10 Incredible Scenes From Mediocre Movies

9. Bond Vs. The North Korean Army - Die Another Day

Quicksilver X-Men
MGM

Die Another Day is rightly pilloried by James Bond fans for being one of the worst entries into the series, but even then, it's still a watchable lark for the most part.

It's a shame, though, as the film's electrifying pre-titles sequence suggested an altogether smarter and more expectation-defying piece of work.

It opens with Bond (Pierce Brosnan) infiltrating a North Korean military base, whereby his cover is soon enough rumbled and all hell breaks loose.

Bond ends up battling the North Korean fleet solo, leading to a thrilling hovercraft chase and the spy's eventual capture.

This leads into the terrific titles sequence which, nauseating Madonna song aside, shows Bond like we've never seen him before - helpless and broken down by torture, with long hair and a scraggly beard to boot.

Sadly this fascinatingly subversive narrative thread is abandoned soon enough with Bond's swift rescue, while the goofy nonsense that follows enthusiastically glosses over the clear trauma Bond suffered after 14 months of torture in captivity.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.