[7]
Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once) joins Pierce Brosnan for his second turn as James Bond. In Tomorrow Never Dies, they both play secret agents trying to stop a nefarious media mogul (Jonathan Pryce) from tricking China and the U.K. into full-blown war for his own financial gain. This is a better paced, more action-packed film than GoldenEye, boosted tremendously by having one of the best ‘Bond girls’ of the series in Yeoh. She’s not relegated to a simple love story subplot — she’s a full-fledged co-star with all Bond’s espionage prowess.
There is one sequence in this film that is beyond compare, one of the most remarkable in the franchise: Brosnan and Yeoh, handcuffed to each other, riding a motorcycle over the streets and roofs of Saigon, chased by an armed helicopter. It’s such a tremendous mid-film sequence, the climax pales in comparison. Tomorrow Never Dies also benefits from Pryce’s supremely smarmy villain, Teri Hatcher as an old flame of Bond’s, and the usual warm performances from returning cast members Judi Dench as M and Desmond Llewelyn as Q. As the franchise’s new composer, David Arnold (Stargate, Independence Day) proves himself a most worthy successor to John Barry.
Despite a return to action-packed form and solid casting, the film doesn’t succeed on all levels. One minor gripe is the choice of songs for the film. The title track performed by Sheryl Crow and the closing song performed by K.D. Lang are among the more forgettable tunes for a Bond film.
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode (Under Fire, Air America). With Joe Don Baker, Ricky Jay, Vincent Schiavelli, and Samantha Bond as Moneypenny.