by Michael Reed
The essence of James Bond is right there. Right in front of us. Even now, 1997, new world order, different enemies, uncertain alliances, unstable administrations. And there is 007, becoming aware that Moneypenny has been signaling him to get to the Ministry of Defence, hearing her order him to make it in ten minutes, telling her coolly, "I'm two hours away...it will take me sixty minutes."
The novel "Tomorrow Never Dies" by Raymond Benson, based upon a screenplay by Bruce Feirstein, is a rigidly shaken mixture of classic Flemingesque situations and modern movements. Through Benson's interpretation (he has stated some changes were made to the direct plotline but the crux of the story remains in the theatrical film) I felt an aura of excitement from the beginning. A difficult to explain sense of suspense and fear as I followed the story. The situations are awe inspiring.
The most notable aspect for me was how well conceived the many M scenes were. Given the confrontations in this story, I have no doubt the fans of the novel Bond will warmly embrace the female M. If Judi Dench is half the actress in the movie we know her to already be, then most viewers will accept her as well.
M's presence in the story is paramount. A British ship called the Devonshire carrying a cruise missile is sunk in Chinese waters with a device called an ACSES making the crew of the ship believe they were at a different location. At the same time two Chinese MiGs that had located the vessel are shot down. The threat of war between the two countries looms. M feels from the start that something is wrong with the picture, that another party is forcing events to start a war. Bond's talents early on helped fuel her belief despite bitter opposition from British military leaders.
M uses convictions within herself, and a solid faith in the agent who has impressed her and won respect, to stand up to the planners and strategists. A pleasing amount of the story focuses on M and Chief of Staff Bill Tanner, making a welcome return in expanded form, and their struggle to maintain control over the operation. This is not "Thunderball," where M can dispense his agents as he sees fit. These two are the leaders of a special team. They make it excel.
Benson's evolving style in writing the Bond narratives is taught and terse. While he keeps in the one liners that were required for Feirstein to create, this reads in the "Fleming Sweep" style Benson emulates perfectly. He throws in his own sly touches that keep the creation of Ian Fleming intact. He explains the continuity error the film "You Only Live Twice" made regarding Bond's schooling. He allows Bond to become the owner of the Aston Martin no longer used by Q Branch. Most of all, he keeps Bond the talented figure with inner demons that are not always visible, but are always present.
If filmed as Benson wrote it, Pierce Brosnan may have a scene that rates with Sean Connery's cold blooded killing of a villain in "Dr. No." Bond in "Tomorrow Never Dies" is a hero, a killer and a man. Never a cardboard character. He can batter at the resistance of a scorned lover from the past as easily as forming a union with a member of the People's External Security Force.
Woe be the villain, media magnate Elliot Carver. He is treated to vintage baiting by Bond. Not only given taunting clues that Bond throws out indicating suspicion, Carver is subjected to Bond's brashness. After reciting off the mogul's plans with Wai Lin, the uneasy Chinese ally that Michelle Yeoh portrays, but unable to provoke a response, Bond swings a low blow.
Knowing the leader of the Carver Media Group Network and the "Tomorrow" newspaper gained his position as a powerful icon in the world's communications by suspicious means involving his illegitimate father, and having a prostitute mother, Bond lays the gauntlet down. After Carver boasts of his immense power, Bond retorts, "But you're still the son of a whore, a bastard, raised in the gutter. And we all sneer at you."
Bond is well developed in the book. Feirstein's ideas and Benson's prose weave spectacular action sequences, from a HALO parachute drop in Vietnam to a stunning helicopter attack, flawlessly into a yarn of hatred and betrayal. Some moments in the book recall previous adventures in smart fashion.
Bond gains the upper hand on an assassin who has him dead point blank by using a functional gadget coyly, reminiscent of "From Russia With Love." And while Jack Wade, the CIA agent who does return, is not the same as fellow Texan Felix Leiter, he is used acceptably here as a caring assistant. (And Leiter is said to return in Mr. Benson's forthcoming novel "the Facts Of Death.") Stamper, a henchman of Carver's, has the same function as intellectually challenged killers gone by. He's stone cold, loyal to a fault, a man capable of licking blood like "wayward drops of chocolate sauce." "Techno-terrorist" Henry Gupta is right in the mold of Professor-Dr. Metz of EON's "Diamonds Are Forever" and Krebs from Fleming's "Moonraker."
The women are bright lights. Moneypenny enjoys banter with her favorite agent. A striking Danish professor keeps Bond's off hours exciting. Paris (McKenna) Carver provides terrific sparks, a welcome chance to see a woman's opinion of Bond years past the affair, enlightening beyond the rambling thoughts of Vivienne Michel the morning after in "The Spy Who Loved Me." Teri Hatcher should play this part cleverly.
Best of all will be the casting of Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin. The character of Lin is kept necessarily shadowy. Physical, striking, and capable, Wai Lin is a counterpart of Bond's suave ways, more practical than passionate. She is a professional.
The only strong disappointment I have with the story, which includes less of a view of the media conglomerate use of the newspaper using "Tomorrow's News, Today," is not enough focus on the main villain. While Benson provides us a backstory of what brought Carver to power, his present day actions are too much caricature and too little character. He has the historical odd physical problem (a chronic bout of temporomandibular joint syndrome) and a well designed reason for his plot. And the means. But I never quite grasped that his final satisfaction would have been truly in his sights. His goal, as he describes it, seems beneath him. Is he maniacal toward the two countries he despises, clever in advancing his societal power, or something in between? Too little time is given him to tell.
In the end, though, this is a killer read. It is an easy step ahead of the Christopher Wood novelizations from the seventies. And it entwines itself into the continuation of the novel world of James Bond much more easily than John Gardner's two efforts. We fans waited and waited for that magic to return. That...feeling, that aura that is James Bond. Just as Raymond Benson describes the strengthened bond between M and 007, I find myself reinvigorated after seeing how well Bond will be represented on the screen and between the covers. As M thinks to herself about her top agent, she "learned to put up with the flaws in favour of the fortunes." With "Tomorrow Never Dies" the fans of James Bond have the pieces on the chessboard perfectly placed. Raymond Benson delivers the right move with the white knight.
Checkmate.
