GoldenEye (1995)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Martin Campbell

Writers (WGA):

Ian Fleming (characters)
Michael France (story)

Release Date:

17 November 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

You know the name. You know the number.

Plot:

James Bond teams up with the lone survivor of a destroyed Russian research center to stop the hijacking of a nuclear space weapon by a fellow agent believed to be dead.

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Agent | James Bond | Satellite | General

Awards:

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Pierce Brosnan	...	James Bond
Sean Bean	...	Alec Trevelyan / Janus
Izabella Scorupco	...	Natalya Fyodorovna Simonova
Famke Janssen	...	Xenia Zirgavna Onatopp
Joe Don Baker	...	Jack Wade
Judi Dench	...	M
Gottfried John	...	General Arkady Grigorovich Ourumov
Robbie Coltrane	...	Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky
Alan Cumming	...	Boris Grishenko
Tchéky Karyo	...	Defense Minister Dmitri Mishkin (as Tcheky Karyo)
Desmond Llewelyn	...	Q
Samantha Bond	...	Miss Moneypenny
Michael Kitchen	...	Bill Tanner
Serena Gordon	...	Caroline
Simon Kunz	...	Severnaya Duty Officer

Also Known As:

Bond 17 (UK) (working title)
Golden Eye (International: English title) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for a number of sequences of action/violence, and for some sexuality.

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Russian | Spanish

Color:

Color | Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #34064) | UK:15 (uncut) (2006 ultimate edition) | Philippines:PG-13 | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:PG | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:12 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Admiralteysky, St. Petersburg, Russia

Company:

Eon Productions

Trivia:

This is the first time that the Bill Tanner Mi6 Chief of Staff character has appeared in the series since For Your Eyes Only (1981). The character was meant to return for the next Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) but the actor Michael Kitchen who had played him here was unavailable to return. But Kitchen did get to return as Tanner in The World Is Not Enough (1999).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As the satellite dish is draining the water towards the finale of the movie, the motion of the water indicates that the film was reversed to give the draining effect.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[Russian in toilet cubicle looks around his newspaper to see Bond hanging from the ceiling]
James Bond: Beg your pardon, forgot to knock.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Inside Q's Laboratory (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

Preobrajensky March

This one deserves much more credit then it has received.

This is by far one of the best Bond films simply because it does not try to be a Bond film. GoldenEye demonstrates an impressive independence that separates it from the tried-and-true-but-getting-boring Bond formula. The one liners are not that great, but the action sequences are mindblowing. The chase scene is the best I have ever seen in any movie. Period. Purists will complain that there is a lack of gadgetry, but let them pout and go back to MacGyver reruns. Possibility is not permissibility. Just because Bond has a snazzy car does not mean that he has to utilize every perk that Q has included. It is a relief that the writers did not force a new scene just to show off the car. The movie does not need one, which helps it to maintain its quality as not just a Bond movie, but a high quality action movie that can stand on its own. You will even find (gasp!) . . . character building! There is actually dialogue between Q and Bond, instead of just a briefing and some commands. Brosnan more than holds his own against past Bonds, and offers some of that GQ gentlemen element found missing in some of the past ones. Bond fan, action fan, any fan, check this one out. I even made my girlfriend watch it, and even she enjoyed it. Chances are you will too.