Tomorrow Never Dies: Review By slysnide

Longtime producer, and the true show runner of the James Bond franchise, Albert Romolo "Cubby" Broccoli, died on 27 June 1996 at the age of eighty-seven. He left behind a marvelous saga of wonder, mayhem, mischief, exotica, danger, thrills, chills, and everything in between. The way he carried the series proved that he wouldn't let Bond fall by the wayside, constantly changing the stories around to match the current trend or themes in the western world. And his loyalty was unshaken, not even when his fellow producer Harry Saltzman had two hundred elephant shoes delivered to the Macau set of "The Man With The Golden Gun" (1974) for the elephant stampede that wasn't even in the script. Yes, Cubby was an all around lovable guy who sympathized with people, kept harmony between the crews, and ensured Bond's survival throughout the second half of the twentieth century; thus completely cementing its future into the twenty-first century. Cubby was everything to the Bond franchise, and was a classic rags to riches story for good measure. And all his fans will miss him.

Following the overwhelming success of "GoldenEye" (1995), MGM's new owner Kirk Kerkorian wanted the next film out within two years to coincide with his public stock offering. However, the rush to meet that deadline would inflate the budget to $110,000,000, which was virtually unheard of in a Bond film as opposed to the mere $58,000,000 spent on "GoldenEye," but it once again shows that the cost doesn't matter, only the deadline. Director Martin Campbell was too exhausted to return so quickly for another Bond film, and so director Roger Spottiswoode who'd offer to direct a film in the Dalton Era took the job in September 1996.

Once again being forced to go with a totally original story, a script was underway and complete by January 1997 involving a story in which Hong Kong was returned to China, but since that would happen in July, they couldn't go with that plot for a November release date. And so, with "T-minus zero" to go, a treatment by Donald E. Westlake was screenwritten by Bruce Feirstein, who incorporated his own nightmare scenario from his own experiences in journalism. Spottiswoode then polished that script himself, then brought in seven screenwriters to brainstorm ideas, choosing Nicholas Meyer for rewrites. Dan Petrie Jr and David Campbell also worked on the script, with Feirstein returning to add the finishing touches. Though in the end, only he got credit for it. The story in question revolved around the simple reality that the media brainwashes people. It hypes them up for war, keeps them on bad diets courtesy of checks from the medical companies, and endorses or train wrecks politicians after receiving generous donations. So with all the control, especially in China where the plot's central focus is, then would it be really so far fetched for a sociopathic media mogul to use their influence to stage events, much like the publishers of magazines like "US Weekly" digitally altering reality, all for the sake of major profits and exclusive broadcasting rights? Well, apparently not, and because that's more truth than fantasy is pretty scary. The fact that it will only become more and more prevalent in our society will make this film be around for a long time, as its applicability will only grow with it.

However, screenwriting woes wouldn't got away, with rewrites being done for both Jonathan Pryce who didn't care for his character's portrayal in the script, and Teri Hatcher for the same reasons. Conflicts also arose in the early days of filming due to disputes over which script was best, but those eventually were laid to rest so Spottiswoode could get the film out on time, though several unhappy crew members were forced to work together the remainder of the shoot. Of course they said otherwise and denied any such disagreements when the media heard of it, but it was actually very real. And with less than eleven months to get a film done from scratch, it was too much of a race against the clock to waste time arguing about futile differences of opinion relating to the script, especially when filming was already underway. The one thing that was agreed upon however was the title, which came from the Beatles song "Tomorrow Never Knows" (1966), as the villain's newspaper was called "Tomorrow," which prompted the title to become "Tomorrow Never Lies" to allude to the lies in the paper. But a faxing error to MGM wrote the title as "Tomorrow Never Dies," and they liked it so much, that they insisted the title be kept.

In the casting department, Monica Bellucci auditioned for Paris Carver, wife of media mogul Elliot Carver, but she wasn't chosen; a decision which Pierce Brosnan thought truly foolish. Instead, Teri Hatcher was chosen, despite being three months pregnant at the time. Hatcher would regret appearing in the film, calling her role too artificial to be believed. For the second Bond girl, Michelle Yeoh was cast as an invaluable member of the chinese secret service. Granted she dishes out a lot of martial arts which can at times be cheesy, she thankfully was a very intelligent character who could believably measure up to Bond. For the lead villain, media mogul Elliot Carver, the producers once again turned to Anthony Hopkins who'd turned down a role in "GoldenEye," but he would turn them down again. The role instead went to the very colorful Jonathan Pryce who I think did a better job than Hopkins would have. Stage magician Ricky Jay was cast as Carver's programmer and freelance terrorist Henry Gupta. And the ever quirky Vincent Schiavelli was cast as Carver's sinister, yet comical doctor of death who was perfect at staging celebrity overdoses for good stories. Lastly, in what was probably the best casting story, Gotz Otto was given twenty seconds to audition for his role as Carver's henchman Mr. Stamper, but when he walked in the room he simply said: "I am big, I am bad, I am blonde, and I am German." He did it in five seconds.

In his eighteenth adventure, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is given forty-eight hours to investigate the sinking of the H.M.S. Devonshire and bombing of a MIG fighter jet, whose accounts were too susp*cious to be believed. His investigation will take him back to an old flame (Teri Hatcher), land him in league with a secret agent (Michelle Yeoh) of the chinese secret service, and pit him against a ruthless psychotic media mogul (Jonathan Pryce) who'll willingly start a war for ratings. However, unlike other Bond films, the audience isn't kept in the dark about this plot. Rather we are immediately introduced to the villain, his stronghold, his nefarious deeds, and his desp*cable aim right from the outset; a true departure from the typical Bond formula, but it doesn't hinder the movie, which still comes off as a perfect balance of action, storytelling, gadgets, high tech cars, and an ensemble cast as stellar as one could reasonably expect.

Production began on 18 January 1997 with second unit filming the pre-credit sequence in the French Pyrenees, under the direction of Vic Armstrong. Portsmouth England stood in for the south china seas where sequences of the H.M.S. Devonshire and Carver's Stealth Boat were filmed. The main unit began filming on April Fool's Day 1997. However, due to George Lucas utilizing Leavesden Studios for "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" (1999), the crew instead built a soundstage out of another derelict industrial site nearby. The famed "Albert R. Broccoli's 007 Stage" was utilized for the interior of Carver's Stealth Boat; a truly magnificent set. A planned shoot in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was cancelled when the offer was rescinded due to the pyrotechnics being disliked by the Vietnamese who feared a catastrophe, forcing the crew to relocate to Bangkok, Thailand, which actually placed them closer to the Phuket Island chain in Thailand where the Bond troupe had previously been in "The Man With The Golden Gun," which would this time serve as the location of Carver's hidden Stealth Boat at Khow Ping-Kahn Island. Likewise, the Stoke Park Club in Berkshire, England where Bond and Auric Goldfinger played a round of golf stood in for Paris' hotel suite.

Due to Spottiswoode recognizing it'd be foolish to try and top the tank chase in the predecessor with an even bigger vehicle for Bond to commandeer, he instead went the other direction, inventing the idea of the cuffed motorcycle chase in the packed streets of Bangkok, standing in for China. Likewise, Bond's new car, a BMW 750i was made to be remote controlled by 'Q' (Desmond Llewelyn) for a unique parking garage showdown with Stamper's thugs. Of course it wasn't really remote controlled, as there was a steering wheel in the back seat for the stunt driver. And in an unthinkable act of product placement, Bond's iconic Walther PPK which he'd used in every film besides "Moonraker" (1979) where he never brandished his sidearm, was replaced with Walther's new gun, the P99, as they recognized that James Bond was their greatest endorser. He would continue brandishing the sidearm for the remainder of the Brosnan Era. For the music, the iconic John Barry recommended David Arnold, whom is still with the franchise as composer till this day. For the title song, several artists submitted songs, but Sheryl Crowe's won out, with runner up K.D. Lang getting her song "Surrender" in the end credits, which was a step up from the average theme music.

Once again, everything fell into balance, the action, the storytelling, the cast, the charm, the thrills, and everything that makes Bond great. Pierce Brosnan doesn't really evolve his style, but was just as good as in his first outing. The true artist however was Jonathan Pryce, whose role as the deranged media mogul was colorful, delectably evil, and very enthusiastic. M (Judi Dench) references the fate of media mogul Robert Maxwell for Elliot Carver's, confirming that Carver was in part based on the corrupt publishing baron. He made for the second best megalomaniac in the franchise whom shines much brighter than the Bond girls this time around. Though that was also true of the greatest megalomaniac as well. And in Mr. Stamper, we once again get a rehash of Red Grant, though doesn't seem to be as sinister, nor is he nearly as efficient as Carver himself points out. However, Otto made for the best of the Grant ripoffs the franchise has produced. But even a greater character would be Carver's Steal Boat & Sea Vac. Yes, both gadgets of doom are appealing enough to be considered as characters in the film. When I think of it, I think of these devices, whereas in other films with such devices I'm prone to think first of characters and locations. Both are great here too, but those two gadgets in particular really shine. Carver's Stealth Boat is my favorite 'vehicle of doom' that the franchise has produced. The theme as well is truly chilling, as the media's power to brainwash society only grows. I mean look at what happened after 9/11. The media pounced on it to make us think twice about anyone with middle eastern ethnicity by putting out disinformation rather than an informative look at the whole thing, resulting in everyone being gung-ho for a saga which would kill thousands of innocent people. And many still deny the power of the media? So overall, everything balances out so well that I find this to be the most watchable film in the franchise. No matter my mood, I never tire of seeing this film. It was that enjoyable, but it still fell short of five star criteria, of which only "Goldfinger" (1964), "GoldenEye," and "Casino Royale" (2006) fit that bill. But this film was pretty damn close. A true thrill ride to be enjoyed over and over again. Great replay value here.

When released, this mega budget film made $333,011,068; profiting twice its budget. Reviews were mixed, but the majority liked it, citing that it was a true return to an all around classic Bond which hadn't been seen since the Moore Era a couple decades before. Some even said it was as good as films from the Connery Era, as they considered Roger Moore to be too dainty for a show runner. I myself give this film tremendous credit for that, bringing the film back to an all around classic look. As much as I loved "GoldenEye," that was a completely different formula, with this being reminiscent of the classic days of Bond, and for that, I will always cherish this installment as the modern age's take on classic Bond.