A slew of legal troubles behind the scenes led to a six year gap between Bond films. As a result, Timothy Dalton resigned and Pierce Brosnan was brought in to take the helm (the man originally intended to step in for Roger Moore were it not for other contractual obligations).

The fall of the Berlin wall has changed the face of world politics since the last film. Bond, although never directly involved with America’s struggle against Russia, is very much a product of the Cold War. That’s all over now, leading some to wonder if the franchise should end altogether.

This leaves the producers with an uphill struggle, trying make Bond relevant and interesting in a age where the very core of the character has been dissolved.

Instead of dodging the issue, GoldenEye tackles it head on.

In 1986 007 is sent on a mission with 006 (Sean Bean) to destroy a Russian military facility. 006 is captured and Bond leaves him for dead in his escape. Years later we rejoin Bond on a mission to follow a member of a crime syndicate. He uncovers a plot to steal an EMP weapon from the Russians, fronted by his ex-colleague.

One would expect GoldenEye to try something radically different in its attempts to appeal to a 1995 audience, and yet the exact opposite happens. This is almost a ‘back to basics’ for Bond, not quite harking back to Dr. No but almost. The women, the action & the gadgets are all there, but somehow it all feels revitalised.

Instead of a completely new idea, the producers opted for a subtle shift in tone. This is a deft move; it keeps the fans happy while helping to bring the franchise into the 21st century.

At the forefront of this change is Judi Dench as M. She gets a small but key role in establishing some of the much needed self-awareness GoldenEye exhibits. She’s cold towards Bond and shows disdain towards him, famously saying “…I think you’re a sexist, misogynist dinosaur. A relic of the Cold War…”. This is something that needed to be said before we could move on; Bond has been getting away with this crap for sixteen films now…

There are lots of new elements brought in behind the scenes too, notably the new director Martin Campbell. He is confident and makes the big action scenes stick. He has a way of bringing us into the moment through close attention to detail. The close-ups of the actors match the wide-shots exactly, despite being shot in two completely different studios. We never feel like we are about to sit back and watch a stunt man do his thing for ten minutes.

Brosnan is also a welcome addition. He is intense but not without a sense of humour, and seems more involved in a lot of the stunt work. He also manages to convey a situational awareness sometimes lacking in the others; it looks like he’s actually thinking about the plot and what he’s supposed to be doing, rather than just ‘do I look cool?’.

He’s helped out by some talented writing. Every character in GoldenEye serves some purpose and no-one is forgettable. Alan Cummings as Boris the computer hacker, Robbie Coltrane as the Russian gangster, Famke Janssen as the crazy thigh-squeezing killer Xenia Onatopp… the list goes on. If you’ve seen the film, you know who I am talking about. This probably hasn’t been the case since Goldfinger (where you know the characters even if you haven’t seen the film…).

Ironically enough the dullest character is the one most central to the plot - Sean Bean’s Alec Trevelyan.

GoldenEye is a promising start to a new era. It somehow breaks new ground on an idea that began in a very different time, whilst being every bit as entertaining and exciting as the best of them.

http://benoliver999.com/film/2015/08/15/goldeneye/

So much to like here... but nothing is ever near-perfect in Bond-land.

The casting first of all. Brosnan is the face I see when I imagine Bond. He has the roughness of Connery, is the perfect age, is a very good actor. He sells himself as Bond in the first few moments and you find yourself asking "Moore? Lazenby? Dalton.... who?"

The plot is an interesting one. It's clearly a film left over from the Dalton days that has had the recent computer craze added in to it. It works on the whole but that is more for the use of 006 and the fiery Famke Janssen than anything else. The Alan Cummings character is an enjoyable comedic foil that owes a ot to the Moore years but it just about works.

The downsides... The music - awful electronic stuff that makes a Cold War looking film sound like it is in the wrong era. The budget feels smaller as the whole thing looks a little cheap - some dodgy use of stock footage doesn't help there. (I'm sure something was going on with MGM in the 6 years between films that contributed to that penny-pinching)

What I will say though is that this film offers up Pierce Brosnan as the heir apparent to Sean Connery and promises that he has the skills and talents to be the best Bond ever... If they give him the films.

What a refreshing surprise and a fantastic debut from Brosnan.


7.75/10

Oh, yes, that's more like it. This Bond has a great mix of humor, brutality, a dose of silliness plus tons of action. Brosnan instantly steps into the role of Bond and it feels like he's always been there. The tone of the movie is at times really grim and you sometimes feel you watch Rambo instead of Bond.

But I really need to do something about my memory. I had no recollection of Famke Jansen being in a Bond movie nor that Judy Dench has already been there with Brosnan. And she does a fine job giving us a very different kind of "M". And by that I don't speak of her sex. Famke was great also and she seems to have had a lot of fun with this role.

The theme song by the amazing, and sadly recently passed, Tina Turner is one of the best of the franchise and stands in stark contrast to the at times silly synth music used for the film.

[spoiler] One little weakness in the plot was that you don't believe for a second that Alec is dead simply by the fact you don't hire Sean Bean for a little teaser appearance. And since he then doesn't appear until later in the movie it's a safe bet he's the villain. [/spoiler]

But like I said, little weakness. Overall a highly entertaining Bond movie.

Really solid entry into the series with Brosnan, who is personally my favorite Bond, is great. The plot is on the thin side but is helped having Sean Bean as the sinister villain and of course Famke Janssen makes for an amazingly sexy psychopath with, ahem, incredible thighs. **4.0/5**

The first and likely best of the Pierce Brosnan Bond movies. I remember thinking that Brosnan would make the perfect Bond back after Roger Moore started receiving the senior discount at Denny's. Unfortunately, contract conflicts necessitated the need to sign on the Shakespearean but stiff Timothy Dalton for a while. Once that was over, we got Brosnan to play 007 for a while.

Brosnan was slick and athletic and did a great job playing Bond. He's third on my list of best Bonds right after Connery and Craig (yeah, it's sad that I've personally ranked them). After a few movies, Brosnan seemed a little bored but for "Goldeneye" he was spot on. Maybe he is a little slight for all the brawling he is called upon to do, but when he busts through that brick wall driving the Russian tank, it's as cool of a Bond moment as any.

The final battle with Bean (Sean Bean as baddie Alec Trevelyan) is a bit long and way over the top, but it is quite an action scene. I liked Famke Janssen as henchwoman Xenia Onatopp, too. I've never seen her play a character like that before.

This is a solid James Bond adventure and certainly did a lot for the future of 007 movies. It's too bad "Die Another Day" practically killed the franchise a few years later.