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Journalism of Courage
The world is not enough
You8217;ve got to hand it to the Bond franchise. Thirty-eight years after Sean Connery mumbled the priceless 8220;Bond, James Bond8221; introduction in Dr No, the plots haven8217;t changed, nor have the world-threatening megalomaniacs, exotic locales or the pretty women. But each successive film is as entertaining as the next.
The heiress and her oil pipeline project through the heart of Eurasia are threatened by ruthless terrorist Renard Robert Carlyle, a villain who feels no pain, thanks to a bullet lodged in his brain.
Amidst a saga of intrigue, plot twists, saucy double entendres, a record number of high-octane explosions and, of course, hi-tech gizmos including a missile-firing car and a truck-load of product endorsements, Bond foils Renard8217;s nefarious designs 8212; chiefly blowing up a stolen Russian nuclear submarine. With a little help from attractive nuclear scientist Dr Christmas Jones Denise Richards and Russian mobster Zukovsky Robbie Coltraine.
The fast-paced film ricochets from the scenic French Alps, Spain and the oil farms of Azerbaijan before landing in the climax set in Turkey, the eastern gateway to Europe.
Competently helmed by Michael Apted Nell, Gorillas in the Mist, Brosnan is brilliant in his third Bond outing. Dimunitive Full Monty star Robert Carlyle isn8217;t the strapping Teutonic villain that Gert Frobe Goldfinger or Kurt Jurgens The Spy Who Loved Me played, but is menacing enough as the doomed anarchist racing against time. Don8217;t miss Desmond Llewelyn8217;s gadgetman Q near-clairvoyant line to Bond about his calling it quits 8212; he tragically died in a car crash soon after the film8217;s release last year.
The World gets a two thumbs up. Notches above the disappointing Tomorrow Never Dies and in the class of GoldenEye.
And if you ignore technical glitches like how a nuclear submarine could dive in the shallow Bosphorous Straits, this flick merits a second look.
A destiny of her own
This period piece based on a biography and set in the 16th century Venice is about a young woman Veronica Franco Catherine McCormack who can8217;t marry nobleman Marco Venier Rufus Sewell because of her poverty. So in a Pygmalion-esque move, mother Paola Jacqueline Bisset trains the heart-broken girl to become a courtesan 8212; not unlike those in ancient India 8212; in the Venetian court.
With her combination of wit and beauty, Veronica quickly ascends the list of Venetian glitterati. As the most desirable woman in the city, she even uses her charms to convince the King of France to send his ships to defend Italy from the Moors, and begins a torrid affair with her former suitor Venier.
Until a sweeping plague forces the Church to look for scapegoats, chiefly the courtesans. And Veronica is tried for heresy by a spurned suitor turned priest Oliver Platt.
Destiny, obviously inspired by the success of 16th century period pieces like Shakespeare in Love and Elizabeth, is passable.
8212; SANDEEP UNNITHAN
