Wolff rating: GOOD
Plot summary: Bond is up against the remains of the Soviet Union, this time involved with a big bad satellite.
Biased, pithy comments: Definitely cool---Brosnan is at ease in his role, and he drives cars, tanks, women (wild), and planes all with equal aplomb. The plot is interestingly dark, dark like ``Batman'' dark vs. ``12 Monkeys'' dark; cartoon spies brooding on cartoon spies. There was only one moment when I cried ``SHOOT THE GIRL AND BE DONE WITH IT!'' but this goes by quickly and is followed by a nifty chase sequence so you tend to forget it. The producers, having at this point used up the late Fleming's material, Goldeneye (based on the name of Fleming's house in Jamaica) is more Bond based on the movies---slick but self-conscious at times; Moneypenny even turns the table on standard Bond sexual politics. Good job, Brosnan, and a salute to a solid supporting cast, including Bean, Scorupco, and Joe Don Baker (back again in his eight zillionth recast as a Bond supporting actor, each time under a different name).
Other Notes: Music is good, but I hear the soundtrack cuts the good tracks and leaves the lameness. BMW product placement is painful---Bond doesn't need a car in this film.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Pierece Brosnan, Sean Bean, Joe Don Baker, Judi Dench, and Famke Janssen as the unsubtly-named ``Xenia Onatopp.''
Directed by: Martin Campbell