After three years of knockoffs and wannabes, and three James Bond films that have, for the most part, maintained the series' high level of quality, James Bond has returned.

And how.

Briskly paced, crisply shot, wonderfully directed and cast, and (somewhat surprisingly) smartly written, Die Another Day transports James Bond into the twenty-first century, yet never loses sight of what makes him great. Taking cues from both the books and the movies, it often mixes the best of the lower key and over-the-top efforts into a potent, entertaining cocktail. More than that, it plays with and bends what we expect from most James Bond movies, while paying homage to the past by including small nods to both the series' literary and film history. Its chief fault is cramming too much into one movie; one can only wish more movies in any genre would do the same.

Much of what works in this movie has to do with Pierce Brosnan, now in his fourth turn as Ian Fleming's creation. Evaluating his performance in Die Another Day, one can now eschew the standard, cliché responses. It is no longer necessary to say that he is growing into the role, or to compare him to his predecessors. Brosnan has always been good, even when his material has been somewhat lacking. This time however, he has not just made Bond his own but has left his indelible stamp on the character. He's not borrowing Connery's suave air, or Moore's gift for bon mots, or Dalton's brooding angst. He's not even combining them. Instead, he has reinvented the James Bond character by making him a world-weary veteran, vulnerable yet tough, loyal to queen and country even when both turn their backs on him. Brosnan's Bond has seen too much, yet carries on because he must. He remains a British gentleman; a man who enjoys the finer things in life, yet beneath the surface is a ruthless killer. Timothy Dalton may have returned the character to his roots, but Brosnan has sunk his teeth into the character in a way that even Dalton did not. Brosnan's Bond has also previously convincingly displayed emotion, and in Die Another Day does so again, while attempting to revive the NSA agent Jinx character (played by Halle Berry) after her near-drowning.

Screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have also seen fit to place James Bond in situations atypical for a James Bond movie. As the movie opens, Bond poses as an arms dealer in North Korea, attempting to uncover a link between "conflict diamonds" and illegally traded arms. Colonel Moon is the baddie so tough that he stuffs underlings in punching bags for his own "anger management" sessions. Bond's cover is blown, and he chases Moon via hovercraft across the mine-saturated Korean border, eventually sending him down a waterfall. In short order, Bond is jailed and tortured by the North Koreans, only to be traded for the terrorist Zao, who was injured during the chase for Moon, but escaped. Back across the border, Bond finds himself stripped of his "00" status and placed under house arrest. The Americans fear he was "hemorrhaging information" (to use M's phrase). Bond eventually escapes, and on a personal mission to discover exactly who set him up.

Bond, on the run from MI6, follows a trail from Hong Kong to Cuba and eventually back to London. Along the way, he uncovers a clinic specializing in gene therapy, and a link to diamond merchant Gustav Graves (perfectly played by Toby Stephens). Graves is a memorably arrogant and ultimately dangerous villain, and very reminiscent of Hugo Drax in Ian Fleming's novel "Moonraker". A huge extrovert, he parachutes to Buckingham Palace enrooted to his knighthood, and as a champion fencer, he (of course) challenges Bond to a duel. The ensuing swordfight in one of the film's many highlights. Afterwards Graves, ever the gentleman, invites Bond to "a scientific demonstration" he will be holding in Iceland, a satellite named Icarus that can be used as a second sun for, it turns out, both good and evil. At this point the movie reverts back to the traditional elements we expect, occasionally going into the more fantastic realms of the Roger Moore movies while never reverting to the knowing ridiculousness.

Though the search for the MI6 mole is atypical, the tone and atmosphere of the film is not. Director Lee Tamahori uses techniques unusual for a Bond movie - flashbacks, some speeded-up camera shots, and slow motion - though he manages to retain some of the series' tradition of shooting in lush and exotic locations, particularly Cuba. A couple great sets, "Blades" and the Ice Palace, are also used well. Tamahori has a deep understanding of what makes Bond work, a fan's love of the character and his world, and a professionalism that he maintains throughout the picture. As a result, he garners first rate performances from all of his actors, from Berry (who has never looked hotter) to Rosamund Pike (an undercover MI6 agent aptly named Miranda Frost) to the series regulars. Overall, it may be the best acted Bond since From Russia With Love. (And, while I wish to give nothing away, I must admit that I smiled with pleasure at Moneypenny's final scene.)

It also features some of the most memorable action sequences in a while. Though the hovercraft chase during the movie's pre-credit sequence does not have the breathtaking audacity of The Spy Who Loved Me or GoldenEye, it keeps things grounded and exciting, making it the most suspenseful PCS since The Living Daylights. Bond's fight with Zao in the gene therapy recalls fisticuffs from From Russia With Love and Thunderball, wherein punches thrown look like they could hurt, and their car chase in Grave's melting ice palace gives a true sense of claustrophobia.

Also notable is David Arnold's score (which improves on his exemplary work on The World Is Not Enough) and Daniel Kleinman's main titles, which are not only his best, but may turn out to be the best in the series. Madonna's title song sounds radically different from any other Bond tune, but it grows on one with repeated listening. And then there are the nods to Bond's literary and cinematic history, from (most famously) Jinx's bikini (the same worn by Ursula Andress in Dr. No) to the use of the Thunderball re-breather, to a scene where Bond picks up a copy of the book "Birds of the West Indies". Most of these touches were so seamlessly integrated into the film that they might only be noted on repeat viewings.

No Bond film is perfect, and this one is no exception. At times there seems to be just too much here, making the movie an embarrassment of riches. Bond gets a trick Aston Martin with goodies ranging from machine-guns and missiles to "adaptive (read invisible) camouflage." Though it's well explained and well presented, it smacks of overkill, as does the final set piece aboard an Antonov airplane. While I enjoyed the references to other Bonds, some did drag me out of the movie; Gustav Graves' comment that "diamonds are for every... one" might have worked on paper, but it seems too much of a wink to the audience.

Of course, I could also complain that my wallet is too small for my fifties. More movies should provide us with too much. In a world in which most fledgling series have succumbed to the law of diminishing returns, Die Another Day shows that, when done right, a series can still prosper.

Copyright © 2002 Derek Johnson