Goldeneye

Movie Name: Goldeneye
Year of Release: 1995
Director: Martin Campbell
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Judi Dench, Joe Don Baker, Robbie Coltrane, Tcheky Karyo, Gottfried John, Alan Cumming, Desmond Llewelyn, Samantha Bond, Michael Kitchen, Pavel Douglas
Genre: Action
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis and Review

Following a series of films directed by John Glen during the 1980s, which included the stint with Roger Moore, and the brief one with Timothy Dalton, James Bond was in dire need of a reinvigoration which is precisely what Martin Campbell, and new star Pierce Brosnan brought to the long existing series. This episode of the series finds James Bond firstly attempting to prevent a coordinated robbery of a sophisticated helicopter, which he is unable to thwart, enabling the charismatic and lethal Xenia Onatopp from fleeing with the vessel. The newly appointed M, tasks him with investigating what happened after an electromagnetic pulse was deployed in Russia with devastating consequences. Traveling to Russia Bond eventually realizes the man behind the whole Goldeneye weapon is actually a former British Intelligence agent, a former friend of his, Alec Trevelyan. Bond is captured alongside Natalya Simonova, a survivor of the pulse deployment, and they both go through a series of pursuits of Alec and his accomplices, in order to crash their plans of massive destruction (and robbery). 

Ironically enough, director Martin Campbell didn't have much of a track record in terms of feature film direction before tackling "Goldeneye". He had made a name for himself with a series of TV shows and mini series, including "Reilly: Ace of Spies" and "Homicide: Life on the Street", with his sole feature film credits consisting of a few films in the 1970s, followed by the underrated "Criminal Law" in 1988 (with Gary Oldman and Kevin Bacon), "Defenseless" in 1991 (with Barbara Hershey and Sam Shepard), and the futuristic "No Escape/Escape from Absolon" in 1994 (with Ray Liotta and Lance Henriksen). "Goldeneye" however manage to encapsulate much of what action films had become from the work crafted by John McTiernan, Richard Donner, Tony Scott, and James Cameron, and bring a more engaging and muscular number of set pieces that while involving much destruction, it didn't necessarily become borderline a parody of the genre itself (which had happened on the latter films led by Roger Moore in the early to mid 1980s). While there are indeed over the top sequences in the film (the first set piece for instance), Martin Campbell was smart enough to bring some additional dynamics, grit and humor to the proceedings, even if at times, and particularly now with some distance from its release, the film does feel a bit like a bridge between the stylings of John Glen, Lewis Gilbert, and Terence Young, and more of what modern spy films were all about (which included more character development, and not necessarily the kitsch set pieces). The casting was also a successful one, with Judi Dench revitalizing the M character, bringing a much needed antagonism and pulse of vitality to an otherwise predictable supporting role, with the Bond girls, particularly Famke Janssen, creating an iconic villain, one that has no substance to it, but one what she peppers with humor, and an energy that not many have been able to match (before or since). Pierce Brosnan was also a good suit for Bond, even if at times too suave and debonair, something more applicable for instance on his take of Thomas Crown (directed by John McTiernan). The production team was solid, including the memorable title song performed by Tina Turner (written by Bono and The Edge). It's probably the most entertaining of the Bond films of the 1990s and always worth revisiting.