45 replies to this topic

[JimmyBond]

Pre-release buzz for TWINE was exciting, by all accounts we were going to get a serious down to Earth thriller. That had me happy because back then I really didn't take to TND, I felt it was too focused on "action" scenes, so a down to earth film is exactly what I needed.

Even after I saw it I enjoyed it, mostly because it was completely different in tone to TND, however upon reflection it doesnt quite hit the mark. While the producers did make a valiant effort to scale the story back, it felt like they didnt have faith in their story. We're still treated to the silly over the top humor and action that has become a trademark of the Brosnan era.

Two big action sequences that really don't belong in the film, the ski chase, and the caviar factory helicopter attack. Both scenes come out of nowhere and don't really do much to advance the plot. I can kind of forgive the ski chase because it is neat to see Bond don skis for the first time since '85. However the caviar sequence does nothing for the film at all. Seriously, fast forward through it and you'll find the characters are still back where they started, asking Zukovsky why he was paid off.

I know I'm a bit more leniant on the film, if those two sequences were removed/reworked I think I'd look a little more favorably on the film, as it stands though it's a marraige of two tones that doesnt work for me.

[Scottlee]

I love TWINE. It's my favourite Brosnan Bond film. Sure, the Cavier factory scene wasn't all that impressive, but it did have some cool moments...

1) The ways in which he destroyed the two helicopers were both really cool.
2) "Q's not gonna like this". Made me lol
3) "The insurance company is never going to believe this!" Again, I laughed hard.

[BondReader 007]

Loved the film, the good moments along with one or two cringes. I personally enjoyed TWINE more than any other Brosnan Bond film. And, there is one glorious Ian Fleming like moment, a back to brutal, early 50's - '60's novel 007, (the Bond I love the best. ) where in cold blood shoots Electra King. I feel in that one telling moment Pierce was Bond!

Edited by BondReader 007, 09 April 2006 - 11:32 AM.

[tdalton]

TWINE could have been much better, but I do admire the effort to try to make a good, down to earth Bond movie rather than just continuing down the course that they were going down with GE and TND.

I agree that both of those action sequences did not have any real place in the film. Both were tacked on just to have an action sequence, and without them, the film could have been stronger.

[Robert Watts]

And there was a less pointless roof/alley chase written in the script, after Mr. Bullion (then called The Boa) sets off the bomb Bond and Christmas chased after him, Christmas, being a silly bimbo ended up being chased by one or two minions while Bond went after The Boa, eventually he turned a corner and then they were surrounded by Gabor and his men and then taken to Elektra.

I like TWINE, it has it's moments (Namely Elektra) but the way the action scenes came out of nowhere (quite literally) ruined the pacing and stripped the film of it's identity. It is for this reason that I now prefer TND, it is nice and low-key for the first hour, but the level of action builds up and then once we get to scenes where Bond has a machine gun it doesn't change the film at all. Sure TND has a lot of cons too, but they're not as much of a let down as those of TWINE.

(Bond's difused Nuclear Bombs before, why did we need Christmas???)

[tdalton]

(Bond's difused Nuclear Bombs before, why did we need Christmas???)

That's actually a very good point, and one that I hadn't even considered until now. I don't think that there's any good explanation for why he can't do that in TWINE other than EON's need to have a Bond girl tag along.

[Qwerty]

In regards to The World Is Not Enough, I'd probably rank it around #15 or so in the series. Once I get into this section in my James Bond film rankings, there is almost always another Bond film or two that is game for the same position. At other times for example, I'd bet The World Is Not Enough could be as high as #11 or so.

I like this film, as I've said many times before on here. It's at times a lesser James Bond film for a few reasons I'll later go into, but it's not all that bad on the whole. I think Pierce Brosnan looks very fit in this film, he seems to have lost a bit of weight since his last outing in Tomorrow Never Dies. I used to intensely dislike Christmas Jones, but over time, I've grown to find her a good bit of fun. It's refreshing to see a Bond girl who isn't trying to always be the female Bond, like Jinx was. Elektra King is also a delicious villainess with some great chemistry with Brosnan's Bond. Marceau was a terrific choice for the role. However, characters like Mr. Bullion and Renard just seem weak and underdeveloped. Kind of a shame, as they probably could have been better if more effort had been put into them.

There are alot of characters in this film, perhaps too many? MI6 has for example, pretty much the entire team: M, Q, R, Miss Moneypenny, Warmflash, Tanner, Robinson...it got tiring to see them all over the film.

The action sequences were well put together, some of them in any case. I really enjoyed the pre-credits sequence with a great chase between Julietta and Bond. The Thames Chase was an inspired idea.

The finale of the film is just rather droll though. After all these huge action sequences and whatnot, we're given a small fight in a closed quarters submarine. Where's the larger than life, grand style?

[bondrocks14]

Where I think TWINE messed up, is actually in the action scenes. None of them were good save the boat chase. I personally think now they should have been completely left out and filled in w/ more character development. Well, now I did like the underground nuclear whatever part, leave that in, take out the ski chase and caviar factory and replace w/ character developing moments.........the ski chase replacement could be some good quality bond/elektra development time....caviar...bond/Christmas development time.

[Robert Watts]

The skiing scene would've been good if say there had been an avalanche or something (or other people on skis as opposed to parahawks) but still got Bond into the position where he saves Elektra.

[JimmyBond]

It's interesting to see that, while we say it differently, most of us are bringing up the same point. The film would work if the action sequences were handled better. PTS notwithstanding every action sequence feels like it's there for action sake except for the underground stealing of the bomb. I really like that action sequence because it feels like the plot is actually being moved along, something is happening that effects the course of the story.

What exactly does the ski chase tell us? That someone wants Elektra dead? Not really, seeing as how Elektra never appears to be in any harm at all.

What about the caviar factory sequence? What do we learn from it? That Elektra knows Bond is still alive, that's about it.

[Harmsway]

I dislike TWINE, because the film (despite its intentions) fails from nearly every angle possible. The script is a mess, the direction is bland, the locations are boring, the performances are appallingly overwrought, the tone is inconsistent, and the action doesn't work. There's just not really an ingredient of this film that really falls into place and clicks. To add insult to injury, it's pretty darn boring.

I'd say the two good things about THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH are the pre-title sequence and its title, and then call it a day with that.

[Kingdom Come]

Too many characters and not enough screen time for them to have been developed. Too many writers - some not credited and it shows. Developing M was too much, best to have her developed in Tomorrow Never Dies as it was a pretty empty Bond film and could have done with being bolstered. Flatly directed, awful dialogue and as usual with the Bond films a God awful storyline.

[I Like Sharks]

The skiing scene would've been good if say there had been an avalanche or something (or other people on skis as opposed to parahawks) but still got Bond into the position where he saves Elektra.

Agreed they should have just done the same thing they did in OHMSS.....

And The Spy Who Loved Me...

And A View To A Kill

I like the ski chase. It is tacked on but so are half the action scenes in any Bond film: the Little Nelly battle in YOLT and the boats in Live And Let Die for example

The skiing scene would've been good if say there had been an avalanche or something (or other people on skis as opposed to parahawks) but still got Bond into the position where he saves Elektra.

Agreed they should have just had another ski chase like in OHMSS, TSWLM and AVTAK. Originality is a dreadful thing.

Oh and theres loads of action sequences in other films that do nothing to advance the plot. Little Nelly in YOLT and the boats in LALD for example

[Tarl_Cabot]

Problems:

Renard was a weak character, literally and figuratively. Robert Carlysle was completely wasted. Did nthe producers not see Trainspotting? WTF? "He grows stronger everyday?" We're we supposed to think he was a bad ? He couldn't have been any more pathetic.

Denise Richards should have been cast as a pretitle lay and nothing more. The miscasting error of the '99...after Jake Lloyd of course.

Bringing M into the story. This is why M should be a M-A-N.

Bond: Brosnan's most embarrasing effort. I love his attitude in the banker office but then we see him later as whiny, wimpy and indignant and he makes the most atrocious pun of the series.

Caviar factory scene: agreed completely with previous post.

Ski scene: Contrived and very poorly executed.

ah, so much more to pick at...so little time...

[DLibrasnow]

Hate it. I loathe The World Is Not Enough with the intensity of a thousand suns. I rank it right at the bottom of the pack - even the 1967 CASINO ROYALE is better.

The reasons why have been given here on CBn many times before.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Hate it. I loathe The World Is Not Enough with the intensity of a thousand suns. I rank it right at the bottom of the pack - even the 1967 CASINO ROYALE is better.

The reasons why have been given here on CBn many times before.

I hate DAD as much as you hate TWINE. Viva Craig, Casino Royale!

[Harmsway]

I hate DAD as much as you hate TWINE. Viva Craig, Casino Royale!

I personally think DAD is definitely at least ten times better than TWINE - at least DAD entertains, while TWINE just puts you to sleep.

Definitely agree on that second bit, though.

[Mr Malcolm]

I would tend to agree with JimmyBond; I loved TWINE when I saw it in the theatre, although it's dropped in my estimation as time's passed. Nonetheless, I do think it's a fun, entertaining Bond film, and nowhere near the monstrosity some claim.

I don't have a problem too much with the characterisation of Bond in this film; the idea of a world-weary secret agent who's somewhat burnt out by his work isn't bad; while the execution of this idea was, admittedly, not as good as it could have been, I did like Bond's relationship with Elektra. It's almost a shame Denise Richards has to pop up and dilute this.

The one thing I don't like about TWINE is its wasting of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Those are certainly still exotic locations by today's standards, so why don't we get to see more of Baku, in particular? As for the action sequences, meh to the ski chase (the concept is cool, but the reality's a bit pedestrian), yay to the caviar factory (yes, it is silly and pointless, but it is fun!), both of which pale in comparison to the boat chase, which I hold up there with any classic Bond moment. I also really liked the pipeline sequence; it's one of the few moments of genuine tension in the film.

So, not great, but still not bad!

[Donovan]

I don't hate the film by any means, but I think it is easily the worst of Brosnan's films. It tries to do some different things, which I appreciate. But as others have already said, the action scenes come across as very mechanical and routine. There is absolutely no aspect of danger. So I lay the blame for that at the feet of Vic Armstrong. John Glen was a far superior action director than Armstrong.

And as I've written elsewhere on CBn, the story loses traction the minute Elektra is killed. The manner she is killed is also questionable. If she had her finger on the button to detonate a nuclear bomb, that's one thing. But shooting here because she tells Renard to dive? Hmmm. What did Bond gain by that action? Renard got the message, and Bond was able to catch up with him even after wasting a few critical seconds having a "moment" with Elektra's corpse. I lay the blame for this at the feet of Purvis & Wade. I recognize and appreciate when they try something new in the series, and get inspiration from Fleming's novels, but the bottom line (is the story/scene working or isn't it?) is the most important thing. And if the producers/writers/director thought that TWINE worked, they were just kidding themselves...and 4 of the 5 on that list are calling the shots for "Casino Royale".

[Blofeld's Cat]

I don't hate The World Is Not Enough, but I do consider it a guilty pleasure none the less because it's Bond anyway.

[dunmall]

(Bond's difused Nuclear Bombs before, why did we need Christmas???)

That's actually a very good point, and one that I hadn't even considered until now. I don't think that there's any good explanation for why he can't do that in TWINE other than EON's need to have a Bond girl tag along.

if you wanna fanwank about it, perhaps Bond could defuse the earlier bombs becuase he was familiar with them? for example he knew how to defuse a British missile from Spy and in Octopussy, he see's just enough of the plan to learn how to disarm the weapon, (just like the audience ). Perhaps he isn't as familiar with the Russian nukes being dismantled in TWINE?

lol just a thought

[Vanish]

TWINE is definitely one of the most frustrating Bond films, in my eyes. For every successful element, there seems to be a bunch that drag the film down a few rungs.

Anyway, on with the positives:

1) Less bombastic, feels more grounded.
2) Photography, direction feels very European and elegant.
3) Brosnan gives a great performance, and it's clear he was far more engaged with this one than he was in TND.
4) Getting M into the field - Not something I want to see repeated, but it worked for me in this film. Risks can be good, especially for Bond 19.
5) Elektra. Should've been the sole villainess in the film.
6) Locations - Some of the best of the Brosnan era.

The film's negatives have been discussed endlessly, and I concur with the major ones:

1) Renard. Weak, weak vilain. Waste of a fun actor.
2) Action. Something seems off, there's just no spark.
3) After Elektra gets killed, the story flies off the rails - Had it ended there, I'd feel significantly more goodwill toward the film.
4) The score - For the most part, it's fairly bland.

Overall, it's just frustrating. There's so much to admire here, but the weaknesses are in critical areas for a Bond film, and it'll always be a near-miss in my eyes.

Grade: C+... Leaning toward a B-.

Edited by Vanish, 01 May 2006 - 09:24 AM.

[Tinfinger]

TWInE is one of the best James Bond movies ever made. Up there in my top five.

[Jaws0178]

And there was a less pointless roof/alley chase written in the script, after Mr. Bullion (then called The Boa) sets off the bomb Bond and Christmas chased after him, Christmas, being a silly bimbo ended up being chased by one or two minions while Bond went after The Boa, eventually he turned a corner and then they were surrounded by Gabor and his men and then taken to Elektra.

Ironically, the rooftop chase is in the game, kind of. It ends out with Bullion saying something about "switching allegiances" or some such crap. At least in the 64 version. I'll have to play it again.

[Turn]

TWInE is one of the best James Bond movies ever made. Up there in my top five.

You for got the "why" part.

[archer1949]

This is probably my favorite of the Brosnan Bonds. You can tell that they were really tried to shake up the fomula after the more pedestrian (but fun) TND. Intricate plot twists, gritty setpieces, more fully realized characters and the most human, almost sympathetic villain(ess) of all the films. Yes, Denise Richards was a joke, but it didn't completely ruin the film.

I agree about the flat direction, though. The action sequences could have used a punch up. It's like they were tossed in as an after thought. But I think the strengths of this film outweighs the shortcomings.

It's a pity that this movie wasn't more widely regarded. If it was more of a success, perhaps we could have been spared the Madonna cameos, CGI cheese and stunt casting of DAD. Maybe would have seen the truly great Bond movie that Brosnan wanted to do, instead of ending on such a low note.

[SecretAgentFan]

In a direct answer to the title of this thread: TWINE, could have been great.

I say: It was great. Brosnan

[Blofeld's Cat]

Was TWINE the best Brosnan Bond movie?

'Fraid not.

[Harmsway]

I might be nuts - and I think I am - considering how vehemently I've always hated this movie... but I recently revisited it (last night, actually) and quite enjoyed it, despite recognizing its numerous flaws.



Hmmmm...

[JimmyBond]

I might be nuts - and I think I am - considering how vehemently I've always hated this movie... but I recently revisited it (last night, actually) and quite enjoyed it, despite recognizing its numerous flaws.



Hmmmm...

I recently reviewed it recently as well, and I've come to a similar conclusion: It's not a bad film, but it does drag really bad around the 80 minute mark (around the time Elektra makes love to Renard in their lighthouse). I will always defend the finale as being delicously low-key though.