Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Building on his success in GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan's second Bond film is a revelation. Although it only came 2 years after the last, it looks and feels much more modern, helped no doubt by the gadgetry and stunts, as well as the fact that Jonathan Pryce's megalomaniacal villain, Elliot Carver, wants to rule the TV, print and generally all media on the planet. There's no gritty desert or jungle set work here - everything has a glossy sheen and a modern edge, which doesn't necessarily make this better for being more techy, but it makes it a movie that can hold it's own up against a comic book blockbuster or the like.

The script for TND is noticeably sharp, especially in the sparkling dialogue it provides for M, Moneypenny and Q - Judi Dench clearly relishes her more expanded role here, as she faces down her sometime As Time Goes By costar, Geoffrey Palmer at the movie's opening. After an exhilirating pre-credits sequence where Bond shows off some fancy aerial acrobatics and prevents a nuclear warhead exploding, Sheryl Crow's wonderfully modern-yet-classic-Bond-sounding title track sets the tone for a very smart adventure. Thankfully, David Arnold provides the music from this film onward, and it's great to hear the James Bond Theme aired with a bit more frequency than previously.

Brosnan imbues a real effortlessness in his portrayal as Bond, which verges on cocky, but manages to stay the right side of likable. He certainly looks like he's enjoying himself in his interactions with Q et al, and especially during the BMW car chase around a German car park, conducted by remote control from the backseat! The action was very exciting this time round, particularly the motorbike chase in Saigon and the climactic battle aboard Carver's 'stealth ship'.

I always thought it was weird that Teri Hatcher was billed 4th in Tomorrow Never Dies, since she doesn't get much screentime, but watching the film again she's in it more than I remember, and Michelle Yeoh doesn't really get much to do until half way through. Having watched 18 Bond movies now, I can see that Hatcher's Bond girl lasts longer than many others have, so it's fair she gets a good billing I suppose. Yeoh's Wai Lin kicks a lot of ass, and is from the same stable as the future Jinx - a 'rival' secret agent who can handle herself and doesn't really need 007's help. I think Tomorrow is one of the best Bond films all round, as it has memorable villains, girls and action, along with a cracking script and a polished feeling that confims that a new, modern Bond has arrived.