TOMORROW NEVER DIES

Review: Media mogul Elliot Carver plans to encourage war between China and the UK in order to obtain exclusive media coverage. The Chinese government will not allow Elliot Carver to broadcast there. It is James Bond who travels to China with help of Chinese secret agent Wai Lin to stop Elliot Carver.
Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Actors: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Ricky Jay, Gotz Otto, Joe Don Baker, Vincent Schiavelli, Judi Dench, Desmond Llewelyn, Samantha Bond, Colin Salmon, Geoffrey Palmer, Julian Fellowes, Terence Rigby, Cecilie Thomsen, Nina Young, Colin Stinton, Al Matthews, Mark Spalding, Bruce Alexander, Anthony Green, Christopher Bowen, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Gerard Butler, Michael Byrne, Pip Torrens, Hugh Bonneville, Jason Watkins, Eoin McCarthy and Brendan Coyle
Year: 1997
Genre: Action, Adventure and Thriller
Conclusion: 4/5
This is the 18th Bond film to have been made. I have to say that this is one of the better Bond films and one of the best opening scenes. I enjoyed the first half of the film much more than the second half. I thought it had terrific pace in the first half especially. Apparently, Sir Anthony Hopkins was cast as Elliot Carver. He joined the production, but walked after three days because it was so chaotic. As shooting began on April 1, 1997, both Jonathan Pryce nor Teri Hatcher had been cast yet. Gerard Butler was apparently asked to play James Bond in Casino Royale (2006), but turned it down, due to fears of typecasting. According to the BBFC one or more of the releases in this collection was cut but the details are no longer available. The entry simply states: “This work was cut. Cuts were made by substitution. Cuts were Rough Cut”. Apparently, it would be 2006 before the uncut version of Tomorrow Never Dies would be released in the UK, almost a decade after the rest of the world had been enjoying it. This film at the end is dedicated to the memory of long-time James Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli.