Goldeneye (1995)

 

As for some bizarre reasons, Timothy Dalton wasn't available to continue his run as James Bond, the producers enlisted another candidate who had been in their sights for quite some time: Pierce Brosnan. An excellent choice, as the man can portray the cool and suave demeanour of the character and can make a quip or two with that Roger Moore-like twinkle in his eye. 

And even if they went back to the more over-the-top plots and some gadgetry, some of the more down-to-earth nastiness and grit from the Dalton-films spilled over as well, making this a very enjoyable ride indeed.

During the prologue, Bond and Alec Trevelyan (006) infiltrate a Russian base, but are alas discovered. Trevelyan is killed and Bond escapes through a bit of a stretch of the imagination (it looks good, though). Fast forward nine years, and Russian General Ourumov is planning on using a weapon called Goldeneye to get filthy rich. He has joined forces with a criminal organisation known as Janus. Goldeneye is an EMP based weapon, capable of knocking out anything electronic for a 30 mile radius, something which Ourumov tests on the Russian base of Severnaya. Except for programmer Natalya Simonova, everyone is mercilessly gunned down by Ourumov's assistant Xenia Onatopp (a gleefully evil and sadistic Famke Janssen). 

Bond is instructed to track down Ourumov and seize the Goldeneye device, but the plot soon thickens as he learns that the man behind Janus is in fact his old friend Trevelyan. Now Bond joins forces with Natalya in order to find and stop Janus once and for all. 

As you can see, the plot is once again rather straightforward, with some betrayal and backstabbing you could see coming a mile away. But this is not where this film's strength lies. It's in the fast-paced action. See, even though it all is just a bit more over the top once again, a lot of the action scenes are pretty hardcore and the bodycount is fairly high. Bond is a merciless killer with a smile and a wink and Brosnan pulls that off wonderfully. There's a reason he is held in such high regard as one of the better Bonds. Izabella Scorupco is very good as Natalya and they really went for a feistier Bondgirl this time, something which always works. 

Can we also get a moment to point out that Judi Dench is probably the best M there has ever been? Everyone knows she can act, but her take on the character is succulent. 

As for the villains, even if Sean Bean is the main antagonist, it will always be Famke Janssen who steals the show as the wicked (and clearly psychotic) Xenia. Her face when she guns down all the people inside Severnaya is spot on and the fact that she enjoys pain more than anything else is a bit much, but works for her character. That she kills people by crushing them with her thighs, is a fun touch. 

Next to the grittier action, there's also enough silliness to balance it out. Bond's fight with Xenia in the spa is hilarious to watch and his rampage through St Petersburg with a tank is one of those iconic parts of the franchise. The finale, shot on the real life Arecibo dish, is fun and this is also where they really hammed up the "villain explains his entire plot"-schtick, but because it's Sean Bean doing it, you can easily forgive him. 

Oh, and the titletrack by Tina Turner is great. 

'Goldeneye' is without a doubt one of the best entries in the franchise. It neatly mixes the old with the new and takes the best parts of a long running series for a ride. Eventually, the series would devolve again into absurdity, but for now, this is one that is highly recommended.