THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (1999, UK/USA, 128m, 12) ***½
Action, Adventure, Thriller
dist. United International Pictures (UIP) (UK), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation (MGM) (USA); pr co. Eon Productions / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) / United Artists; d. Michael Apted; w. Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Bruce Feirstein (based on a story by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade and characters created by Ian Fleming); pr. Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson; ph. Adrian Biddle (DeLuxe | 2.39:1); m. David Arnold; ed. Jim Clark; pd. Peter Lamont; ad. Neil Lamont.
cast: Pierce Brosnan (James Bond), Sophie Marceau (Elektra King), Robert Carlyle (Renard), Denise Richards (Dr. Christmas Jones), Robbie Coltrane (Valentin Zukovsky), Judi Dench (M), Desmond Llewelyn (Q), John Cleese (R), Maria Grazia Cucinotta (Cigar Girl), Samantha Bond (Moneypenny), Michael Kitchen (Tanner), Colin Salmon (Robinson), Goldie (Bull), David Calder (Sir Robert King), Serena Scott Thomas (Dr. Molly Warmflash), Ulrich Thomsen (Davidov), John Seru (Gabor), Claude-Oliver Rudolph (Colonel Akakievich), Patrick Malahide (Lachaise), Omid Djalili (Foreman), Jeff Nuttall (Dr. Arkov), Diran Meghreblian (Coptic Priest).
James Bond (Brosnan) must race to defuse an international power struggle with the world’s oil supply hanging in the balance. Elektra King (Marceau) is the daughter of a murdered oil tycoon whom Bond is assigned to protect. The villain is Renard (Robert Carlyle), who has a bullet lodged in his brain rendering him unable to feel pain. Also featuring nuclear weapons expert Dr. Christmas Jones (Richards). The franchise returns to form with this outing having more depth than most recent Bonds. There is a better balance between plot development and action sequences. Brosnan gives his best performance as 007 and Marceau is excellent as the vulnerable heiress, whilst Carlyle makes for an edgy villain. Richards, however, may be the least believable nuclear scientist in screen history. At times it does feel like a “Greatest Hits” package, but the package is both entertaining and comforting by playing to the series’ strengths. The film was dedicated to Desmond Llewelyn who died shortly before the film was released. Followed by DIE ANOTHER DAY (2002).
