Living Hell Extra! ================== Movie Review ------------ JAMES BOND FORTY-- in years since DR. NO, that is-- pairs Pierce Brosnan with Halley Berry, the latter as an assassin that Mr. Li- cense to Kill meets in Cuba while chasing North Korean bad guys. As casting choices go-- his fourth Bond movie, her first-- the two are fine physical specimens, though I wouldn't call theirs' chemis- try. (There's more electricity in Berry's bikini-clad first appear- ance, rising from the surf in campy slow-motion. Yeah baby!) DIE ANOTHER DAY is long on plot, with Double O tracking the traitor re- sponsible for his eighteen-month Red Army torture session that pas- ses during the title credits. (And which is accompanied by a lame title song sung by Madonna and, frankly, which sounds like a stereo system on the fritz.) The pre-credits sequence is an explosive hov- ercraft chase with too much CGI and too many shoddy marksmen. Ear- rattling pyrotechnics ensue. Most are the stuff of yawns, but the odd blast is impressive. And once the story gets down to the brass tacks of spy games and sex scenes, there are smaller delights to be had-- the sight of Brosnan behind the wheel of a classic convertible in Cuba, John Cleese officially adopting the role of Q (and channel- ing a bit of Basil Fawlty with it), and Madonna cameo (as a fencing instructor!) with the "actress" trying her hardest to do just that. Dame Judi Densch's M has more scenes, too, though most are mostly dour. And the scenery's awfully good, when not obviously computer- enhanced. Nice, too, the vintage gadgetry in Q's quarters-- Bond's old jetpack, a knife-popping shoe, etc. Regrettably, not a bit of it is necessarily compelling. Just the usual sound and fury signi- fying nothing and, now, four for four for Brosnan making bad Bond movies. I left after 90 minutes. Copyright 2002 by Michael J. Legeros Home Search Mike Legeros Copyright 2023 by Michael J. Legeros