Release Date - November 17, 1995
Plot - James Bond is pitted against a Russian organization bent on destroying England's economy by using a electromagnetic pulse satellite device known as GoldenEye.
Villains - Alec Trevelyan is a former British agent and the leader of Janus. He faked his own death nine years previously in order to elude any suspicion from his criminal activities. His face is half scarred from the explosion OO7 created while trying to escape from a Russian chemical weapons plant. His plan is to become the world's richest man by transferring monetary funds from the Banks of England into his own bank accounts and erasing any trace of the transaction with the GoldenEye satellite.
Arkady Grigorovich Ourumov, is a Russian general secretly connected to the Janus organization. He gives the orders to Onetopp to murder all of the personnel at the Severnaya satellite facility and steal the GoldenEye device.
Boris Grishenko, is a computer geek who programs the GoldenEye satellite into the orbit above England.
Bond-Girls - Natalya Fyodorovna Semyonova, is a beautiful Russian computer programmer who is also the sole survivor of the Severnaya satellite massacre. She aides Bond by following him to Cuba where the Janus organization is preparing to wipe out England's banking industry.
Caroline, is the psychologist sent by M to analyze OO7. After losing her cool during the car race between Bond and Onetopp, she quickly succumbs to Bond's sexual prowess.
Henchmen - Xenia Onatopp, is Trevelyan's right hand henchwoman. Her specialty is killing men by squeezing them to death between her thighs.
Bond's Friends - Jack Wade, is a CIA agent who is more comic relief than help. He leads Bond to Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky, who was once a Russian spy but now is involved with the Russian black market. Years ago, Bond shot Zukovsky in the leg and caused him to have a permanent limp. Using caution and tact, he now needs Zukovsky to help him contact the Janus organization.
Minor Characters - M, Major 'Q' Boothroyd, Miss Moneypenny, Bill Tanner, Dmitri Mishkin.
Highlights - The pre-credit sequence with Bond breaking into the Russian chemical facility and escaping from it. The chase between Bond's Aston Martin DB5 and Onatopp's Ferrari. The late night meeting between Bond and Trevelyan. The Russian tank chase through St. Petersburg. The fight between Bond and Trevelyan on top of the satellite dish in Cuba.
Most Memorable Dialogue
- Bond meets with the new head of MI6 and this time "M" is a
woman.
"M": "I think you're a sexist, misogynist dinosaur. A relic of
the Cold War, who's boyish charms, though wasted on me, obviously appealed to
the young lady I sent out to evaluate you."
Trivia - GoldenEye is the name of Ian Fleming's Jamaican home where he wrote all the OO7 thrillers until his death in 1964.
Although presented by Albert R. (Cubby) Broccoli, GoldenEye was actually produced by his stepson Michael G. Wilson and his daughter Barbara Broccoli.
It is nine years later after the opening credits. The film was released in 1995 which would mean that Brosnan was playing James Bond in 1986. The very year he was forced to give up the role he was hoping to take over after Roger Moore retired.
Cast -
Personal Comment About This Film - A great start for Pierce Brosnan in the role he lost in 1986 (to Timothy Dalton) when the producers of Remington Steele forced him to film six more episodes of a dying TV series. There are memorable moments where Brosnan hits his mark especially when he is arming an explosive device while a bullet misses his head by inches. He flinches for a second but does not delay his hands from activating the bomb. A truly superb moment.
The film is directed well by newcomer Martin Campbell and he keeps the camera moving with some innovative shots and captivating cinematography. The story is unique and fresh with Bond struggling with the reality that his best friend and former British double 'O' agent is a treasonous mastermind.
Kudos go to producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for picking up the torch their father Cubby Broccoli left for them after 16 films. Derek Meddings gives us outstanding model effects that rival his days during The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker. His model of the Janus train and the Cuban satellite dish is among his best work. Unfortunately he was dying from cancer during the making of this film and never saw the finish work he was so proud to be a part of.
Samantha Bond makes her first appearance as Miss Moneypenny. Although she plays the part for all four Brosnan films, I never felt she captured the frustration that Lois Maxwell gave so well. Judi Dench, however, gives us some great scenes as the new "M".
The worse part of the film is the music soundtrack by Eric Serra. His style is too subtle for a Bond film and his work made the film feel cold and slow at times. The main title song by Bono and The Edge and sung by Tina Turner is catchy, though it lacks the panache of earlier tunes.
On A Scale From 1 to 10 - I give this film an OO7
U. S. Style A Poster
The End Of GoldenEye
But James Bond Will Return In