The World Is Not Enough
Dir: Michael Apted
1999
****
The World Is Not Enough is the nineteenth Bond film of the series and is easily Pierce Brosnan's best. It's far from perfect but the producers were starting to get things right after the legendary Cubby Broccoli had past away. Pierce Brosnan had eased into the role a little more and it felt like there was less spent effort in convincing the audience it was a Bond film and more time was concentrated in actually telling a story. The balance seemed almost right again. Robert Carlyle played a particularly interesting villain made more frightening by the fact he was dying and was fueled purely by revenge. I have read interviews with Carlyle where he has said that he had the time of his life working on Bond 19. He said that he, Brosnan, Robbie Coltrane (who made a welcome return as Valentin Zukovsky, last seen in GoldenEye) and Drum & Bass maestro Goldie, who played Zukovsky's lead henchmen, would laugh constantly on set and socialise every night after filming, much to Michael Apted's annoyance. It is clear in the film that each actor is relishing their role and it is quite lovely to see. Goldie has since said that it was one of the highlights of his career, saying that in 20-30 years time, he looked forward to sitting down to watch his Bond film when it is shown on TV around Christmas (as they so often are) with his grandchildren, so he can say "Look, that's your Granddad" with a big smile on his face. The plot is full of twists and turns, which makes it quite a competent thriller, thanks to the hit and miss writing duo Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. I say hit and miss as that is what their filmography is, a mixture of great films and awful ones, The World is Not Enough being one of the great ones. This is the first of five Bond films the pair have written, starting with a hit, followed by a miss and continuing in that order. Michael Apted directed, and did a good job, although it is a shame that Peter Jackson, who was considered early on, wasn't chosen. The theme song by Garbage was okay but the score, by the brilliant David Arnold, was something quite special. The only real issue I had with the film was Denise Richards' character, Christmas Jones. Richards said of the role " I liked played her because she was brainy, athletic and had depth of character, in contrast to Bond girls from previous decades". I couldn't disagree more. Indeed, she has been voted the worst Bond film several times and my Wife won't watch the film again because of her. Her character and performance is a complete contrast to Sophie Marceau's Elektra King, who sizzles in every scene she is in. Another notable performance was that of Colin Salmon's. Slamon played MI6's Chief of Staff and should have been the next Bond in my opinion. However, the best part of the film was also the films most powerful and poignant. The World Is Not Enough was to be Desmond Llewelyn's last Bond film, although it is not clear whether it was intended to be, it did feel like it and sadly after he died in a car crash months after the films premiere, it was. His last scene is something quite wonderful. After Q introduces Bond to his new assistant, played by John Cleese, Bond asks if he was thinking of retiring. Q answers with "I've always tried to teach you two things. First, never let them see you bleed..", and so Bond asks "And the second?" at which point, Llewelyn tilts his head, gives a wry smile and suddenly lowers slowly into the floor through an escape hatch and says "Always have an escape plan". There is a sadness and vulnerability in Brosnan's face that is like that of a child, fearing the death of his father. It takes a heart of ice not to get choked up when re-watching that scene but what a great way for the character to exit the series. The World Is Not Enough was taken from a line from On Her Majesty's Secret Service and was said to be the Bond family motto. For me this this is an example of the producers finally thinking in the right way about Bond and his mythology, unfortunately it didn't last long.