Action Movies
The all-time greatest action movies
Die Another Day
Die Another Day is the twentieth James Bond movie made by EON Productions and the fourth to star Pierce Brosnan as James Bond. It was released in 2002 and produced by Bond veterans Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. It is the first movie to not feature Desmond Llewelyn as Q since Live and Let Die.
In the film, Die Another Day refers to the villain who fakes his death in the opening sequence. When Bond meets up with him later in the film he says "So you live to die another day".
The plot, reminiscent of Moonraker, GoldenEye, and the loose Austin Powers parody The Spy Who Shagged Me, involves billionaire businessman Gustav Graves (who, through supposed medical wizardry, is actually a North Korean soldier) who builds an orbital mirror system that can focus solar energy on a small area—supposedly to light the Arctic nights but is actually a superweapon designed to destroy the de-militarized zone that separates North Korea from the South. Bond, with the aid of NSA agent Jinx (Berry), defeats the soldier (whose other major technotoy is an exoskeleton equipped with a high-voltage electric weapon) and prevents global catastrophe, along the way bedding both Jinx and Graves' assistant, the blonde ice queen Frost (who in a succession of twists is first revealed to be working for MI6, then as a double agent for Graves).
The movie departs from the usual Bond formula in several ways. The movie starts with an action set-piece which, instead of a comic ending, ends up with Bond captured by the North Koreans, after which he is tortured for 14 months, depicted in a stylized manner through the title sequence, ending only when he is released in a prisoner-exchange deal. However, the psychological consequences of this torture are not explored in the rest of the movie. The movie also shows some attempts to improve the appeal of Bond to younger people, featuring two separate scenes of Bond surfing, a more contemporary soundtrack (by David Arnold), and extensive use of The Matrix-style slow-motion pans. However, it also features many, many references to the previous Bond films which were eagerly picked out by fans.
The theme music to Die Another Day with the title of the same name was written and sung by Madonna. Madonna also had a small cameo as a leather-clad fencing instructor in the movie.
The soundtrack was composed by David Arnold, this is his third time composing for a James Bond movie. The soundtrack also used The Clash's "London Calling" in one sequence.
Critical reaction to the film was mixed, even allowing for the typical disdain of action films held by many reviewers. Many felt that it was merely a tired retread of old ideas, and the attempts to appeal to a younger audience were unsuccessful. Berry's performance was heavily criticised by many reviewers. Some also felt that the extensive use of CGI special effects detracted from one of the major appeals of the older films—that the stunts, however preposterous, were actually performed. Some of the CGI was poorly done (notably the second surfing sequence).
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