Die Another Day (2002)
Directed by Lee Tamahori
James Bond is sent to investigate the connection between a North Korean terrorist and a diamond mogul, who is funding the development of an international space weapon.
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What critics compared Die Another Day to
In a scene almost too good for the rest of the film, it begs having de Armas either reprise her role or do what Halle Berry’s Jinx Johnson from Die Another Day was meant to do: be spun off into an American spy series parallel to James Bond.
On the opposite side of the coin is Michael Madsen (Donnie Brasco) who, as U.S. Intelligence Agent Falco, gets little else to do but sit at a desk and tell Jinx what mission to go on next.
Director Doug Liman and screenwriters Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth could have borrowed a name from any number of James Bond films — You Only Live Twice, Live and Let Die, Tomorrow Never Dies, Die Another Day — to describe its hero’s curse and gift.
Donovan finds his Soviet contact Ivan Schischkin (Mikhail Gorevoy, "Die Another Day") has the same concerns about Abel, whom Donovan knows his steadfast in his honor.
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Lee Tamahori ("Die Another Day"/"The Edge") directs a watchable but one hell of a dumb hybrid action and supernatural thriller, that has gigantic plot holes, risible dialogue, an unsatisfactory twisty premise and an even more unsatisfying ending.
You can't really say “no matter” to such annoyances, but in this case “little matter” is acceptable, as director Lee Tamahori (“Die Another Day”) moves things along lickety-split and has a whale of a time doing so.
"Next" was directed by Lee Tamahori, whose movies include "XXX: State of the Union" and "Die Another Day," as well as the Maori-family drama "Once Were Warriors."
The involvement of Gary Goldman, who wrote "Total Recall" and an early version of "Minority Report," with "Next", a loose adaptation of Dick's 1954 short story "The Golden Man," is somewhat of a giveaway, but once again, these ideas are put into the capable hands of an action director, in this case "Die Another Day" director Lee Tamahori, to try to get the high concept idea across in the most entertaining way possible.
The director is Lee Tamahori, whose previous film credits include "xXx: State of the Union," "Die Another Day," "Along Came a Spider," and "Mulholland Falls," so we know where he's coming from.
Coming off the bland Die Another Day, the dreadful xXx: State of the Union and an embarrassing solicitation bust, Next certainly doesn't help quell concerns about the future of director Lee Tamahori's Hollywood career.While Next has a few fun and inventive moments sprinkled throughout, mostly revolving around the use of Cris' power, it collapses into an exhausting litany of action movie clichés before exposing itself as a total mindjob in the end.
In many ways, the film, with its mad plot devices and extravagant set pieces is like Die Another Day (stay with us) but far more knowing and boasting a far better pop cameo that shockingly emerges as the most hilarious part of the movie, in fact it soars like a rocket, man!
Or para-surfed a tsunami full of icebergs in Die Another Day, yes? No? Shut up.
Considering its intent as a “modern” 007-ish franchise, it’s worth noting that it out-grossed every James Bond film up to that point domestically even if Die Another Day eclipsed it just three months later.
There’s a moment in Return of Xander Cage where Diesel is pursuing Donnie Yen to retrieve the movie’s MacGuffin, and they’re both on motorbikes that suddenly sprout skis as the chase continues into the sea, then they climax the sequence by tube-rinding a wave on those ski-bikes in what might supplant both Escape From L.A. ’s surfing bit and Die Another Day ’s tsunami stunt as the silliest of its kind for all time.
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The film has been directed by Lee Tamahori (whose credits include " Once Were Warriors " and " Mulholland Falls "), from New Zealand, who has tilted the balance away from humor and toward pure action.
But director Lee Tamahori ("Mulholland Falls") blows it by literalizing everything, dragging the performances and the movie's look down to a pedestrian realism.
A dash of Bourne Identity series here, a pinch of Die Another Day, From Russia With Love and Mission: Impossible III there, a little Manchurian Candidate for flavor, and a hint of Three Days of the Condor and voila... you've got Salt.