woman than Lois Maxwell's doe-eyed secretary, and whoever portrayed her in Dalton's two films (she made so little impression). That's not to dismiss Maxwell, who had great banter with Connery, Lazenby and Moore, but a modern Bond needs a modern Moneypenny to match wits with, and Samantha Bond (great surname!) is perfect for the part. 

I've already mentioned Xenia Onatopp, and she's worth talking about again - she steals nearly every scene she's in thanks to Janssen's almost-OTT portrayal. A villainess who kills people during sex with her thighs is an extraordinary prospect, and she instills a little vulnerability in Bond. Unfortunately she makes Simonova look a bit less exciting by comparison. Robbie Coltrane has what amounts to an extended cameo in a role that is expanded upon in The World is Not Enough, so it's great to see the link across the two films. I also enjoyed Minnie Driver's actual cameo in the same scene as a (terrible) night club singer! Even funnier when you know Driver can actually sing, and very well too. 

The tank chase sequence around Moscow is another highlight - Andrew finds it a bit prepostrous but I say if Bond can have a chase seen in a moon-buggy (Diamonds Are Forever) or a motorised gondola (Moonraker), then why not in a tank? The downside to that argument is that those other chases were in two of the weakest films in the series, but never mind. Finally, Tina Turner's theme song is just fantastic - it sticks in my head and doesn't leave for days. She's got an ideal voice for a huge Bond tune. GoldenEye has it's faults then, but it's a great introduction to Pierce Brosnan's modern 007.