Tomorrow Never Dies

Directed by Roger Spottiswoode, Tomorrow Never Dies follows Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond as he attempts to prevent a megalomaniacal media mogul (Jonathan Pryce’s Elliot Carver) from kickstarting World War III. It’s a predictably larger-than-life setup that’s employed to slightly erratic yet mostly satisfying effect by Spottiswoode, as the filmmaker, armed with a script by Bruce Feirstein, delivers an action-packed thriller that boasts (and benefits from) an ongoing emphasis on agreeably over-the-top sequences and set-pieces – including, among others, a terrific scene involving a remote-controlled BMW and Bond’s motorcycle-bound efforts at evading several goons while chained to a Chinese special agent (Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin). There’s little doubt, as well, that Tomorrow Never Dies‘ predominantly engaging vibe is perpetuated by the uniformly compelling performances, as Brosnan’s predictably charismatic and commanding turn is matched by top-notch periphery players like Ricky Jay, Vincent Schiavelli, and Teri Hatcher. (Pryce’s gleefully broad turn as the far-from-subtle villain remains an ongoing highlight within the proceedings, to be sure.) And although the picture admittedly does suffer from a handful of lulls, with this particularly true of a protracted finale that’s not quite as satisfying as one might’ve hoped, Tomorrow Never Dies does, generally speaking, come off as an above-average endeavor that contains virtually everything one wants (and expects) out of a James Bond adventure.

*** out of ****