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Ranking James Bond Films: #7 – “Goldeneye” (1995)
So many explosions. Really, an ungodly amount of explosions. But who cares?
“James Bond is sent to investigate a KGB policy to kill all enemy spies, and uncovers an arms deal that potentially has major global ramifications.”
Director: Martin Campbell
Writers: Ian Fleming, Michael France, Jeffrey Caine, Bruce Feirstein
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Joe Don Baker, Judi Dench, Desmond Llewelyn, Samantha Bond, Alan Cumming
Release Date: November 17, 1995
IMDB
So many explosions. Really, an ungodly amount of explosions. But who cares? Goldeneye is a blast to watch, and the proof is in the fact that my fiancé watched this with me and didn’t need any context clues to be entertained.
The tank chase sequence is one of the best pursuit scenes in a 007 adventure. The carnage is outstanding. Xenia Onatopp is an absolute psychopath who is impossible to forget. As the bad guy, Sean Bean delivers his monologues well and looks the part of a foil to Bond. It’s not often that the main villain is actually someone who is willing to carry a gun and use it.
GoldenEye’s director is Martin Campbell, which means that the director of The Mummy (1999) is responsible for two (very different) reboots of cinema’s long-reigning MI6 agent. Between this and Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale, it’s rather remarkable that he has been trusted twice to usher in a new audience to a new 007.
Then there is Dame Judi Dench. I mean this with no glib. Her introduction in GoldenEye, followed by the plot exposition and mission assignment, is one of, if not the most rewatchable scenes in the movie. Right from the get-go, she means business, and how she talks to Bond as a nasty mother figure lays the groundwork for what would come of her character later.
GoldenEye is a return to the blockbuster feel for 007. It is a big event with big explosions and big stars.
STANKO RATING: B
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