The second Pierce Brosnan Bond film is something of a step backward story-wise, having a much 'thinner' plot than Goldeneye. On the plus side, Brosnan is finally secure in his role, portraying Bond with the right amount of charm, confidence and arrogance and he is ably assisted by some spectacular action sequences, some very colourful villains, and an interesting sub-plot where he has to meet up with an ex-lover to get to the bad guy. This film is more like an American action film; it's louder, noisier, has more explosions and stunts, and barely stops to offer any strong story development aside from what's necessary to get from point A to point B. "Tomorrow Never Dies" is an entertaining action-adventure film, but it doesn't quite achieve that unique spy-thriller mix that Bond films have been famous for and as such doesn't quite deliver on all points.
This film returns to the over-the-top cartoon villain of old, introducing Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce), a world-wide media baron, obviously imitating the barons such as Rupert Murdoch and the like, who is looking to make news rather than wait for it to happen. He does this by obtaining a CIA satellite controller which he uses to affect the navigational instruments aboard a British naval vessel, forcing it to enter Chinese waters in the hope that conflict will start between the two countries. "M" (Judi Dench) has been watching Carver for some time and sends Bond in to investigate. Along the way, he meets up with an ex-lover Paris (Teri Hatcher) who is now Carver's wife. When Paris ends up dead after meeting with Bond, he goes after Carver, and is unexpectedly assisted by a Chinese secret agent Wai Lyn (Michelle Yeoh). This is it for the basic plot, everything else is filled in with set piece after spectacular set piece, culminating with Bond saving the day and bringing about Carver's demise.
Unlike "Goldeneye" where Brosnan seemed a little hesitant in the way he handled the role, he's confident and secure in this instalment; he is Bond this time rather than playing him. He further extends his ability to cross the line between Connery's toughness and charm with Moore's wit, making for a unique Bond that is entertaining to watch. This is no more evident than from the outset when in the pre-title sequence Bond manages to not only save the day from two nuclear torpedoes from exploding but also asks "where do you want the bombs delivered?"
Jonathan Pryce is clearly having a lot of fun with Elliot Carver, portraying an obsessed egomaniac who more or less thinks he's god. His villain is more in line with the cartoon-like villains of old, but he is still extremely entertaining if only that the character is making some clear fun of real life media moguls. Teri Hatcher is strong as Bond's ex-lover Paris, now wife of Elliot Carver. The dynamic between them is fascinating and makes for a more interesting affair than the usual Bond girl antics. Likewise with Michelle Yeoh as the Chinese Secret Agent. She doesn't need Bond and is as tough as nails, but eventually they come to work together when they realise that the British and the Chinese governments have been had by Carver's manipulations.
The one weak element to this film is the plot; it's quite thin. Unlike "Goldeneye" which had a more intricate and realistic plot with many interesting character developments, everything is much more black and white in this excursion, culminating in a film that resembles more an American action film rather than a strong spy-thriller that the best Bond films usually are. Don't get me wrong; the action sequences are nothing short of spectacular from the opening pre-title sequence to the all-out explosion fest in the finale, this is a film that is thrilling from an action standpoint. However, Bond films tend to work best when they rely more on the espionage and spy elements, and relying more on the action sequences is a little bit of a cop out designed to overcome a weak story.
"Tomorrow Never Dies" is a spectacular action-adventure film, with Brosnan now secure in the role of James Bond, but is let down by a weaker story.
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