Die Another Day (2002)

I’m a long time James Bond fan, although never really gelled with the Daniel Craig era. Die Another Day was Pierce Brosnan’s fourth and final Bond film and gained mixed reviews.

However, I liked it. It made quite a lot of references to previous films as it was the twentieth official Bond film.

Much of the first part of the film is rich with scenes that The Reluctant Patient can ascribe.

Bond was infiltrated an arms deal where North Korean weapons are being traded for African conflict diamonds. At the most opportune time, Bond rotates the bezel on his watch, blowing up the case of diamonds in the face of Zao. He then hijacks a hovercraft to make his escape with the North Koreans in hot pursuit. Eventually, Bond pilots the hovercraft over the edge of a cliff, jumping out just in time and is dangling off a rope attached to a bell that looks like it is being rung for the first time in a hundred years. Bond jumps down and quips “Saved by the bell” whilst looking over the edge at what would surely have been his demise.

Bond turns around and realises he is surrounded by North Korean soldiers: maybe not so lucky.

The opening credits start as Bond is being tortured for information. The credits close, revealing that Bond has been a prisoner for fourteen months and looks in terrible shape. He is taken for interrogation again, where he is told that if he doesn’t tell them what they want to know, then things will be taken out of his hands. Bond refuses to talk. Maybe the Reluctant Patient should not think of a doctors appointment as an interrogation.

Bond is taken to the middle of nowhere and told to walk forwards, with North Korean soldiers aiming their rifles at him. It looks like he will be shot in the back in a staged prison escape. He hears a noise, stops and looks back: the North Koreans have shouldered their rifles and getting back on their truck.

“Keep walking!” says a voice over a tannoy, and Bond starts walking forward again. Out of the fog he sees a clean-shaven, healthy man walking toward him and notices diamonds embedded in the man’s face: Zao. When they get level Bond sounds disappointed as he says “I’m being traded. For you.” Zao smiles and they both continue walking.

The fog clears and two men come either side of Bond to help him walk the remainder of the way. Bond sees some people that he recognises, gives a smile and a wave. Falco from the NSA turns his back on Bond and says “You’d think he was some kind of hero.” Well, yes, the Reluctant Patient does not want to be a nuisance to medical professionals and in that respect is some kind of hero. Kind of. At that moment, one of the men escorting Bond sticks a syringe in his neck and catches him.

Bond is now lying on a hospital bed in pyjamas. Two shadowy figures watching from above commenting on his physical condition. He was repeatedly stung by a scorpion and then given an antivenom to keep him alive. But he otherwise seemed to be in remarkably good health, apart from . . .

“Liver’s not too good.”
“It’s definitely him, then.” Yeah, must be all those Martini’s.

Bond is reliving the torture in his mind. The medical equipment monitoring him start going wild. His heartbeat is slowing. Two doctors rush in with a defibrillator. The paddles are charged as it looks like Bond is about to have a heart attack. But then his vitals dramatically change, the medical instrumentation suddenly make different sounds, distracting the doctors. Bond opens his eyes, pushes a paddle against each doctor as they discharge, rendering both unconscious. Bond gets off the bed, walking past the nurse and saying “I’m checking out.” Yeah, and not the way you thought!

Bond leaves the room, realises he is on board a ship and makes his way topside as the alarm starts to sound and dives off the side of the ship.

He is close to shore, in fact it is a harbour and he pulls himself out of the water, next to a sign: “Hong Kong Sailing Club”.

Bond swaggers into the the hotel with confidence and walks up to the reception desk: “My usual suite, please,” he says.

The receptionist slowly raises his eyes: bare feet; pyjamas – soaking wet; straggly beard; long unkempt hair.

“Do you have a reservation . . . or any luggage . . . Sir?” asks the receptionist.

Bond shows the palms of his hands and gives a smile: nope!

The hotel manager comes over. “Been busy, have we Mister Bond?” he asks.

“Surviving, Mister Chang. Just surviving,” Bond replies. “You know I’ve always known you’re Chinese intelligence, Chang.”

“Hong Kong’s our turf now, Bond!” asserts Chang.

“Don’t worry: I’m not here to take it back!”

Yes – a lot of that sequence is relatable to The Reluctant Patient.

From the Case Files