DOUBLE CROSS (2002)
Pierce Brosnan IS James Bond
“I don’t get it. Isn’t the car meant to be invisible?”
“No, just camouflaged.”
(A discussion on the set of Double Cross, c. 2001)
Pierce Brosnan IS James Bond
“I don’t get it. Isn’t the car meant to be invisible?”
“No, just camouflaged.”
(A discussion on the set of Double Cross, c. 2001)
Despite high expectations, the aftermath of The World is Not Enough’s release was defined by a sense of disappointment within EON. Fiercely confident that they had a “killer” concept regarding their twist for the main villain, and although praise was directed both towards the twist and its execution by Sophie Marceau (Elektra King) and Pierce Brosnan (James Bond), EON was nonetheless disappointed by the mixed critical reaction to the film, which even turned into vitriol at some of the less popular aspects. Unlike in the 80’s, where diminishing financial returns were very much a problem, The World is Not Enough had done brilliantly at the box office, but it was hard to escape the reviews which, among other aspects, kept up their criticism of the franchise starting to feel tired again despite the film only being Brosnan’s third outing. To make matters worse, the back to back successes of the Austin Powers parody films also invited some ridicule towards the more outlandish aspects of the Bond franchise. Suddenly, using a number of recurring plot elements or characters now seemed like a serious risk rather than an automatic choice.
And the problems didn’t stop at EON. For one part, Brosnan himself was tired of two consecutive disappointments – including the nightmarish chaos of Tomorrow Never Dies -, and, perhaps crucially, he was also frustrated due to feeling that his character wasn’t given enough material and depth to work with. Some progress had been achieved in the last film, only for it to be squandered – so Brosnan thought – by questionable creative and casting choices, leaving a frustrated leading man to ask “where is the character?”. For another, MGM was right at the end of its battle against attempts by the unlikely duo of Kevin McClory and John Calley to start a rival Bond franchise with Sony, ending up in court and a settlement regarding a trade (Spiderman rights for whatever Calley claimed to possess) and pushing the next film back to 2002. Things came to a point in which even MGM pushed for something different, being on the record as wanting a product that could remain financially successful, whilst taking Bond into a darker, more plot driven fashion. For once, EON, Brosnan and the studio agreed with the basic premise of a Bond film, a feat not easy to achieve. The issue was now how to execute such a vision.
With Bruce Feirstein not returning as part of the writing team, it fell to previous scriptwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade to come up with a vision for the “darker, grittier” Bond alongside main EON producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. After a long series of talks – made complicated by an apparent lack of non-convoluted or outlandish plotlines – and despite the franchise’s persistence in not wanting to involve itself in politics, it was decided that North Korea’s totalitarian regime made for a credible adversary in the eve of the 21st Century. Then came the basic premise for the film: Bond being captured – even tortured - and having to deal with the consequences of such a process. Creativity flew as Purvis and Wade even toyed with the notion of centering the film solely around Bond attempting to flee North Korea and return home, only to be told it was simply too different a concept to work. In the end, they settled for an intrigue-based plot, in which a betrayed Bond would be forced to go rogue after his capture, trying to find those responsible whilst foiling a dangerous plot by a rogue North Korean colonel.
A long list of alternatives was looked upon in terms of a director, leading to much disappointment when tentative options like John Woo and Tony Scott declined to participate. Negotiations with New Zealander Lee Tamahori – whom, it was felt, could give the film the necessary intensity – also fell through at the last moment. In the end, Michael Apted was asked to return for a second consecutive film, and despite MGM’s resistance the lack of viable alternatives – despite Brosnan allegedly pushing for more expensive options like Martin Scorsese – meant that Apted prevailed. With the director and storyline settled – though it was now Apted’s turn to provide his own thoughts on the production – it was now time for casting. Having initially flirted with the idea of having the main villain undergo some form of genetic therapy to change his aspect – mirroring the original literary character of Sir Hugo Drax – this concept was nixed as being “too outlandish”, forcing Apted to search a villain that could convincingly carry the film despite being absent for much of it. In the end, he settled for an arrangement similar to that of Goldeneye, with a group of four villains led by Will Yun Lee as North Korean Colonel Moon.
Having decided on two Bond girls – one of them a traitor – the writers and Apted switched between the identity of the traitor as several auditions took place for both roles. In the end, and to Brosnan’s relief, established actress Halle Berry – who would win an Oscar during production – became main Bond girl Jinx, and newcomer Rosamund Pike (who, in spite of a lack of experience, impressed at her audition) became the traitorous Miranda Frost, nixing an earlier concept of introducing the literary character of Moonraker’s Gala Brand. Indeed, as development continued and casting took shape, much of the initial reliance on the novel Moonraker dropped out of focus. After securing a surprise cameo return for Michelle Yeoh (Tomorrow Never Dies’s Wai Lin), the cast was completed with Rick Yune and Toby Stephens as secondary villains, and Harvey Keitel and Emilio Echevarría in supporting roles. In the meantime, much was made of an attempt by EON to secure Madonna to sign the main theme for the film, a move that temporarily failed after some schedule conflicts. With the singer committing herself to the next film, composer David Arnold worked with Icelandic singer Björk to produce the successful main title song, itself heavily inspired by their earlier collaboration “Play Dead”.
Filming took place across early 2002 in England, Iceland, Hawaii, Spain and Hong Kong, a grueling yet mostly efficient experience. Brosnan, having already developed a respect for Apted, was able to work efficiently with the director and push for some of his preferred creative choices, particularly pushing for portraying the consequences of Bond’s torture at the hands of the North Koreans. Berry was also felt to have instant chemistry with the leading actor, and quickly gained further prominence within the film as a result of her Oscar win. For their part, among the rest of the cast Pike was singled out for her performance despite her inexperience. On the less positive front, and despite the apparent commitment to a more serious, darker tone, there were still serious discussions regarding the high-tech aspects of the plot, some of its humor, and the climax of the film, pitting Apted against Purvis and Wade. Even late into production a series of plot points were changed, some due to creative battles – most of which Apted won – and others due to the fall-out of the September 11th attacks. After going through a long list of proposed titles – including Darker than the Sun and Parallel 38, “Double Cross” prevailed as a reference both to it being the 20th Bond film (“XX”) and the betrayal aspects of the plot.
Double Cross’ pre-title sequence takes place in a North Korean military base, which James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) infiltrates to meet with the dangerous Colonel Tan-Sun Moon (Will Yun Lee) and his right-hand man Zao (Rick Yune), who are trading high-tech weapons for African conflict diamonds. Posing as an Afrikaner diamond smuggler, Bond is betrayed by an unknown source and his cover blown, forcing him to detonate a hidden explosive to attempt his escape. Leaving a scarred Zao behind, Colonel Moon pursues 007 in a violent hovercraft chase across a minefield, culminating on Moon falling off a cliff to his apparent death.
Then captured, Bond is taken to Moon’s father General Moon (Kenneth Tsang). Fourteen long and grueling months of capture, interrogations and torture – including the use of scorpion venom - by the North Koreans ensue, portrayed through the main title sequence. Refusing ultimatum after ultimatum to give up the late Colonel’s “western contacts” (which Bond does not know and which the General blames for corrupting his son), 007 is suddenly brought to a bridge in the DMZ. He is then exchanged for Zao, recently captured by the West after turning into a terrorist, an arrangement forced on M (Judi Dench) by CIA Deputy Director Falco (Harvey Keitel), who believes Bond was leaking information from his prison. Taken to a ship in Hong Kong harbor, a disheveled 007 has a tense meeting with M, who impressed onto Bond that “the world has changed” during his captivity. After taking him off active service, Bond stages his escape from the ship and, after an encounter with Hong Kong’s criminal underground, he seeks out his former ally Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh).
As he recovers from his wounds, and knowing Zao’s terrorist exploits are embarrassing Beijing, Bond secures the necessary support – despite Wai Lin’s misgivings – to fly to Cuba in search of the terrorist, having promised to the Chinese to take him out. In Havana, Bond reawakens MI6 agent Raúl (Emilio Echeverría) to help him out, and upon chasing Zao to a mysterious island clinic (in which he is meant to undergo plastic surgery), Bond meets, sleeps and eventually spars with the daring CIA agent Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson (Halle Berry). Eventually, both realize the other’s allegiances and the fact that they both have Zao as a target, leading to a three-way fight with the terrorist and his men in the clinic’s glass elevators. The terrorist is able to escape, leaving Bond with few answers. Disobeying orders, but willing to believe some of his claims, Jinx lets the British agent go. With Raúl’s help, Bond realizes Zao’s next target is the MI6 HQ, and he flies back to London. Although reluctant, Bond is able to prevail on young agent Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike) to help him stop Zao, disrupting his infiltration and surprise assault on MI6. Forced into a hostage situation with Zao holding a gun to M’s head, 007 coldly shoots her boss in the shoulder to get to the terrorist, killing him instantly.
With help from Q (John Cleese), Bond is able to prove that Zao was able to strike with highly advanced weaponry and with inside help, confirming his theory of a traitor within MI6. Despite M’s profound misgivings, she reinstates him to go after Zao’s new superior and find the mole. Linking the weapons to the boastful businessman and millionaire Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens), whose company Solaris produces weapons for Western nations, Bond and Pike are invited to a demonstration in Graves’ Ice Palace in Iceland, and start investigating him. Finding Jinx there as well, Bond – who makes a point of provoking the highly competitive Graves at every turn - has to carefully balance Frost- whom he seduces – with the CIA agent, whom he also starts suspecting of being the actual mole. Choosing to trust Frost, Bond is captured alongside Jinx as is mortified to realize her MI6 colleague has been the traitor all along. Brought to Graves’ presence, the businessman reveals himself a convenient cover for a grievously scarred Colonel Moon, revealed to have survived his previous encounter with Bond.
Having planned for years a complex web of diamonds and weapon smuggling, Moon intends to use his western-built arsenal to bypass the DMZ and invade South Korea and Japan, turning North Korea into a new world superpower. His efforts almost derailed by Bond, he has taken pleasure in attempting to ruin his career and destroy MI6 with Frost’s help. Botching up his instructions to kill Bond on account of his competitiveness, Graves is outsmarted and forced into a car chase across the Ice Palace, in which Jinx and Bond successfully overpower and kill the billionaire. Both agents then go against Frost and Moon respectively, battling them individually. Initially overpowered, Jinx turns the tables on Frost in a knife fight and is able to kill her. For his part, after detonating some of Moon’s weapons and causing the palace to start collapsing, Bond and Moon have a violent sword match to the death, in which the agent narrowly prevails. 007 and Jinx escape the Ice Palace shortly before it crashes into the sea.
Now formally cleared by M and Falco of any suspicion, we see Bond sometime later in an undetermined location, making a visit to General Moon and informing him of his son’s conspiracy. A privately heartbroken General expresses his disappointment, and thanks Bond by providing him with an antidote to the scorpion venom and ruling out a desire for revenge. Now set to close the case by delivering a cache of Moon’s diamonds to their superiors, Bond and Jinx postpone the task and share a romantic moment in a Japanese indoor beach resort.
Double Cross premiered on November 2002 to great commercial success despite strong competition at the box office, rapidly surpassing its two predecessors and competing with GoldenEye as Brosnan’s most profitable Bond film thus far. Fearing potential disaster after a number of lukewarm test screenings, Apted and EON breathed a sigh of relief when critics were immediately complimentary of several aspects of the film, even if they stopped short of pronouncing it an unqualified success. While Björk’s main theme immediately gained popularity, critics praised Brosnan portrayal of a post-torture Bond, the turn towards a grittier take on the franchise – if still overtly reliant on CGI and filled with referential nods -, the film’s concept, and most of the performances, with Pike and Yune being singled out for praise. Criticism focused on the long running time, the at times uneven tone – particularly the placement of the film’s humor -, certain characters feeling wasted or underused (including Colonel Moon, and Wai Lin’s cameo). For her part, Halle Berry gained instant popularity within EON and particularly with Barbara Broccoli, rapidly securing a place in ambitious upcoming plans for the future of the franchise. Fan reception to the character was more mixed, ranging from those who praised her chemistry with Brosnan to those who felt that, despite her talents, the character of Jinx as written was not particularly noteworthy.
In any case, Brosnan was reasonably satisfied with a finished product for the first time since GoldenEye, and both EON and MGM were rewarded enough with the grittier approach – which, it must be said, was still perceived as insufficient after the stellar success of The Bourne Identity – to warrant going further with it. Indeed, the next three years were to be particularly intense times for the Bond franchise. After two decades since the film’s release, it is generally agreed among critics (not necessarily among fans) that Double Cross ranks second or third as the best Brosnan outing, depending on how one compares it to GoldenEye. Highlights of the film include the pre-title sequence, Bond’s torture via the main title sequence, Brosnan and Pike’s performances, the attack on the MI6 HQ, and Wai Lin’s scenes with Bond.
Author’s Notes: This isn’t Die Another Day but good in so far as it is “what if DAD had committed to a single concept?”. A common criticism of the film is that it feels somewhat “schizophrenic” between its two halves, a first half based around intrigue and a second which is more camp. It can be debated that either an entirely campy film or an entirely serious one could make good films, but their uneven, botched combination helps turn DAD into what we know today. I chose to go with the grittier tone to justify the next two entries (all on the same universe), but there’s probably a successful camp DAD to be written there by someone else. And though I wouldn’t blame any single person for DAD’s mistakes, it does seem that MGM/EON did want a more serious tone, and director Tamahori may not have been the ideal man for the part. Removing him causes additional butterflies as he brought Michael Madsen (Falco) and Halle Berry (Jinx) in among others, but I kept some of what he introduced or some of those he hired. “Double Cross” is not a grand film, but it loses Madonna, Icarus, the invisible car, some of the CGI, and so on. There’s few details on what an alternate plot might have looked like, so I combined concepts, expanded on others, and generally toned down the reliance on the Moonraker plotline.
And the problems didn’t stop at EON. For one part, Brosnan himself was tired of two consecutive disappointments – including the nightmarish chaos of Tomorrow Never Dies -, and, perhaps crucially, he was also frustrated due to feeling that his character wasn’t given enough material and depth to work with. Some progress had been achieved in the last film, only for it to be squandered – so Brosnan thought – by questionable creative and casting choices, leaving a frustrated leading man to ask “where is the character?”. For another, MGM was right at the end of its battle against attempts by the unlikely duo of Kevin McClory and John Calley to start a rival Bond franchise with Sony, ending up in court and a settlement regarding a trade (Spiderman rights for whatever Calley claimed to possess) and pushing the next film back to 2002. Things came to a point in which even MGM pushed for something different, being on the record as wanting a product that could remain financially successful, whilst taking Bond into a darker, more plot driven fashion. For once, EON, Brosnan and the studio agreed with the basic premise of a Bond film, a feat not easy to achieve. The issue was now how to execute such a vision.
With Bruce Feirstein not returning as part of the writing team, it fell to previous scriptwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade to come up with a vision for the “darker, grittier” Bond alongside main EON producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. After a long series of talks – made complicated by an apparent lack of non-convoluted or outlandish plotlines – and despite the franchise’s persistence in not wanting to involve itself in politics, it was decided that North Korea’s totalitarian regime made for a credible adversary in the eve of the 21st Century. Then came the basic premise for the film: Bond being captured – even tortured - and having to deal with the consequences of such a process. Creativity flew as Purvis and Wade even toyed with the notion of centering the film solely around Bond attempting to flee North Korea and return home, only to be told it was simply too different a concept to work. In the end, they settled for an intrigue-based plot, in which a betrayed Bond would be forced to go rogue after his capture, trying to find those responsible whilst foiling a dangerous plot by a rogue North Korean colonel.
A long list of alternatives was looked upon in terms of a director, leading to much disappointment when tentative options like John Woo and Tony Scott declined to participate. Negotiations with New Zealander Lee Tamahori – whom, it was felt, could give the film the necessary intensity – also fell through at the last moment. In the end, Michael Apted was asked to return for a second consecutive film, and despite MGM’s resistance the lack of viable alternatives – despite Brosnan allegedly pushing for more expensive options like Martin Scorsese – meant that Apted prevailed. With the director and storyline settled – though it was now Apted’s turn to provide his own thoughts on the production – it was now time for casting. Having initially flirted with the idea of having the main villain undergo some form of genetic therapy to change his aspect – mirroring the original literary character of Sir Hugo Drax – this concept was nixed as being “too outlandish”, forcing Apted to search a villain that could convincingly carry the film despite being absent for much of it. In the end, he settled for an arrangement similar to that of Goldeneye, with a group of four villains led by Will Yun Lee as North Korean Colonel Moon.
Having decided on two Bond girls – one of them a traitor – the writers and Apted switched between the identity of the traitor as several auditions took place for both roles. In the end, and to Brosnan’s relief, established actress Halle Berry – who would win an Oscar during production – became main Bond girl Jinx, and newcomer Rosamund Pike (who, in spite of a lack of experience, impressed at her audition) became the traitorous Miranda Frost, nixing an earlier concept of introducing the literary character of Moonraker’s Gala Brand. Indeed, as development continued and casting took shape, much of the initial reliance on the novel Moonraker dropped out of focus. After securing a surprise cameo return for Michelle Yeoh (Tomorrow Never Dies’s Wai Lin), the cast was completed with Rick Yune and Toby Stephens as secondary villains, and Harvey Keitel and Emilio Echevarría in supporting roles. In the meantime, much was made of an attempt by EON to secure Madonna to sign the main theme for the film, a move that temporarily failed after some schedule conflicts. With the singer committing herself to the next film, composer David Arnold worked with Icelandic singer Björk to produce the successful main title song, itself heavily inspired by their earlier collaboration “Play Dead”.
Filming took place across early 2002 in England, Iceland, Hawaii, Spain and Hong Kong, a grueling yet mostly efficient experience. Brosnan, having already developed a respect for Apted, was able to work efficiently with the director and push for some of his preferred creative choices, particularly pushing for portraying the consequences of Bond’s torture at the hands of the North Koreans. Berry was also felt to have instant chemistry with the leading actor, and quickly gained further prominence within the film as a result of her Oscar win. For their part, among the rest of the cast Pike was singled out for her performance despite her inexperience. On the less positive front, and despite the apparent commitment to a more serious, darker tone, there were still serious discussions regarding the high-tech aspects of the plot, some of its humor, and the climax of the film, pitting Apted against Purvis and Wade. Even late into production a series of plot points were changed, some due to creative battles – most of which Apted won – and others due to the fall-out of the September 11th attacks. After going through a long list of proposed titles – including Darker than the Sun and Parallel 38, “Double Cross” prevailed as a reference both to it being the 20th Bond film (“XX”) and the betrayal aspects of the plot.
Double Cross’ pre-title sequence takes place in a North Korean military base, which James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) infiltrates to meet with the dangerous Colonel Tan-Sun Moon (Will Yun Lee) and his right-hand man Zao (Rick Yune), who are trading high-tech weapons for African conflict diamonds. Posing as an Afrikaner diamond smuggler, Bond is betrayed by an unknown source and his cover blown, forcing him to detonate a hidden explosive to attempt his escape. Leaving a scarred Zao behind, Colonel Moon pursues 007 in a violent hovercraft chase across a minefield, culminating on Moon falling off a cliff to his apparent death.
Then captured, Bond is taken to Moon’s father General Moon (Kenneth Tsang). Fourteen long and grueling months of capture, interrogations and torture – including the use of scorpion venom - by the North Koreans ensue, portrayed through the main title sequence. Refusing ultimatum after ultimatum to give up the late Colonel’s “western contacts” (which Bond does not know and which the General blames for corrupting his son), 007 is suddenly brought to a bridge in the DMZ. He is then exchanged for Zao, recently captured by the West after turning into a terrorist, an arrangement forced on M (Judi Dench) by CIA Deputy Director Falco (Harvey Keitel), who believes Bond was leaking information from his prison. Taken to a ship in Hong Kong harbor, a disheveled 007 has a tense meeting with M, who impressed onto Bond that “the world has changed” during his captivity. After taking him off active service, Bond stages his escape from the ship and, after an encounter with Hong Kong’s criminal underground, he seeks out his former ally Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh).
As he recovers from his wounds, and knowing Zao’s terrorist exploits are embarrassing Beijing, Bond secures the necessary support – despite Wai Lin’s misgivings – to fly to Cuba in search of the terrorist, having promised to the Chinese to take him out. In Havana, Bond reawakens MI6 agent Raúl (Emilio Echeverría) to help him out, and upon chasing Zao to a mysterious island clinic (in which he is meant to undergo plastic surgery), Bond meets, sleeps and eventually spars with the daring CIA agent Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson (Halle Berry). Eventually, both realize the other’s allegiances and the fact that they both have Zao as a target, leading to a three-way fight with the terrorist and his men in the clinic’s glass elevators. The terrorist is able to escape, leaving Bond with few answers. Disobeying orders, but willing to believe some of his claims, Jinx lets the British agent go. With Raúl’s help, Bond realizes Zao’s next target is the MI6 HQ, and he flies back to London. Although reluctant, Bond is able to prevail on young agent Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike) to help him stop Zao, disrupting his infiltration and surprise assault on MI6. Forced into a hostage situation with Zao holding a gun to M’s head, 007 coldly shoots her boss in the shoulder to get to the terrorist, killing him instantly.
With help from Q (John Cleese), Bond is able to prove that Zao was able to strike with highly advanced weaponry and with inside help, confirming his theory of a traitor within MI6. Despite M’s profound misgivings, she reinstates him to go after Zao’s new superior and find the mole. Linking the weapons to the boastful businessman and millionaire Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens), whose company Solaris produces weapons for Western nations, Bond and Pike are invited to a demonstration in Graves’ Ice Palace in Iceland, and start investigating him. Finding Jinx there as well, Bond – who makes a point of provoking the highly competitive Graves at every turn - has to carefully balance Frost- whom he seduces – with the CIA agent, whom he also starts suspecting of being the actual mole. Choosing to trust Frost, Bond is captured alongside Jinx as is mortified to realize her MI6 colleague has been the traitor all along. Brought to Graves’ presence, the businessman reveals himself a convenient cover for a grievously scarred Colonel Moon, revealed to have survived his previous encounter with Bond.
Having planned for years a complex web of diamonds and weapon smuggling, Moon intends to use his western-built arsenal to bypass the DMZ and invade South Korea and Japan, turning North Korea into a new world superpower. His efforts almost derailed by Bond, he has taken pleasure in attempting to ruin his career and destroy MI6 with Frost’s help. Botching up his instructions to kill Bond on account of his competitiveness, Graves is outsmarted and forced into a car chase across the Ice Palace, in which Jinx and Bond successfully overpower and kill the billionaire. Both agents then go against Frost and Moon respectively, battling them individually. Initially overpowered, Jinx turns the tables on Frost in a knife fight and is able to kill her. For his part, after detonating some of Moon’s weapons and causing the palace to start collapsing, Bond and Moon have a violent sword match to the death, in which the agent narrowly prevails. 007 and Jinx escape the Ice Palace shortly before it crashes into the sea.
Now formally cleared by M and Falco of any suspicion, we see Bond sometime later in an undetermined location, making a visit to General Moon and informing him of his son’s conspiracy. A privately heartbroken General expresses his disappointment, and thanks Bond by providing him with an antidote to the scorpion venom and ruling out a desire for revenge. Now set to close the case by delivering a cache of Moon’s diamonds to their superiors, Bond and Jinx postpone the task and share a romantic moment in a Japanese indoor beach resort.
Double Cross premiered on November 2002 to great commercial success despite strong competition at the box office, rapidly surpassing its two predecessors and competing with GoldenEye as Brosnan’s most profitable Bond film thus far. Fearing potential disaster after a number of lukewarm test screenings, Apted and EON breathed a sigh of relief when critics were immediately complimentary of several aspects of the film, even if they stopped short of pronouncing it an unqualified success. While Björk’s main theme immediately gained popularity, critics praised Brosnan portrayal of a post-torture Bond, the turn towards a grittier take on the franchise – if still overtly reliant on CGI and filled with referential nods -, the film’s concept, and most of the performances, with Pike and Yune being singled out for praise. Criticism focused on the long running time, the at times uneven tone – particularly the placement of the film’s humor -, certain characters feeling wasted or underused (including Colonel Moon, and Wai Lin’s cameo). For her part, Halle Berry gained instant popularity within EON and particularly with Barbara Broccoli, rapidly securing a place in ambitious upcoming plans for the future of the franchise. Fan reception to the character was more mixed, ranging from those who praised her chemistry with Brosnan to those who felt that, despite her talents, the character of Jinx as written was not particularly noteworthy.
In any case, Brosnan was reasonably satisfied with a finished product for the first time since GoldenEye, and both EON and MGM were rewarded enough with the grittier approach – which, it must be said, was still perceived as insufficient after the stellar success of The Bourne Identity – to warrant going further with it. Indeed, the next three years were to be particularly intense times for the Bond franchise. After two decades since the film’s release, it is generally agreed among critics (not necessarily among fans) that Double Cross ranks second or third as the best Brosnan outing, depending on how one compares it to GoldenEye. Highlights of the film include the pre-title sequence, Bond’s torture via the main title sequence, Brosnan and Pike’s performances, the attack on the MI6 HQ, and Wai Lin’s scenes with Bond.
Author’s Notes: This isn’t Die Another Day but good in so far as it is “what if DAD had committed to a single concept?”. A common criticism of the film is that it feels somewhat “schizophrenic” between its two halves, a first half based around intrigue and a second which is more camp. It can be debated that either an entirely campy film or an entirely serious one could make good films, but their uneven, botched combination helps turn DAD into what we know today. I chose to go with the grittier tone to justify the next two entries (all on the same universe), but there’s probably a successful camp DAD to be written there by someone else. And though I wouldn’t blame any single person for DAD’s mistakes, it does seem that MGM/EON did want a more serious tone, and director Tamahori may not have been the ideal man for the part. Removing him causes additional butterflies as he brought Michael Madsen (Falco) and Halle Berry (Jinx) in among others, but I kept some of what he introduced or some of those he hired. “Double Cross” is not a grand film, but it loses Madonna, Icarus, the invisible car, some of the CGI, and so on. There’s few details on what an alternate plot might have looked like, so I combined concepts, expanded on others, and generally toned down the reliance on the Moonraker plotline.
THE DEATH COLLECTORS will return in
“DIE ANOTHER DAY”
“DIE ANOTHER DAY”
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