DIE ANOTHER DAY (2004)
Halle Berry IS Jinx Johnson
“INTERVIEWER
: What are some famous roles you have turned down?
BERRY:
Well, I was almost Catwoman once, if you can believe it. Sometimes I wonder how that would have turned out.”
(An interview with Halle Berry, 2018)
[Continuation of the “
JINXVERSE”,
see “DOUBLE CROSS” for background]
Firmly in control over the James Bond franchise following the relative success of the three films already released since the death of longtime producer Cubby Broccoli, his heir Barbara Broccoli had dreams for the franchise. Some of these involved the prospect of a new actor to replace Pierce Brosnan, whose contract had been up since The World is Not Enough and renewed for Double Cross without a firm commitment to a fifth outing. Others involved even bolder concepts, including the idea of a “spin-off” film to broaden the franchise and breathe new air into it after its successful 40th Anniversary. In Broccoli’s mind, such a spin-off would necessarily require an important change of direction, tone and concept, to avoid falling into predictable territory. This, in turn, meant placing a woman front and center, a female counterpart for Bond that could carry a film – and perhaps more – without it feeling derivative. Quite a challenge, and one Broccoli and her husband and co-producer Michael G. Wilson had already toyed with after thinking of Michelle Yeoh’s Wai Lin – Tomorrow Never Dies’ Bond girl – as the perfect protagonist for the proposed spin-off.
It was not to be. Despite the character’s favorable reception from critics and, apparently, by the fan base, and a reappearance in Double Cross which was also well-received – if criticized for its brevity -, the concept fell through due to various reasons. However, Double Cross had unexpectedly presented Broccoli with a new opportunity, as Halle Berry’s Jinx character had suitably impressed EON and the actress had seen her stock notably rise after an Academy Award win in the middle of production. Many critics were subsequently positive about her performance alongside Brosnan as a “competent” ally for the secret agent, though it became hard to avoid the impression she had been overshadowed by other characters in the film. Ultimately, it was Broccoli and Wilson who mattered, and soon they were fully on board with the notion of launching the first Bond spin-off by focusing it on Jinx. Berry, for her part, was enthusiastic about the concept when first approached, clearing the very first hurdle. Now the hard part began. While the producers set to the task of convincing MGM to commit to the project, Double Cross screenwriters Purvis and Wade were hired to pen a script.
To Broccoli and Wilson’s surprise, MGM was in. However, their preference seemed to be geared towards a younger Bond in its beginnings, potentially as a TV series. Subsequent talks pushed MGM chief Chris McGurk to support EON’s view, as long as agreement could be reached on the budget. Whereas Broccoli and Wilson wanted an $80 million film, a bit more than half of Double Cross’ budget, MGM was both cash strapped and unsure whether the spin-off merited such an investment against the risks of losing money. A series of corporate briefings, skirmishes and presentations ensued, pitting those who pointed to the financial – but not critical - success of the Tomb Raider films as proof that a female-led action film could succeed; to those who not only questioned whether it would, but also whether the Jinx character merited EON’s faith. A well-received series of drafts by Purvis and Wade – who consciously gave the film a grittier feel, building up on Double Cross – helped assuage the latter concerns, but the former remained.
In the end, Broccoli had to settle for a lower budget, but managed to get the seal of approval to film in late 2003 and release the film in the winter of 2004. Perhaps ironically, MGM even expressed its interest on future spin-offs becoming what was described as a “Winter Olympics” Bond, released in the off years without a main 007 film on the big screen. With MGM depending on the financial resources associated with Bond – a key financial lifeline -, the proposal to expand the franchise appeared to solve some of their immediate problems, even as some executives felt McGurk and others were getting ahead of themselves. In any case, Broccoli and Wilson moved ahead and made the surprise decision to hire British director Stephen Frears. Frears, while the subject of recent critical acclaim, was very much not an action director, which appeared to signal the commitment to a more “thriller” look for the film.
Now with a director at the helm, the film moved into the rewriting process for the script as Frears got involved with Purvis and Wade, and the creative team had to be careful for their work not to disrupt some of the concepts already being thrown around for the next “main” Bond film. The basic tenet of the film became established early on, that being that the film would be an origin story for Jinx rather than a follow-up to the events of Double Cross. A number of concepts were then thrown around, all based around the notion of an edgy, “Euro-thriller”-style adventure, with the humor – and its amount – remaining a point of contention until late in the production. Not wanting to go bigger than the usual Bond adventures whilst, at the same time, not losing a sense of the stakes, Purvis and Wade eventually settled for borrowing from the headlines despite the film being set in the 90’s, making use of terrorism and nerve gas as key elements of the plot. After going through a series of options, Die Another Day, one of alternatives for Double Cross, was chosen as the film’s title.
Casting followed, with only Berry and Harvey Keitel returning from the last Bond film. Aside from Miranda Richardson and an increasingly notorious Javier Bardem – who, coincidentally, would also gain an Oscar nomination while filming -, Frears brought a number of character actors and/or lesser known names on board during the casting process, including Thomas Kretschmann, Karl Urban and Hakeem Kae-Kazim to round up the cast. Unlike the “normal” Bond adventures, the cast avoided the known structure in terms of Bond girls – in this case men -, villains and allies, one of many instances in which the formula would be ditched for the spin-off adventure. And, with David Arnold returning as the film’s composer, the previously unsuccessful attempt to get Madonna to sing the main theme worked this time against the protests of the studio – mostly due to budgetary concerns -, resulting in the singer re-working an unreleased song into the theme “Die Another Day”. The film’s difficult production took place during late 2003 in the United States, Spain, France and Morocco, an odd contrast between the positive atmosphere on set and the bitter infighting pitting MGM against Frears and EON, the studio being increasingly critical of the director and further slashing the budget down to $60 million.
Die Another Day, for the first time in the EON Bond films, does not open with a gunbarrel or pre-title sequence, going straight ahead to its title song by Madonna. The film opens in El Salvador, during the 1980’s, at a gated community that houses the local US embassy staff. As young teenager Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson returns home from school, her parents – both embassy personnel – and other bystanders are killed in an explosion at the community. After the funeral, and while trying to access a mysterious, secret room in the remains of her house, Jinx meets CIA agent Damian Falco (Harvey Keitel), who is attempting to retrieve a number of sensitive documents that belonged to her parents. Sensing an opportunity to avenge them, Jinx tries to persuade Falco to let her help. The agent rebuffs her, until Jinx showcases her observation skills - and successfully impresses him. Falco then offers her entry into what he describes as a “special school”.
Ten years later (with the remaining part of the film set in the 90’s), an adult Jinx (Halle Berry) lives in New York City and is an analyst at the RAND Corporation. Highly suspicious of European businesswoman Veronica Bellochio (Miranda Richardson), who seeks RAND support to build a major weapons industrial complex in Tangiers, Jinx is disbelieved by her colleagues on her claims that Bellochio and her business empire may have the required materials to produce large quantities of nerve gas. Failing to persuade RAND not to fund Bellochio, Jinx approaches Falco – now a high ranking CIA officer - for support in her efforts to investigate the businesswoman. Falco refuses to help unless she does a job for him: MI6 and the CIA have jointly picked up on a lead regarding Trigger, a dangerous terrorist group. Javier (Javier Bardem), a journalist, is set to buy tapes from a contact within the group that contain valuable information, which the CIA wants to acquire at all costs.
Jinx is to travel to Barcelona and work alongside MI6 and CIA operatives Fairbanks (Simon McBurney) and Banning (Karl Urban), replacing Javier for the sale and acquire the tape while the agents stage a raid. Once there, she seduces Javier and, after drugging him, meets as scheduled with Trigger operative Banaadir (Hakeem Kae-Kazim). The operation, however, appears to be compromised, and the Trigger operatives have placed an ambush. In the subsequent gunfight Fairbanks is killed, Banning goes missing, and Jinx narrowly avoids death thanks to Javier, who – the drugging having been botched – followed her to the meeting. Once on his flat, and while annoyed, he expresses his fascination with the whole situation, and offers to help Jinx provided he can get a story out of it. Contacting Falco via a secure line, the CIA officer advises her to move into a safe house in Paris, and wait for reinforcements.
Traveling to Paris with Javier, they are surprised when Trigger assassins Sol (Michaël Youn) and Morant (Romain Duris) show up at the designated location. Managing to turn the tables on the assassins and to have Sol plunge to his death as Morant escapes, Jinx realizes there is a mole within the CIA, who may well be Falco himself. Amidst her confusion, she decides to take matters into her own hands, and alongside Javier they pursue leads on Trigger all the way to Morocco. In Tangiers, Jinx traces and battles Morant again, killing him after a complex shoot-up in a Moroccan tannery. Following her leads further, she is then reunited with Banning, who survived the Trigger ambush and who is convinced Falco is in league with them. While suspicious, Jinx plays along, leaving Javier behind so she and the CIA agent investigate what could be a Trigger warehouse. When the building is revealed to be part of the new Bellochio Industries complex, with Banaadir and his men present, Jinx pieces’ things together and realizes Bellochio is supplying Trigger with weapons, and, potentially, with nerve gas as well.
Banning, revealing himself as the Trigger mole, knocks her out and takes Jinx to Veronica Bellochio’s presence. Praising her instincts yet mocking her naiveté, Bellochio reveals her corrupt, greedy nature, having planned for Trigger to stage an attack in an airport with nerve gas so she could subsequently sell appropriate countermeasures to panicked governments. Set to be executed by Banning, she overpowers him with a hidden weapon and reveals that, having decided to trust Falco instead of him, she chose to alert her mentor. A team of Navy Seals and CIA operatives storm the Bellochio Industries complex, crushing the Trigger operatives and killing Banaadir in the process. Jinx is able to overpower Banning and prevent him from evacuating the nerve gas despite receiving serious wounds, subsequently killing the mole when he decides to taunt her again. Falco arrests Bellochio, who is told she is to disappear within the confines of Guantanamo.
A few weeks later, having recovered from her wounds at a resort in Monaco alongside Javier, Jinx is visited by Falco, who congratulates her on a job well done. Offered a job in the CIA as an agent, she accepts. After a temporary goodbye to Javier, Jinx is seen riding her motorcycle towards the sunset, in what is heavily implied to be her next, and first official mission.
Die Another Day premiered on November 2004 and, despite a lackluster opening weekend – which almost caused a panic at MGM – started to pick up steam, going on to become a respectable (if not dramatic) financial success rather than the loss many feared. Contrary to some expectations, audiences appeared to think Berry was compelling enough on her own right as leading woman, despite anecdotal complaints – or, on the opposite cases, praise – that her solo film was at the same time too different and too derivative of a typical Bond film. This seemingly paradoxical reaction then extended to the fan base, many of which questioned whether Jinx as a character – regardless of Berry’s efforts – was worth a series of spin-off films. And then it went to the critics, a majority of which praised the tone, the humor, some of the performances – Keitel and Berry being singled out – and the franchise’s newfound willingness to experiment, while at the same time criticizing the plot, the short runtime, and, among other aspects, even the film’s title song.
Ultimately, there appeared to be very little resembling a consensus when the dust settled, ranging from those who praised Die Another Day as a ground-breaking, edgy adventure (with an African-American lead, no less) to those who dismissed the film not only as a step down from any of Brosnan’s adventures, but also as an unnecessary addition to the franchise. This same lack of consensus did not exclude studio politics, as MGM – who seemed increasingly in danger of having to be sold due to their financial struggles – cited evidence of recent sequels to female-centric action films underperforming to postpone talk of any sequels; all while Barbara Broccoli strongly pushed the line she had been vindicated in her decision to, as it was later quoted, “fight the franchise’s past misogyny”. For the time being, all efforts at EON would be devoted to the next Bond adventure, with an actual decision on a sequel to Die Another Day being postponed until 2006. Berry, while displeased with some aspects of the production and the constant struggle with MGM, felt reasonably pleased. At the very least, her standing did not appear to be diminished by the film, and her thus far successful career went on.
Less than twenty years after its release, Die Another Day remains a polarizing film. Whereas it’s been argued that it’s not exactly as a case of “love it or hated”, there are firm established camps – particularly within Bond fans – as to whether the film is worth it and a necessary jolt for a franchise that appeared stale before the millennium, and those who maintain – even in light of the future Jinx films – that it is an ultimately forgettable entry into the franchise. The one area in which there is consensus is that it must rank as the middle film of the Jinx trilogy, equidistant to the reviled second entry and the surprisingly solid – and unexpectedly late – third entry. Highlights of the film include Jinx’s relationship with Falco, her seduction of Javier, the separate fights against Sol and Morant, and some of the final scenes pitting Jinx against Benning and Bellochio.
Author’s Notes: The Jinx spin-off, made possible in this universe due to Double Cross (alt-DAD, previous entry) being far better received. This posed a remarkable challenge as it’s been said the script was excellent and gritty, but what’s been leaked recently probably doesn’t even cover the first act. Thus, by the point in which Jinx enters Barcelona I’m forced to make up most of the whole thing with only a handful of details. Thus, I’ve switched some things around from the leaks, chose most of the new names as easter eggs (from a novel and an unfilmed Bond script treatment), and so forth. I’m not a creative person by nature, so bear with me and consider the “plot” more or less a placeholder made better by its execution rather than its content. I really can’t judge whether a Jinx film would have been successful or not, but I do think it might have been divisive unless it had been as good as OTL Casino Royale. And that is an enormously high bar. Also, we don’t know what the film would have been called – Jinx is just dull -, so I reused the DAD title. I think it somehow works. Finally, this butterflies away Catwoman (2004), to the unmistakable benefit of Halle Berry’s career.
THE DEATH COLLECTORS will return in
“CASINO ROYALE”
