Die Another Day (PG-13, 2002)

Bond (Pierce Brosnan) goes undercover to assassinate the son of a South Korean leader. When things go wrong, Bond is captured and tortured, while his homeland denies he exists. After being traded for a ruthless Korean killer (who now has diamonds embedded into his face), Bond must find out who double-crossed him in Korea and why. Along the way, he meets a female American counterpart, Jinx (Halle Berry).

Bond, James Bond, has returned to the big screen once again. This time, as with every effort in the Pierce Brosnan series, producer Barbara Broccoli and MGM studios will try to out-do the explosions, the sex, and the witty dialogue that has permeated the countless entries in the spy films. DIE ANOTHER DAY, the latest Bond adventure, should be praised though, as it succeeds in giving the audience the most thrilling Brosnan adventure since his debut film, Goldeneye. What this latest entry in the Bond films does is reminds us is why 007 is still so appealing after all these years. The James Bond films have class and tradition, a certain familiar thrill as well as a hero whose arrogance is charming, not brutish and dull.

Berry is fine in the film, though her role is not nearly as large as the trailers show and that turns out to be a good thing. As the past two films have proven, not enough action involving Bond just slows the pace in the formulaic series. The first hour is truly thrilling and actually succeeds for once at adding depth to Bond. There is some great comedic bits involving John Cleese, the fantastic locales that Bond movies are famous for, and a fun if unrealistic car chase. Serving as both distractions and annoyance in the film are cameos by American tough guy Michael Madsen and singer Madonna. Madonna may have crafted a fun modern techno song for the film, but her acting is still as stale and laughable as it was ten years ago. All and all, Die Another Day is a fun Bond entry that has enough great stunts and excitement, that, by the time the movie tales off in the last 20 minutes, the viewer can forgive its bland conclusion.