Hey folks, sometimes we have spies that are cool. And their reports are just really really cool, but then... sometimes we have spies so cool, that the only thing I can say is, "Wolf-bagging! Dude!" And, Harry Lime is one of those spies that makes me say, "Wolf-bagging! Dude!" I don't know what it means, but it just seems like the sort of phrase one should scream out at any moment of intensity or coolness. It's the sort of thing you'd say to your girlfriend's mother followed by cackling laughter... it's so cool. Why do I bring it up here? Because, Moriarty and I both agree that James Bond is a most excellent wolf-bagger, and this review from Harry Lime is just... well... Wolf-Bagginglyrific! P.S. There are a couple of spoilers below...
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
(and neither is MGM's complimentary box of popcorn)
a review by Harry Lime
For as far back as I can remember, I've always been a raving Bond film fanatic. Even the bad ones (namely MOONRAKER) I can't help but check out every once in a while. My love for the series began when I saw FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (my favorite of the Roger Moore outings) during its theatrical run. A couple years later I was treated to two Bonds: Roger Moore in the less than memorable OCTOPUSSY, and the somewhat triumphant return of Sean Connery in the renegade NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN. Not too long after that, as the films trickled into the home video market, I was finally able to discover the incredible 007 series.
Just so you know where I stand on the Bond series, let me go through a quick rundown. I dig Connery a lot: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, GOLDFINGER and DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER being standouts for me. I never really connected with Roger Moore, but admit that his following is strong and his work in FOR YOUR EYES ONLY and THE SPY WHO LOVED ME are right on. I'm not a George Lazenby hater and I'm quite fond of Timothy Dalton. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE and THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS are among my personal favorites of the series. The two films I like least are MOONRAKER and LICENCE TO KILL. I don't really have a favorite Bond Girl, but I adore Diana Rigg in OHMSS, and Famke Janssen in GOLDENYE makes me have impure thoughts. There. I've laid myself bare and I'm sure I'll catch some heat in talkbacks, but who cares?
So I'll admit it... I was really looking forward to seeing THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. Whoever cut the previews must know what they're doing because I was turning over furniture at my place. Professor Moriarty, still wracked by guilt over not taking me to see SLEEPY HOLLOW the other night, made a call to the eminently generous Hercules The Strong, who knows all the underground tunnels and back doors into industry screenings, and asked him to take me along to TWINE. Herc, slightly annoyed, agreed. I still haven't forgiven Moriarty, but this small gesture has at least put us back on speaking terms.
Like all great Bond films, TWINE doesn't exactly go out of it's way to keep the plot and certain character motivations clear. If MGM had decided to quiz me afterwards, I probably wouldn't have done so hot. For example: during the climax of the film, Bond and bad guy Renard (Robert Carlyle) are duking it out in a flooding sub. Beyond the fact that Bond's the hero and Renard is the psychotic mad man bent on blowing something up with a nuclear bomb, I had no idea what was going on. I'll bet I wasn't alone, either. In fact, I felt about as smart as Denise Richards as Dr. Christmas Jones. We all know the shorthand so well, though, that it almost doesn't matter.
The official 007 website says, "... James Bond races to defuse an international power struggle with the world's oil supply hanging in the balance." That's sort of it, I guess. The pre-credit sequence picks up with Bond rescuing a large sum of money from a Swiss Banker. Notably, the sequence marks the first in the series to open-iris on a shot of Bond himself. Following a narrow escape, there's a terrorist-style assassination at MI6 which leads into a cool boat chase up London's River Thames. The money, we learn, was the ransom for the kidnapping of an oil heiress played by Sophie Marceau. After taking a brutal beating during the chase, Bond persuades a female MI6 doctor to give him a clean bill of health so he can set out to find the mysterious attackers.
Pierce Brosnan has aged nicely into the role, but is a little too hammy this time out for my taste. To his credit, he has brought a touch of realism to the picture by allowing Bond to actually sustain injuries during action sequences (a la Harrison Ford in RAIDERS OF THE LOSTARK). Considering what this character as been through over the past thirty years, I personally find it remarkable that he still has all his fingers.
I have no complaints with the casting of the Bond Girls. Sophie Marceau attacks her role with glee and Denise Richards is absolutely ridiculous as a nuclear weapons expert. In some ways, though, I think that's the point, and she is a hell of a visual punchline. Her skimpy Lara Croft outfit and sensational nuclear bombs make her a perfect addition to the Bond Girl legacy.
The great Robert Carlyle, whose work in TRAINSPOTTING and THE FULL MONTY brought him to America's attention, manages to make the most out of the thankless task of being a Bond thug. If there's one performance in the film that's a standout, it's his. I won't tell you how the film ends, but all the way through it I was hoping Bond wouldn't kill him so he could be a returning villain like Jaws.
Judi Dench does her usual fine work as M and is even given a chance to get in on a little of the action. Desmond Llewelyn hasn't been this lively since THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS and garciously introduces his "youthful" protogue R, played with confidence by former Python John Cleese. I wasn't sure if Cleese would fit in the series, but he manages to pull off the new role with ease. Samantha Bond also reprises her role as Miss Moneypenny. God, I hate nepotism!
In the final analysis, TWINE doesn't break much new ground but definitely has enough to recommened. I think it's easily Brosnan's best Bond and reminds me of earlier films such as ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE and FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. I heard recently that Brosnan wishes to eventually retire the character by killing him. I hope he's not serious. Even if he is, I don't think he'll be able to. Dr No, Goldfinger, "Red" Grant, Oddjob, Blofeld, Crispin Glover's dad, Timothy Dalton, and an impressive thirty years at the box office have all failed to make even a dent in this indestructable icon.
I think it's safe to assume Bond won't be vanishing any time soon.
Harry Lime
