GoldenEye
4/4
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Izabella Scorupco, Sean Bean, Famke Janssen, Gottfried John, Alan Cumming, Judi Dench
Rated PG-13 for A Number of Sequences of Action/Violence, and for Some Sexuality
Not only is "GoldenEye" the best Bond movie I've ever seen, it belongs on any list of great action movies. No, I haven't seen every 007 adventure, but in terms of action, adrenaline and story, it's hard to imagine any topping it.
007 (Brosnan) is at it again. His mission is to destroy a Soviet army base in the middle or Russia. This time, he has help from his friend Alec Trevelyan, aka 006 (Bean). But just as they're about to escape, 006 is caught and executed by a Russian colonel named Ouromov (John).
Cut to five years later. Bond is up to his usual derring-do, but his friend's death weighs heavily on him. A Russian prototype helicopter has just been stolen. Hours later, a secret weapon codenamed GoldenEye has just been detonated over Severnaya. Bond is tasked to find the remaining satellite and bring down the crime syndicate behind it.
Bond is Bond. Audiences know what that means, and it's up to the filmmakers to deliver. This includes a dashing yet always cool James Bond, a dastardly villain with some grand scheme, gorgeous women, and sensational action and stunt work. On that level, the film is a bold success. Martin Campbell, a talented action director, assembles these elements with ease.
This was Pierce Brosnan's first outing as Bond, and he does a terrific job. Bond is fearless and always one step ahead. The Irish actor delivers Bond's quips with a delicious hint of self-awareness that makes them all the funnier. Yet his Bond is also one of the most vulnerable. He's not just a badass with a quip for every occasion. He feels betrayal and anger, but they never slow him down. There's never a doubt that he will get the job done.
As far as villains go, Alec Trevelyan is one of the best, and much of that has to do with the actor playing him. Few actors can be as effortlessly creepy as Sean Bean, and the Sheffield actor adds a droll wit to what would otherwise be a rather generic villain with an ax to grind. He's ably supported by Famke Janssen, whose psychopathic sadomasochist Xenia Onatopp would probably be too much for even Christian Grey.
The supporting cast is top-notch. Izabella Scorupco brings talent, but not a great set of lungs, to the mousy computer programmer that helps Bond (in more ways than one). If there's any flaw with this movie, it's that the obligatory romance between her and Bond feels undercooked. The two don't have enough screen time for it to catch fire. Judi Dench hits the ground running in one of her most famous roles; this M might be a grandmother, but she's no pushover. Alan Cumming is at his loopy best as the dorky and boorish computer programmer Boris Grishinko; his character is almost tailor made for the pop culture lexicon.
The talent behind the scenes is just as strong. The action scenes are well-executed. The script is smart and has depth. And the score by Eric Serra does such a good job at mimicking John Barry (the initial composer for the Bond movies) that you'd swear it was him.
Special mention has to go to Phil Mehux, who did the cinematography. This is a gorgeous film. Every shot sticks out. Even seemingly inconsequential ones like the doll performance early in the film, or sled dogs. And the scene in the statue park is downright haunting.
As if being a first class action film weren't enough, "GoldenEye" has another claim to fame: it is one of the only, if not the only, movie with a licensed video game that is actually good. "GoldenEye" for the Nintendo 64 came out two years after the film, which is probably why, but there's little doubt as to the game's quality or its place in the history of the medium. It's almost universally hailed as one of the greatest video games ever made and launched the first-person-shooter genre from cult arena to industry juggernaut. It's a pretty safe bet that the video game industry wouldn't be the same as it is now had it not been for "GoldenEye" and its video game tie in. What does that have to do with the movie? Not much, but it's an interesting bit of trivia.
The bottom line is that for action junkies, it doesn't get much better than this.
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Izabella Scorupco, Sean Bean, Famke Janssen, Gottfried John, Alan Cumming, Judi Dench
Rated PG-13 for A Number of Sequences of Action/Violence, and for Some Sexuality
Not only is "GoldenEye" the best Bond movie I've ever seen, it belongs on any list of great action movies. No, I haven't seen every 007 adventure, but in terms of action, adrenaline and story, it's hard to imagine any topping it.
007 (Brosnan) is at it again. His mission is to destroy a Soviet army base in the middle or Russia. This time, he has help from his friend Alec Trevelyan, aka 006 (Bean). But just as they're about to escape, 006 is caught and executed by a Russian colonel named Ouromov (John).
Cut to five years later. Bond is up to his usual derring-do, but his friend's death weighs heavily on him. A Russian prototype helicopter has just been stolen. Hours later, a secret weapon codenamed GoldenEye has just been detonated over Severnaya. Bond is tasked to find the remaining satellite and bring down the crime syndicate behind it.
Bond is Bond. Audiences know what that means, and it's up to the filmmakers to deliver. This includes a dashing yet always cool James Bond, a dastardly villain with some grand scheme, gorgeous women, and sensational action and stunt work. On that level, the film is a bold success. Martin Campbell, a talented action director, assembles these elements with ease.
This was Pierce Brosnan's first outing as Bond, and he does a terrific job. Bond is fearless and always one step ahead. The Irish actor delivers Bond's quips with a delicious hint of self-awareness that makes them all the funnier. Yet his Bond is also one of the most vulnerable. He's not just a badass with a quip for every occasion. He feels betrayal and anger, but they never slow him down. There's never a doubt that he will get the job done.
As far as villains go, Alec Trevelyan is one of the best, and much of that has to do with the actor playing him. Few actors can be as effortlessly creepy as Sean Bean, and the Sheffield actor adds a droll wit to what would otherwise be a rather generic villain with an ax to grind. He's ably supported by Famke Janssen, whose psychopathic sadomasochist Xenia Onatopp would probably be too much for even Christian Grey.
The supporting cast is top-notch. Izabella Scorupco brings talent, but not a great set of lungs, to the mousy computer programmer that helps Bond (in more ways than one). If there's any flaw with this movie, it's that the obligatory romance between her and Bond feels undercooked. The two don't have enough screen time for it to catch fire. Judi Dench hits the ground running in one of her most famous roles; this M might be a grandmother, but she's no pushover. Alan Cumming is at his loopy best as the dorky and boorish computer programmer Boris Grishinko; his character is almost tailor made for the pop culture lexicon.
The talent behind the scenes is just as strong. The action scenes are well-executed. The script is smart and has depth. And the score by Eric Serra does such a good job at mimicking John Barry (the initial composer for the Bond movies) that you'd swear it was him.
Special mention has to go to Phil Mehux, who did the cinematography. This is a gorgeous film. Every shot sticks out. Even seemingly inconsequential ones like the doll performance early in the film, or sled dogs. And the scene in the statue park is downright haunting.
As if being a first class action film weren't enough, "GoldenEye" has another claim to fame: it is one of the only, if not the only, movie with a licensed video game that is actually good. "GoldenEye" for the Nintendo 64 came out two years after the film, which is probably why, but there's little doubt as to the game's quality or its place in the history of the medium. It's almost universally hailed as one of the greatest video games ever made and launched the first-person-shooter genre from cult arena to industry juggernaut. It's a pretty safe bet that the video game industry wouldn't be the same as it is now had it not been for "GoldenEye" and its video game tie in. What does that have to do with the movie? Not much, but it's an interesting bit of trivia.
The bottom line is that for action junkies, it doesn't get much better than this.
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