Tomorrow Never Dies

 

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) serves as Pierce Brosnan’s second outing as 007. The film follows Bond as he attempts to stop a power-mad media mogul who is trying to manufacture World War III just to boost his headlines.

While the plot was entertaining and the script leaned into fun, notwithstanding some corny, 90s charm, there were several moments where the logic started to fray. For instance, the film featured Bond speaking Mandarin in the middle of Vietnam, and a scene where a man asks Bond for $5,000 USD when, as a British secret agent, he logically would have been carrying Pounds.

One of the absolute highlights of the film was seeing a young Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin. Released just a few years before her massive breakout in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, she was a breath of fresh air as a character who was genuinely capable, independent, and Bond’s equal in the field. However, the film’s handling of other female characters was less successful; the unnecessary sexualization of a Vietnamese woman felt tacky and dated, serving as a reminder of tropes that could have easily been left on the cutting room floor.

While this film delivered the high-octane spectacle, expected from the franchise, it was a bit of a mixed bag. Despite these flaws, the movie remains a solid, fast-paced piece of entertainment that showcased Brosnan’s peak era as the world's most famous spy.