Hey folks, sometimes we have spies that are cool. And their reports are just really really cool, but then... sometimes we have spies so cool, that the only thing I can say is, "Wolf-bagging! Dude!" And, Harry Lime is one of those spies that makes me say, "Wolf-bagging! Dude!" I don't know what it means, but it just seems like the sort of phrase one should scream out at any moment of intensity or coolness. It's the sort of thing you'd say to your girlfriend's mother followed by cackling laughter... it's so cool. Why do I bring it up here? Because, Moriarty and I both agree that James Bond is a most excellent wolf-bagger, and this review from Harry Lime is just... well... Wolf-Bagginglyrific! P.S. There are a couple of spoilers below...

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH

(and neither is MGM's complimentary box of popcorn)

a review by Harry Lime

For as far back as I can remember, I've always been
a raving Bond film fanatic. Even the bad ones (namely
MOONRAKER) I can't help but check out every once in a
while. My love for the series began when I saw FOR
YOUR EYES ONLY (my favorite of the Roger Moore
outings) during its theatrical run. A couple years
later I was treated to two Bonds: Roger Moore in the
less than memorable OCTOPUSSY, and the somewhat
triumphant return of Sean Connery in the renegade
NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN. Not too long after that, as
the films trickled into the home video market, I was
finally able to discover the incredible 007 series.

Just so you know where I stand on the Bond series,
let me go through a quick rundown. I dig Connery a
lot: FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, GOLDFINGER and DIAMONDS
ARE FOREVER being standouts for me. I never really
connected with Roger Moore, but admit that his
following is strong and his work in FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
and THE SPY WHO LOVED ME are right on. I'm not a
George Lazenby hater and I'm quite fond of Timothy
Dalton. ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE and THE LIVING
DAYLIGHTS are among my personal favorites of the
series. The two films I like least are MOONRAKER and
LICENCE TO KILL. I don't really have a favorite Bond
Girl, but I adore Diana Rigg in OHMSS, and Famke
Janssen in GOLDENYE makes me have impure thoughts.
There. I've laid myself bare and I'm sure I'll catch
some heat in talkbacks, but who cares?

So I'll admit it... I was really looking forward to
seeing THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. Whoever cut the
previews must know what they're doing because I was
turning over furniture at my place. Professor
Moriarty, still wracked by guilt over not taking me to
see SLEEPY HOLLOW the other night, made a call to the
eminently generous Hercules The Strong, who knows all
the underground tunnels and back doors into industry
screenings, and asked him to take me along to TWINE.
Herc, slightly annoyed, agreed. I still haven't
forgiven Moriarty, but this small gesture has at least
put us back on speaking terms.

Like all great Bond films, TWINE doesn't exactly go
out of it's way to keep the plot and certain character
motivations clear. If MGM had decided to quiz me
afterwards, I probably wouldn't have done so hot. For
example: during the climax of the film, Bond and bad
guy Renard (Robert Carlyle) are duking it out in a
flooding sub. Beyond the fact that Bond's the hero
and Renard is the psychotic mad man bent on blowing
something up with a nuclear bomb, I had no idea what
was going on. I'll bet I wasn't alone, either. In
fact, I felt about as smart as Denise Richards as Dr.
Christmas Jones. We all know the shorthand so well,
though, that it almost doesn't matter.

The official 007 website says, "... James Bond
races to defuse an international power struggle with
the world's oil supply hanging in the balance."
That's sort of it, I guess. The pre-credit sequence
picks up with Bond rescuing a large sum of money from
a Swiss Banker. Notably, the sequence marks the first
in the series to open-iris on a shot of Bond himself.
Following a narrow escape, there's a terrorist-style
assassination at MI6 which leads into a cool boat
chase up London's River Thames. The money, we learn,
was the ransom for the kidnapping of an oil heiress
played by Sophie Marceau. After taking a brutal
beating during the chase, Bond persuades a female MI6
doctor to give him a clean bill of health so he can
set out to find the mysterious attackers.

Pierce Brosnan has aged nicely into the role, but
is a little too hammy this time out for my taste. To
his credit, he has brought a touch of realism to the
picture by allowing Bond to actually sustain injuries
during action sequences (a la Harrison Ford in RAIDERS
OF THE LOSTARK). Considering what this character as
been through over the past thirty years, I personally
find it remarkable that he still has all his fingers.

I have no complaints with the casting of the Bond
Girls. Sophie Marceau attacks her role with glee and
Denise Richards is absolutely ridiculous as a nuclear
weapons expert. In some ways, though, I think that's
the point, and she is a hell of a visual punchline.
Her skimpy Lara Croft outfit and sensational nuclear
bombs make her a perfect addition to the Bond Girl
legacy.

The great Robert Carlyle, whose work in
TRAINSPOTTING and THE FULL MONTY brought him to
America's attention, manages to make the most out of
the thankless task of being a Bond thug. If there's
one performance in the film that's a standout, it's
his. I won't tell you how the film ends, but all the
way through it I was hoping Bond wouldn't kill him so
he could be a returning villain like Jaws.

Judi Dench does her usual fine work as M and is
even given a chance to get in on a little of the
action. Desmond Llewelyn hasn't been this lively
since THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS and garciously introduces
his "youthful" protogue R, played with confidence by
former Python John Cleese. I wasn't sure if Cleese
would fit in the series, but he manages to pull off
the new role with ease. Samantha Bond also reprises
her role as Miss Moneypenny. God, I hate nepotism!

In the final analysis, TWINE doesn't break much new
ground but definitely has enough to recommened. I
think it's easily Brosnan's best Bond and reminds me
of earlier films such as ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET
SERVICE and FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. I heard recently that
Brosnan wishes to eventually retire the character by
killing him. I hope he's not serious. Even if he is,
I don't think he'll be able to. Dr No, Goldfinger,
"Red" Grant, Oddjob, Blofeld, Crispin Glover's dad,
Timothy Dalton, and an impressive thirty years at the
box office have all failed to make even a dent in this
indestructable icon.

I think it's safe to assume Bond won't be vanishing
any time soon.

Harry Lime

harrylimeAICN@yahoo.com