Date: Fri 26-Dec-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: JUDYC

Quick Words:

Bond-Playing-genre-Brosnan

Full Text:

NOW PLAYING: TOMORROW NEVER DIES

With `Tomorrow,' The Bond Franchise Still Doesn't Die

By Trey Paul Alexander III

With every genre, whether literary or cinematic, there are certain conventions

which must be observed, and the success of a particular venture depends on its

combination of adherence and deviation from the conventional norms. After 35

years and nearly 20 films, one might call the 007 franchise either "venerable"

or "tired," but one thing is undoubtedly clear: the James Bond series has

become a genre unto its own.

I'm not just talking about such tried-and-true staples as "shaken, not

stirred," or the inevitable, suave delivery of "Bond, James Bond," but the

litany of elements to which the series has been in bondage almost since its

big screen debut: the opening scene must be a frenetic action piece that

serves as the film's prologue (or the climax to a mission of which we just

caught the end); there must be a megalomaniacal villain (no subtlety please);

there must be an intimidating henchman which Bond must dispatch in a climatic

duke-em-out; and there has to be at least one femme fatal to distract Bond's

prone-to-wandering attentions. Tomorrow Never Dies , which is now playing,

runs the gamut of this 007 formula.

Tomorrow marks Pierce Brosnan's second outing as Bond and it is interesting to

survey where his portrayal of the secret agent man falls in the pantheon of

Connery, Moore, Dalton and Laxenby, his predecessors. Brosnan easily conveys

the mirthful side of Bond, particularly as he toys with his ever-growing

catalog of clever gadgets (included here are a nifty Ericsson mobile phone and

a shifty BMW 750IL), and, as if to counter that playful side so as not to draw

too many Roger Moore parallels, he also communicates the deadly side of the

man who has a license to kill. (I don't seem to recall Bond dispatching so

many bad guys as he does so fairly mercilessly in this outing.)

Bond's mission here is to prevent war from breaking out between the British

and Chinese governments. Tensions are escalating between the two due to a

run-in between a British naval vessel and Chinese scout fighters. Things are

only exacerbated by the sensationalistic headlines and coverage spurred on by

an international media mogul (Jonathan Pryce) who stands to benefit from such

a charged situation.

Bond's boss, M (Judi Dench), suspects foul play involving satellite

manipulation, and sends Bond in to investigate. His trump card is a prior

relationship with the media baron's wife (Teri Hatcher), and you can imagine

the silly jokes and double entendres that fly when Bond is told to use any

means necessary to acquire information from his ex-love.

If the success of Tomorrow depended upon the chemistry between Brosnan and

Hatcher, then the film would most certainly die. The movie falls flat during

their scenes, and an early plotline involving the former couple seems choppy

and uneven, as if something has been edited. But thankfully, the film's snap,

crackle and pop resonates not from this duo, but from a second female

character, a mysterious woman named Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh). Her path crosses

Bond's and soon he has a new ally (reminiscent of his adventures with Felix

Leiter, except here his associate is a woman).

Yeoh, a major action star in Hong Kong (think female Jackie Chan), exemplifies

a more `90s approach to the Bond babe: though she's beautiful and a foil for

Bond's advances, she is also self-reliant, dangerous and an equal in the

licensed to kill department. Yeoh's natural kineticism lends a nice punch to

the movie and gives it momentum for a second half that is chock full of

explosions, stunts and derring-do.

Tomorrow Never Dies fits snugly into the roster of the cinematic adventures of

Ian Fleming's superspy. While it may not offer much variation on the typical

motifs of the Bond series (aside from the welcome presence of Yeoh and her

high-flying kicks), it gives James Bond fans plenty to enjoy and suggests

there is plenty enough left in the tank of this 35 year-old spy machine.

Tomorrow Never Dies is rated PG-13 for violence, mild profanity and the

typical infantile innuendoes that come with this series.