Top notch Pierce Brosnan Bond which has several of the most memorable moments of the Brosnan era: M's comeback about "balls", the motorcycle going under the helicopter, and the kiss at the end. There are many other enjoyable bits too: deserted South East Asian islands, tearing up Saigon, the remote control car, Jullian Fellowes as a camp seeming Minister of Defence, the final Rupert Maxwell reference.
Pleasantly non-American in flavour, with an enjoyable imperial throwback as Bond tries to stop a war between China and Britain over Hong Kong (ever notice how captains of ships that sink in the opening reel are always played by the same sort of dashing middle aged actor?), a crack at Americans not being up on intelligence.
Pierce is in decent form, as the mission is serious business - I don't think he's as interested in nookie as other Bonds, but its an attitude that suits here. For instance, I believe he and Michelle Yeoh have an attraction for each other, and a great deal of respect, but you kind of get the impression they only go to bed together (or seem to be about to) out of convention. Yeoh is a star, Terri Hatcher fine, the evil German henchman Gotto Otz suitably nasty (perhaps too nasty - I wished he had more of a come uppance).
I wasn't quite in love with Jonathan Pryce's villain - I love him as an actor, he seems to be hitting all the right buttons, but it's not quite there. Don't know why - maybe he's physically a bit too small, he needed something else - a steel claw, a natty outfit, something. Ricky Jay's computer genius is too cuddly for a baddy. Dud theme song - really awful, wrecks some very fine credits. But it was sweep, excitement, romance, intrigue - a superior Bond.
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