Into the Blu

Die Another Day

Posted on 24. Oct, 2008 by Gino Sassani in 1080p, 2.35:1, AVC MPEG-4, Action, DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 2.0 (Spanish), Dolby Digital 5.1 (French), Drama, MGM, Reviews

Pierce Brosnan only got to play James Bond for four films, which is unfortunate when you watch a film like Die Another Day. He’s always had a great presence in the part, but watching this movie gives you tremendous appreciation of what he brought to the character and to the franchise. In such a short time he made the part his own in a way that only Sean Connery had done before. I actually like Timothy Dalton better than Brosnan, but not because Dalton’s a better actor; he isn’t. I just thought Dalton might have been the closest of any of them to the character as written by Ian Fleming. He’s the Bond I always imagined when, as a young boy, I read my first Bond novels. On the silver screen, however, Brosnan has everything. He’s got the energy and the swagger that just oozes James Bond. Unfortunately, in just a blink of an eye it was over.

Die Another Day is a significant milestone in the Bond franchise. It was the 20^th Bond film and the year was the 40^th anniversary of the first Bond, Connery’s Dr. No. I was extremely happy to see that the producers of this film had a genuine understanding for their place in history. This film is just loaded with wonderful homages and winks to many of the Bonds that came before. In Q’s lab we see many of the props used in Bonds going all the way back to Connery. When Q hands Bond his newest gadget-enriched watch, he remarks that it’s his 20^th alluding to the 20^th on-film mission we were watching. A magazine article uses the phrase Diamonds Are Foreve,r and Brosnan quips once that diamonds aren’t for everyone. The Bond car returns to the famed Astin Martin family. Halle Berry’s introduction is straight out of Dr. No and the iconic entrance by Ursula Andress from the ocean. None of these references are overt or necessarily in your face. They were brought off exactly as they should have been with a gentle wink towards the audience but never enough to distract from the current state of affairs. It’s just a shame that Desmond Llewelyn couldn’t have been the one to deliver those tender moments.

Bond begins the pre-title sequence in North Korea going up against the son of the ruling general. He ends up sending young Moon over a cliff when the mission turns upside down. This isn’t going to please Papa Moon, and Bond ends up a prisoner and subjected to all manner of torture including the injection of scorpion venom. After an indeterminate amount of time, but enough to find Bond in a Rip Van Winkle full face beard and shoulder length hair, Bond might have finally reached the end of his rope. Fortunately he is exchanged for a prisoner that Moon wants back. It’s Zao (Yune) the man that, with the help of someone inside MI6, betrayed Bond. On his return Bond is treated with suspicion as word leaks that he may have broken and talked. He’s stripped of his 007 status and kept a prisoner, this time by his own people. Bond knows he was betrayed and that Zao is a dangerous man to have free, and he’ll stop at nothing to correct the situation, even if it means breaking his own rules. So before you can blink, Bond’s broken out and is now a rogue agent. In Cuba he comes across the attractive Jinx (Berry). He follows her to a gene therapy clinic where he discovers Zao and that he’s not the only one after the terrorist. It seems Jinx wants Zao just as dead. Zao escapes, and the clinic is left pretty much in shambles. Bond barely escapes, but with more than just his life. Zao left behind a sack of diamonds that leads Bond to Gustav Graves (Stephens). This begins in Cuba and leads back to London where Graves has just been knighted by the Queen. He confronts Graves in an escalating fencing match and is rewarded by an invitation to Graves’ big splash in Iceland where he will unveil his new weapon, Icarus. The satellite captures the power of the sun and can direct it anywhere on earth he desires. Bond has his eye on Miranda Frost (Pike), Graves’ assistant and PR girl. Both Graves and Frost are not who or what they seem. Back in the fold and at Q branch Bond gets a new supply of toys, including a car with a cloaking device. They all converge at the magnificent palace made of ice that Graves has constructed for his shindig and demonstration. Before it’s over, Bond heats the place up and brings the house down. The villains escape, but Bond and Jinx will track them down for a final confrontation in a disintegrating jet over the DMZ of North and South Korea.

This is truly one of the most spectacular Bonds visually, more than anything before or so far since. We’re used to the exotic locales, but the Iceland material is incredible. First there is the Ice Palace itself. An amazing concept, it was executed perfectly. I was getting cold just sitting there looking at it, and I live in Florida. The car chase on the frozen lake is one of my all time favorite Bond action sequences. You get all the firepower and this wide open space where these cars fly and slide their way through. The scope is indescribable. You simply have to see it. Finally, both of these elements are combined as the chase finishes inside of the ice structure. What’s more, it was all so flawlessly executed. The cast is also exceptional. Brosnan is simply at his best in the role and makes me a bit bitter to know how that was all going to turn out. More on that later. Believe it or not, I’m not one of those guys who thinks Halle Berry is the most beautiful woman on the planet. Still, she exudes tremendous Bond Girl appeal here, and it might be more to do with her skills than her body. The girl’s got game. She comes across every bit as tough as Bond here, far from the damsel in distress we’ve gotten used to. Certainly Bond has to rescue her at one point, but she more than once returns the favor. There was a lot of talk about a Jinx film and potential franchise that never really got off the ground. Rosamund Pike as Miranda Frost is also a strong Bond Girl. Again it’s not just sex appeal In fact, her character is often overdressed enough that it’s anything but. She does look good brandishing a sword, though, doesn’t she? It’s a complicated part, as it turns out, and she pulls it off brilliantly. Rick Yune is always a strong presence, and his portrayal of Zao is no exception. He may not be the most colorful Bond villain, but he looks like the one I’d least want trying to hand me my behind. Their fight scenes are some of the best choreographed fisticuffs in Bond history. I wasn’t near as impressed with Toby Stephens as the main baddie Graves. He looks too young for the part and has that youthful grin that doesn’t make sense when you discover his secret. He isn’t a bad actor at all, but he was overmatched completely in this film. Finally I have to tip my hat a little to John Cleese, who has the unenviable task of taking on the Q role. I wanted very much not to like him, or anyone, in that role. Dang it, John, why’d you have to be so disarming in this thing. You can’t help but believe he was the perfect choice. They should have kept him around.

Video

Die Another Day is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. You get a splendid 1080p image out of the AVC/MPEG-4 codec. Most of the film delivers a solid 25+ mbps bit rate. This image benefits from not only a wonderful HD transfer, but the recent 4k restoration from the camera negatives. Of the 6 Bond films being released in this first wave of restored Blu-rays, this one looks the best. No surprise here, really. It’s only a handful of years old and has the benefit of being already filmed on more modern equipment. The sharpness is unparalleled by any of these other Bond films to date and is nothing short of stunning. Keep in mind I have not seen the Blu-ray release of the most recent Casino Royale. This comparison is valid only within the 6 pack currently being released. Black levels are superb. There is almost no grain evident at all. I was also impressed with what appeared to me to be a far smoother motion during action scenes. The older films often have some rather awkward edits or something that were a bit more irritating in HD. This film has none of that and is pristine in every way.

Audio

The DTSHD lossless 5.1 track is even better than the image. This film was originally filmed in the surround era, so naturally takes better advantage of the ambient speakers. That’s not where I make the largest distinction, however. It is the sub range where this film blows the others away. Explosions finally rock the house and sounds like jet engines have a depth that allows you to immerse yourself in the action. The title song is the worst of any Bond film I’ve seen, which is all of them. (OK, not the November Quantum Of Solace, yet). The song sucks, but the reproduction is dynamic. Too bad it… did I say sucks?

There is an audio commentary featuring director Lee Tamahori and producer Michael Wilson. These guys really get into it, so prepare yourself to hear more tech talk than you likely even want. An excellent track.

There is an additional commentary by Brosnan and Pike. Unfortunately they were obviously not together, so we miss any interaction between them It really just sounds like interview clips being played at closely approximate places in the film.

Special Features

Most of these features are imported from the last edition of the films.

The extras are grouped under menu headings that I will provide underlined:

Declassified – MI6 Vault:

• From Script To Screen: This feature is nearly an hour long and pretty much does exactly what the title says. You get a very detailed look at the entire production, from the original story meetings to the actual filming. Casting and other major elements are discussed in great detail.

• Shaken And Stirred: At about 23 minutes this feature takes you to the Iceland locations. You get to see the many problems operating in such brutal cold conditions can cause.

• Just Another Day: On the 69^th day of shooting the film crew was allowed to work just outside of Buckingham Palace with very tight time restrictions. This 23 minute feature takes you behind the scenes for that tight half day of shooting. The parachute entrance of Graves dominates most of the schedule.

• The British Touch: Bond arrives in London via British Airways. It’s just 3 minutes, and the best thing you get out of it is to learn that Roger Moore’s daughter plays the flight attendant who serves up Bond’s famous drink.

• On Location With Peter Lamont: This 14 minute piece looks at the various locations used in the film including Cuba, Spain, and of course, Iceland.

• Mission Control: These are direct scene access bookmarks for particular subjects like Women, Villains… and so on. One of the neatest things about these sections is the ability to watch the title sequence sans titles.

• Image Database: A collection of still galleries.

Final Thoughts

It will break your heart to look at this Bond followed closely by watching Casino Royale with Daniel Craig. It’s no wonder they waited four years in real time. Anyone watching this film knew that Brosnan was just settling in and had a lot of Bond left in him. At least he went out with style, giving us the best most action packed Bond film in a long time. It’s all here. Fast cool cars, personal jets, and hovercraft; after all, “You just can’t stroll through the world’s biggest minefield.”