Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Director:

Roger Spottiswoode

Writer (WGA):

Bruce Feirstein (written by)

Release Date:

19 December 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

Meet New James Bond [Japanese Theatrical]

Plot:

James Bond heads to stop a media mogul's plan to induce war between China and the UK in order to obtain exclusive global media coverage.

Plot Keywords:

Media | James Bond | British | China | Missile

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Pierce Brosnan	...	James Bond
Jonathan Pryce	...	Elliot Carver
Michelle Yeoh	...	Wai Lin
Teri Hatcher	...	Paris Carver
Ricky Jay	...	Henry Gupta
Götz Otto	...	Stamper
Joe Don Baker	...	Jack Wade
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Dr. Kaufman
Judi Dench	...	M
Desmond Llewelyn	...	Q
Samantha Bond	...	Miss Moneypenny
Colin Salmon	...	Chief of Staff Charles Robinson
Geoffrey Palmer	...	Admiral Roebuck
Julian Fellowes	...	Minister of Defence
Terence Rigby	...	General Bukharin

Also Known As:

Aquator (UK) (working title)
Avatar (UK) (working title)
Bond 18 (UK) (working title)
Bond XVIII (UK) (working title)
Shamelady (UK) (working title)
Shatterhand (UK) (working title)
TND (International: English title) (promotional abbreviation)
Tomorrow Never Lies (UK) (working title)
Zero Windchill (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence, sexuality and innuendo.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | German | Danish | Mandarin | Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS 70 mm (70 mm prints) | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2006) (uncut) | Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:16 | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (cut) | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Danjaq

Trivia:

The title song tune was chosen by way of a competition. There were about twelve entries including songs from Emil Jørgensen, Pulp, Saint Etienne, Marc Almond, Sheryl Crow, and David Arnold. The first choice was written and performed by Danish rock band Swan Lee but they were turned down because they were not famous enough. It was suggested that another artist sing the song instead but Swan Lee rejected this idea. British pop group Pulp wrote a theme song which later appeared on the B-side to the group's single "Help the Aged" following a title change to "Tomorrow Never Lies," the same name as the working title for this film. The Sheryl Crow song which won out, did not chart in the USA but charted as #11 spot in the UK.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When HMS Devonshire gives its position as 114 23 818 E, 37 74 624 N, that longitude and latitude is actually 300 miles inland.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Charles Robinson: Our man's in position on the center camera. It's like a terrorist supermarket. Chinese Long March Scud, Panther AS-565 attack helicopter, a pair of Russian mortars, and the crates look like American rifles. Chilean mines. German explosives. Fun for the whole family.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Flushed Away (2006)

Soundtrack:

Tomorrow Never Dies

Fine follow-up to "Goldeneye"

"Tomorrow Never Dies" is the 18th James Bond film, with Pierce Brosnan back as 007. This is a very good follow-up to Brosnan's first Bond movie "Goldeneye". "Tomorrow Never Dies" had the unfortunate task of opening on the exact same day as "Titanic" (December 19, 1997). Even though "Titanic" went on to break box office records, "Tomorrow Never Dies" was not left in the dust. It surpassed "Goldeneye" domestically with a box office gross of $125 million ("Goldeneye" grossed $106 million). There are two major assets that make "Tomorrow Never Dies" really work, a great Bond villain and a great Bond woman. Jonathan Pryce is a major standout as Elliot Carver, the megalomaniacal media magnate Bond faces off against. The other standout: Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin, Bond's female sidekick who makes a fine companion for Bond. Brosnan is fine as 007 as he was in "Goldeneye", and also returning for the second time are Joe Don Baker as CIA agent Jack Wade, Judi Dench as "M", Samantha Bond as "Miss Moneypenny", and Desmond Llewelyn as "Q". As for the other familiar face in the cast, Teri Hatcher from TV's "Lois & Clark" is just adequate as Elliot Carver's wife Paris. "Tomorrow Never Dies" is just as good as "Goldeneye"

***1/2 (out of four)