16 replies to this topic

[ray t]

I found the first "Act" of DAD to be one of the most satisfying of any action/adventure movie i have EVER seen.

In "Act 2", we get the old-fashioned BONDIAN over-the-top sets which i loved and some very good set pieces, marred slightly by the, *AHEM*, "wild"/"interesting" para-surfing sequence.

in both these acts, Pierce's Bond CARRIES the film. He is fantastic in both the "Fleming Bond" as well as the "Movie Bond" sense

in retrospect, i think, "Act 3" is "carried" by the TRULY OVER THE TOP portrayal of Gustav Graves by Toby Stephens.

if not for Stephen's Graves, the film could have been let down.

we havent had a nasty/nastily portrayed villian like that since say chris walken's max zorin...or even Hugo Drax (the literary version upon which Gustav Graves was modeled)

Gustav Graves' death was particularly horrible and most satisfying...


the villians in The Living Daylights were relatively WEAK (and in Koskov's case, slightly humourous ) by bond standards which, given Blofeld/Largo/Goldfinger/Dr No/Scaramanga/Stromberg are VERY HIGH

Sanchez suffers from the fact that LTK is TOO realistic a movie for the world of James Bond...Bonds cause is personal while the villian's scheme is ordinary (so who cares if a columbian drug lord "unites" the cocain pushers of the world...big deal!...the CIA can deal with that. When it comes to a 007 movie I want BIG villians with BIG schemes that could cost Millions of lives or cause MASSIVE ECONOMIC CHAOS in the west)

i found Kamal Khan to be relatively weak (although Orlov was fantastic with truly evil intentions) and not very menacing...same as Elliot Carver....and i think Electra/Renard were too sympathetic in their characterizations (u felt like Renard was the underdog that sporting people "cheer" for...at least i felt like i wanted him to succeed in some twisted/morbid sort of way)

Sean Bean's 006/Janus/Trevelyan was a Very good villian, but i found he lacked the menacing and evil traits that even ONNATOP seem to have (in a KINKY sort of way)

Bottom Line:

Colonel Moon/Gustav Graves is a GREAT bond villian and Will Yun Lee and (especially) Toby Stevens did a fantastic job to bring the character to life.

and...he died BIG...like all bond villians should!!!!

[Adam]

I agree with you to an extent, but nothing fully carries the "3rd act" of Die Another Day b/c the "3rd Act" sucked.
However I do see what you're saying about Stephens; he is very charismatic in the film. I love it when he jokes about the parachutes. I also liked Rosamund Pike's final scene--despite the cloudly reasons as to why she's actually turned to the evil side, she's so engaging, especially when she's holding the sword to Jinx's throat (if only she would've killed her immediately, Frost could've escaped and returned in a later film...yeah right)

Originally posted by ray t
i found Kamal Khan to be relatively weak (although Orlov was fantastic with truly evil intentions)  and not very menacing

I like Kamal Khan, he's such a lying, sniveling snake...my kind of villain

[Peter]

Yeah, Stephens is good. I expected to hate that whole "gene therapy/changing into another race" thing, but I thought he carried it off well. It was weird having him speak Korean all the time.

Just a thought: did Wil Yun Lee dub Stephens' lines in the last scenes? I

[mrmoon]

Totally agree Ray T. Stephens is purely brillaint. Im not sure why people belive Die Another Day's finale is weak I love it and that is due to Stephens' superb portrayal of Graves. I actually think the finale provides a briefly emotional scene 'Moon and Father' the likes of which we haven't seen from a villain and something that gives him that extra dimension. You truely believe his anxiety for his father to embrace his plans and you can see the effect when his father attempts to shoot him. Its simply brillant. I love it.

[mario007]

I totally agree with you mrmoon, the final scene between Grave's and his father is very nicely acted and adds a emotional shock/depth that is otherwise lacking in the third act. Toby Stevens is the best villan since Stromberg. I especially like the way he shows his total hate for Bond (close up of face) in the fencing scene. I also like the parts, where Graves/Toby talks Korean ... very meneacing and memorable villain! It proves the theory that only great villains, makes a bond movie truely GREAT! (not take anything away from Pierce)

[JimmyBond]

The finale works, because of Toby Stephens. Sure Bond is there, but we know he'll be triumphant, the fun is watching the villian match wits with Bond.

On this note, Carver did very little in the finale of TND but moan and shout at people. Renard didnt do much either, but than again, the finale of TWINE is pretty small.

[DLibrasnow]

I like the finale. I think it has been a vocal minority have been dissing the end of the Bond movie. They need to look at the box office figures and get a clue!!!

[DLibrasnow]

Of course I am just givign you guys a hard time....but, seriously, I did like the last act of DAD. When I first saw the movie I wasn't sure about it, but now I find myself wishing it would get to the Iceland scenes and that really fun bit with Bond parasailing on that tidal wave...that sequence went from my least favorite moment, to my most favorite moment...

[jeff319]

Toby Stephens was definitely one of the best actors to portray a Bond villain yet. I loved his cocky attitude and playboy-ish swagger... reminded me of Max Zorin but younger and more energetic. Plus he had a very Bondian name: Gustav Graves. It just sounds like it belongs in a Fleming novel.

And I liked the twist... it actually surprised me, and the audience I saw the film with gasped when they learned his true identity.

[Dr. Yes]

I thought Graves was one of the most charismatic villains out of any Bond movie, and I think Toby Stephens' performance made the last part of the film. He came across as very cocky and sure of himself most of the time, and even showed a bit of emotion and regret in the final scenes with General Moon. As far as the 'over-the-top' Bond villains go, Graves is one of the best, along with Drax and Blofeld. He's a good ol' megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur...and isn't that what the most-remembered bad guys are, after all?

[mkkbb]

DLibrasnow, glad to hear it. I too dreaded seeing the para-surfing scene the second time I went to see it, but it really was very good, and enjoyed it immensely.

[DLibrasnow]

I know exactly how you feel mkkbb, on my second viewing of DAD I sunk in my seat as the para-surfing scene appraoched, but thought it was great and enjoy it as one of the highlights of the movie now.

[ray t]

when i first wrote this thread nearly a weak ago, it was during a period when most fans were saying:

GREAT FIRST HALF...SECOND HALF SUCKED

i did not feel that way, and thought i'd say somthing positive about the final act

its good to know others feel the same way:)

[Loomis]

Originally posted by ray t
"Act 3" is "carried" by the TRULY OVER THE TOP portrayal of Gustav Graves by Toby Stephens.

if not for Stephen's Graves, the film could have been let down.

we havent had a nasty/nastily portrayed villian like that since say chris walken's max zorin...or even Hugo Drax (the literary version upon which Gustav Graves was modeled)

ray t, you are quite right.

I was among those who said that DAD's last act was a letdown. I have seen the film three times now and it continues to rise in my estimation. I enjoyed it enormously to begin with, but felt that it had more than its fair share of flaws. No doubt it does, but they no longer seem relevant, as I'm beginning to think DAD may be one of the very best Bond films ever (as opposed to merely a very good one). It certainly has more great elements than I could have hoped for in my wildest dreams.

One of those is Graves/Moon. I no longer feel that DAD's first half is great while its second half sucks. THE WHOLE MOVIE ROCKS:), and a major reason for this is that Graves/Moon is far more complex and compelling villain than the campy sneering of Toby Stephens' (terrific) performance initially led me to believe.

What Graves/Moon's goals are, and the lengths to which he goes in pursuit of them, drive the story forward in a way that is far more meaningful and engaging than the schemes of most Bond villains.

[ray t]

i dont know if it was Eon/purvis and wade, or if it was toby stevens (and to some degree, will yun lee)...but that Moon/Graves CHARACTER was extremely well written and portrayed.

no question in my mind...the "disgusting" gustav graves was, after all, modeled upon james bond...an evil james bond-the anti-bond....

luv the character...love toby stevens work in the movie

[rafterman]

Stephens was fantastic, especially towards the end, easily one of my favorite bad guys....as for the infamous CGI bit, I love it, it is like a highpoint every time I see the film...it's Bond and beyond....

[WhiteKnight]

And I believe that he DID learn a few lines of Korean as he mentioned in an interview (in a dead givaway to his character's TRUE identity)...that he "even got to learn a couple of lines of Korean!!"