TOMORROW NEVER DIES (1997) // James Bond Review and Whisky Pairing

"Tomorrow Never Dies" Plot

A media mogul (Jonathan Pryce) attempts to start a war to feed his headlines.

Whiskey Lore Review

Pierce Brosnan is my second favorite Bond actor - there I said it! If I were to build the perfect James Bond, he'd be suave, stylish, a quick wit, would be a problem solver, and cool under pressure. To me, Brosnan has it all.

So why did he not sail past Sean Connery in many people's lists? I put it down to two people, Christmas Jones and Elliot Carver. We'll get to Christmas a little further up the list. Here we will deal with the over the top nails on a chalkboard performance by the Infinity car salesman Jonathan Pryce. From the very beginning his bombastic style is so bombastic that it just isn't believable. I don't dislike him because he's the villain, I dislike him because he's so poorly portrayed.

That said, if you watch the movie around him, it actually can be quite entertaining. The movie starts with a daring scene where Bond saves the region from nuclear holocaust. Teri Hatcher plays his lost Bond girl  - the chemistry between the two is fantastic. Some might consider Wai Lin his Bond girl but if anything she is a bad ass partner, not a play thing for Bond or a love interest.

Best of the movie: This movie has some great action. The motorcycle ride is a little over the top, but fun. The fight in the soundproof room, Wai Lin beating the crap out of a bunch of people, and the jump from the Atlantic hotel where they rip the banner is exciting and great fun.

Memorable moment: Bond sitting in the chair at the Atlantic hotel guzzling down vodka. The angst in him is palpable.

Where it goes wrong: The hitman in the hotel ranks right along with Elliot Carver as bad decision by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.

Paired Whisky: My personal blend of Old Crow Straight Kentucky Bourbon and Basil Hayden's Dark Rye blend

Since I was revisiting this movie for the first time in a long time, I thought I'd revisit one of my attempts to save a poor bottle of whiskey (actually 2 that are collecting dust in my cabinet). I added some Basil Hayden Dark Rye to my Old Crow to try to give it some personality, but like with Johnny Pryce, it just ended up being overdone. ⁠

Whiskey Lore Rank: #17 (Score 5.71) > Next Movie

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

Go Back: 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18

Sheryl Crow and K.D. Lang add songs to this movie, but I'm not really enthused by either. What I will say is that David Arnold came on board with this film and brought things back to a John Barry level. What is interesting is that Arnold actually orchestrated an album of John Barry Bond themes before he got the job. He was a huge fan of Barry's. And apparently when Barry heard the album, he went right to Barbara Broccoli and recommended Arnold for the job. We've been graced with his scores ever since.