150 Word Review: 'The World Is Not Enough' (1999)
Spy maintenance
Pierce Brosnan's second-to-last turn as 007, The World Is Not Enough, is not one of the storied franchise’s best, but it's one of my favorites.
First, it's directed by Michael Apted, the famed documentarian who also shot a few Hollywood dramas, most notably the Loretta Lynn biopic Coal Miner's Daughter. He was an unconventional choice to helm a Bond flick, but he was a pro who delivered the goods.
The World Is Not Enough is slick, sexy shlock: there are harrowing chases, high-tech gadgets, and death traps. The original Q says goodbye. There's a loose nuke. Bond falls for the wrong dame. As Renard, Robert Carlyle is a terrorist with a bullet in the brain who feels no pain. Brosnan is at the peak of his powers, part Connery-esque thug, part Moore-like jester. Denise Richards is nuclear physicist Dr. Christmas Jones, whose silly name is used as a naughty punchline.
I like Pierce Brosnan as Bond, but I think I prefer "Tomorrow Never Dies" just because Denise Richards is so ridiculous in "The World Is Not Enough." But I agree that it's fun to see Michael Apted direct a Bond film.