DIE ANOTHER DAY (2002) // James Bond Review and Whisky Pairing
"Die Another Day" Plot
Bond (Pierce Brosnan) looks for a mole and ends up discovering a weapon of mass destruction built on conflict diamonds.
Whiskey Lore Review
I actually watched this movie right after Diamonds Are Forever and suddenly felt like I was watching a rerun. This was intentional. Being the 40th anniversary of the Bond movie franchise, there are several moments lifted from the past, including some elements from the books.
This movie, along with Moonraker are usually pointed to when talking about Bond movies that go off the rails. I've heard that so much that I just started avoiding this film. Then, to my surprise, it ends up ranking ahead of Dr. No? A bit of Bond blasphamy? Hear me out:
Despite the movie sliding into Marvel Comics territory at the end and the silly surfing scene, I think Pierce Brosnan did his best work in this film. Unlike Timothy Dalton, he took a going rogue script and kept Bond's style in tact. He's lost his 00 status but easily finds a safeharbor at a familiar hotel and goes right to work on his personal mission. He also shows more dynamics in the early part of the film after his torture and M's dismissal of him. It takes a lot of an actor to overcome a movie that is going wrong and I think he did that.
The Iceland scenes and the hotel are stunning. The Aston Martin / Jaguar chase on the ice is really cool. The sword fight and location are both awesome (despite the attempt to get Madonna into the movie).
Somehow, for me, that overcomes a bad villain in Tan-Sun Moon or Gustav Graves and some over the top nonsense.
Best of the movie: The reintroduction of the Aston Martin. This is where I truly fell in love with the automaker's designs. The 1957 Gold Ford Fairlaine in Cuba is also a nice addition. I also love the Omega Seamaster Professional 300M Ref. 2531.80 watch with lazer and detonator. It stands up as my favorite of the series.
Memorable moment: Of course it is Halle Berry (Jinx) coming out of the water. Unfortunately, her acting leaves a lot to be desired afterwards. To me, she always feels like she's acting and it is distracting.
Where it goes wrong: Surfing a tsunami is pretty bad. But I'll tell you this, after watching some of the ridiculousness of the Roger Moore era (clown suits, laser fights in space, Jaws, superfulous nipples, Sheriff J.W. Pepper), I can forgive this nonsense.
Paired Whisky: My Dalmore / Aberlour Highland meets Speyside Single Malt Whisky Blend
I thought, I need a whisky that was a bit of a clunker, but that had an exciting element that uplifted it. Dalmore 12 has always been a bit of a flat disappointment to me. Love the bottle, not the whisky. But I decided to add just a little bit of Aberlour A'bundah to it...I went from a bottle I never touched, to one I couldn't keep my hands off of. Thus the reason I only have a drop left!
Whiskey Lore Rank: #13 (Score 6.18) > Next Movie
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Go Back: 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14
MUSIC (5): David Arnold is the only reason I give this a 5. Madonna's song would be great for a dance club, but not as a Bond theme. It's as over-processed as the movie.