GoldenEye
GoldenEye
Director: Martin Campbell
Producers: Barbara Broccoli; Tom Pevsner (executive); Anthony Waye (associate); Michael G. Wilson
Writers: Michael France (story); Jeffrey Caine and Bruce Feirstein; Kevin Wade (uncredited)
Title Song: Lyrics by Bono and the Edge and Sung by Tina Turner
Opening Action Sequence: British secret agents James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean) are sent to destroy an Arkangel Chemical Weapons Facility in the USSR. Together they quietly infiltrate the building, but are found by General Ourumov (Gottfried John) and his soldiers. Trevelyan is shot in the head, but Bond escapes the gunfire and speeds a motorcycle off of a nearby cliff in order to catch up with a crashing plane. Bond catches the plane in mid-air and flies it to safety as the facility explodes with the bomb which 007 set three minutes earlier.
Bond Visits: Russia; France; Cuba
Film Gross: $106,429,941--United States; $350,731,227--Worldwide
Plot Summary: James Bond travels to Russia and Cuba in search
of a military helicopter which is immune to all electro-magnetic pulses.
Upon finding the helicopter, he also encounters Natalya Siminova (Izabella
Scorupco), a computer programmer who managed to survive the violent destruction
of a satellite base in Severnaya, Russia. During the chaos, a powerful
satellite coding program called "GoldenEye" was stolen.
007 and Natalya discover that General Ourumov, whom Bond faced nine years earlier, is involved in the theft. Ourumov is aided by Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), a woman who derives sexual pleasure from murder and pain. Together they are working for a mysterious group named "Janus", led by a reclusive criminal.
Within time, Bond meets the shadowy leader of the "Janus" organization:
his old friend and partner, Alec Trevelyan, a man who anticipates 007's
every move...
Review: After a six-year vacation, Bond has returned, refreshed
and invigorated. Pierce Brosnan brings with him a sense of ease and
charm not seen in a Bond film since the Sean Connery era. To say that
he was born for the role of 007 is somewhat of an understatement. He
glides through every scene with confidence and coolness, which makes
GoldenEye a near-perfect chapter in the Bond series.
The interesting usage of one of Bond's old partners as the central villain
is a new, different and exciting concept. It also helps to make
GoldenEye the most introspective Bond film since On Her
Majest
y's
Secret Service, and a brave deviation from the thirty-three year old
formula. This time, each of the two lead characters know the other's
weaknesses and strengths. Bond has finally met his match. Or
has he? A few of these scenes also tear away at Bond's machismo to
show that he's more than just some shoot-em-up superhero.
Bond's obligatory love interest, Natalya Siminova, is occasionally assertive and shows genuine sensitivity. Famke Janssen, however, gets the more interesting Bond girl. Xenia Onatopp's "Thigh-Master" approach to homicide is, arguably, one of the most inventive tidbits in the ongoing Bond saga.
Of course there are all the necessary stunts, the most impressive of which are contained within the opening sequence. All are handled almost seamlessly, unlike those of some of the earlier Bond movies. They all are very innovative, as well: a tank chase through Russian streets, a daring bungee jump from the top of an enormous dam, an intense escape from a military base, and other such eye candy.
In many respects, the series is given yet another makeover in order to catch up with the current decade. 007's superior, "M", is now a woman (Judi Dench), and she won't take any charm or charismatic garbage from our hero. Moneypenny (Samantha Bond), who used to flirt shamelessly with Bond, now seems to be able to live happily without him. He is even referred to as "a dinosaur" and "a relic", indicating how old the Bond formula truly was getting.
However, some of the reliable Bond elements are still evident: "Q" and his gadgets, lots of martinis, and plenty of wonderfully dangerous situations. The only disappointment in this area is Bond's BMW. All but one of its gadgets are merely mentioned, which makes for a surprisingly boring automobile.
But Brosnan's first performance as Bond does not disappoint. He is extremely promising as 007, and says more with each facial expression or eyebrow twitch than most Bond actors could say with a string of cliches. He also complements Martin Campbell's stark and slick style of direction, which successfully encapsulates that suave and intriguing Bond feel.
With GoldenEye, 007 makes an excellent transition to the nineties without trying to impress us with out-of-place explosions or too many special effects. With Brosnan as Bond, the franchise has reached another peak.
Grade: A