Die Another Day

Die Another Day (2002) is the twentieth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. In the pre-title sequence, Bond leads a mission to North Korea, during which he is found out and, after killing a rogue North Korean colonel, he is captured and imprisoned. More than a year later, Bond is released as part of a prisoner exchange, and he follows a trail of clues in an effort to earn redemption by finding his betrayer and learning the intentions of billionaire Gustav Graves, who turns out to be the same colonel he supposedly killed. Bond pursues the colonel to stop him from using a satellite to reignite the war between North and South Korea.

Die Another Day, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and directed by Lee Tamahori, is the 20th film in the series and marks the franchise's 40th anniversary (begun in 1962 with Sean Connery starring in Dr. No). It includes references to each of the preceding films and also alludes to several Bond novels.

The film received mixed reviews—some critics praised Lee Tamahori's work on the film, while others pointed out the damage caused to the plot by the excessive use of CGI. In spite of its flaws, it became the highest grossing James Bond film to that date. It was distributed by MGM themselves in North America, and internationally through 20th Century Fox.

Cast

• 
  Pierce Brosnan as James Bond 007: An MI6 agent who is betrayed during a mission and subsequently dismissed under accusations that he leaked information to North Korea. Once reinstated with MI6, he tracks down Zao and uncovers a plot to reunite North and South Korea using military force.
  
• Halle Berry as Giacinta 'Jinx' Johnson: An NSA agent who collaborates with Bond to track Zao and find his connection to the mysterious Gustav Graves. Berry described her character, Jinx, as "more modern" than her counterparts from previous films, "fashion-forward", and "the next step in the evolution of women in the Bond movies."[2] According to an ITV news poll, Jinx was voted the fourth toughest on-screen girl of all time.[3]
  
• Toby Stephens as Gustav Graves: A British entrepreneur, though North Korean by birth, who changes his appearance with the assistance of gene therapy technology and creates a satellite that uses diamonds to bring sunshine to the world at night. His real aim, however, is to assist North Korea's conquest of South Korea by destroying a mine field between the two countries and taking out nuclear warheads fired by North Korea's enemies.
  
• Rick Yune as Zao: A North Korean who helps Graves implement his plans and machinations. Yune described Zao as one of the most "extreme" looking Bond villains; Yune's makeup—which included the implantation of real diamonds—required three hours.[4]
  
• Rosamund Pike as Miranda Frost: A double agent who initially poses as Bond's ally but later reveals herself to be an affiliate of Graves. Of filming her scenes with Brosnan, Pike said "We had pretty fantastic sex." But movie producers decided much of the footage was "too hot" and the sex scenes were trimmed.[5]
  
• Judi Dench as M: The strict head of MI6 who revokes Bond's licence to kill when he is released from prison, but later re-enlists him to help foil Graves' scheme.
  
• Will Yun Lee as Colonel Moon: A rogue North Korean army colonel who, though Bond thinks him dead after their first encounter, is found to be alive, and has altered his appearance to take on the identity of British billionaire Gustav Graves.
  
• Kenneth Tsang as General Moon: Colonel Moon's father. He is a strong advocate of North Korea's peaceful reunion with South Korea. He opposes his son's plan for reunification and is killed by his son for what the ex-colonel perceives as a lack of vision.
  
• John Cleese as Q: MI6's "quartermaster" who supplies Bond with multi-purpose vehicles and gadgets which prove useful in the latter's mission.
  
• Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny: M's secretary.
  
• Lawrence Makoare as Mr. Kil: One of Gustav Graves' henchmen.
  
• David Decio as Mr. Kil's PA: Mr. Kil's personal assistant.
  
• Emilio Echevarría as Raoul: The manager of a Havana cigar factory, and a British sleeper. He helps Bond find Zao in Cuba.
  
• Michael Madsen as Damian Falco: A high-ranking official in the NSA. In a 2002 interview Madsen remarked that "It's not a big role, but it's somewhat pivotal in that it introduces a new recurring character."[6]
  
• Madonna as Verity, Bond's fencing instructor.