The Action Of Tomorrow Never Dies

Released on December 12, 1997, Tomorrow Never Dies, Pierce Brosnan’s second adventure as 007, sees Bond investigate media mogul Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce), who is intent on manipulating a war between China and the UK. Jumping from Russia to Germany to Vietnam to the South China Seas, the film delivers exhilarating set-pieces involving jet fighters, remote control cars, a heavy-duty motorcycle and a stealth ship that find fresh new ways to reinvent action staples. Here’s how the creative team put us on the edge of our seats — and ensured we stayed there.

THE PRE-CREDIT SEQUENCE

The Sequence: Bond is sent by MI6 to scout a terrorist arms bazaar on the Russian border. Despite M (Judi Dench)’s protestations that 007 has not completed his reconnaissance, the Royal Navy frigate HMS Chester fires a missile at the bazaar. Bond discovers the terrorists have a Soviet military jet armed with two nuclear torpedoes. To avert an environmental disaster, Bond steals the jet with the torpedoes, escapes the explosion and dogfights with another jet before heading back to base.

BTS: The sequence was shot in January 1997 at Balcons de Peyresourde in the French Pyrenees. Combining the talents of 2nd Unit Director Vic Armstrong, special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, stunt co-ordinator Dickie Beer and the aerial team led by Marc Wolff, the sequence was captured over 3 weeks.

Expert Witness: “It all culminated in the cruise-missile explosion, which was huge. It involved 100 gallons of gasoline and about 30 pounds of dynamite. In reality, there are about 30 small explosions going into one huge explosion… We blew up a missile launcher, a helicopter and a truck. A jeep went up in a big bowl of flame. Vic was very particular about not seeing it there after the explosion — a total demolition job.” (Special effects supervisor Chris Corbould)

CAR-PARK CARNAGE

The Sequence: Bond travels to Hamburg to investigate Carver. He comes under attack by Carver’s men in a multi-storey car park, escaping in his gadget-laden BMW 750iL, which he drives via remote control. 

BTS: With the Brent Cross Shopping Centre doubling for the car park at Carver’s Hamburg printing plant, the sequence utilised 17 BMW 750iLs in Aspen Silver, four of which were adapted to facilitate a hidden driver to create the illusion that the car was being driven by Bond on his phone.

Expert Witness: “The car chase is only two minutes and ten seconds of film but it required five months of work for six guys and we ended up shooting the sequence for three weeks.” (Special effects crew member Nick Finlayson)

A DEATH-DEFYING LEAP

The Sequence: Bond and Chinese secret agent Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) are captured by Carver’s henchman Stamper (Götz Otto) and are taken to the media baron’s high-rise HQ in Ho Chi Minh City. After Carver explains his plan to kickstart global conflict, Bond and Wai Lin double-team to cause chaos and make their escape by jumping out of the window and plummeting down on ropes attached to a giant banner of Carver’s face.

BTS: On location in Hong Kong, Armstrong recalled huge banners attached to the sides of skyscrapers that reminded him of Michael Curtiz’s 1935 film Captain Blood, which saw Errol Flynn sliding down a ship’s sail by sticking a knife in it. Mark Southworth and Vic Armstrong’s wife, Wendy Leech, were the stunt doubles for 007 and Wai Lin, who abseiled down 43 stories of the Sinn Sathorn Tower. For close-ups of Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh, a five-storey mock-up of the building and banner was created at Frogmore Studios.

Expert Witness: “The wind was the unknown factor here. The rainy season would soon be with us and a gust of wind could have slammed us into the side of the building.” (Stunt performer Mark Southworth)

BIKE VS HELICOPTER

The sequence: Escaping from Carver’s clutches, Bond and Wai Lin, both handcuffed together, flee on a motorbike in a furious flight across the city. It becomes a cat and mouse game between the pair on two wheels and Carver’s helicopter, Bond at one point leaping over the rotor blades of the hovering chopper. The duel is brought to the end when Bond slides the bike under the ‘copter and uses a washing line to tie up the rotors, causing the vehicle to crash into a building.

BTS: The sequence was shot partly in Thailand and partly in Frogmore studios, with narrow, bustling streets recreated on the backlot. For the breath-taking moment Bond leaps the BMW R1200C Cruiser over the helicopter, stuntman Jean-Pierre Goy accelerated the bike from 0 to 62 mph in 5.8 seconds and rode off a 45ft ramp, accompanied by a dummy doubling for Wai Lin strapped to his back. The whirring blades of the helicopter were added digitally in post-production.

Expert Witness: “With the bike chase, I didn’t want to resort to the standard use of a motocross bike, which is convenient for jumps and tricks. Instead, we went for the biggest, heaviest and most unwieldy bike — the BMW R1200C Cruiser — and I built the chase around it. That’s what I wanted: to display its power and weight.” (Second unit director Vic Armstrong)

THE BICYCLE-SHOP BATTLE 

The Sequence: Handcuffing Bond to a pipe, Wai Lin takes refuge in an MSS (Ministry of State Security) safe house. She soon comes under attack from assailants sent by General Chang (Philip Kwok), Carver’s Chinese colleague, but, using her martial arts prowess and with a little help from 007, she emerges victorious.

BTS: The bicycle shop fight was captured on Frogmore Studio A stage on June 14 1997. Designed as a showcase for the martial arts skills of Michelle Yeoh, a huge action star in Asian cinema, the production hired stunt performers the actor had worked with previously to deliver her unique brand of fight sequences. The scene was also crucial to underline the idea that Wai Lin was not subordinate to 007.

Expert Witness: “Wai Lin is not the feminine equivalent of James Bond; she is the flipside of James Bond. She has a very different style and different attitude. They make a good pair.” – Co-producer Michael G. Wilson.

STEALTH SHIP SMACKDOWN

The Sequence: Bond and Wai Lin infiltrate Carver’s stealth ship to prevent him from firing a stolen British missile at Beijing. Bond uses an explosive to expose the concealed ship to radar, killing Carver with his own sea drill and traps Stamper in the missile firing mechanism, escaping with Wai Lin as the vessel explodes. 

BTS: The interior of Carver’s stealth vessel was designed by production designer Allan Cameron. While the US were already using Stealth technology, the size of the ship meant that Cameron had to cleave closer to fantasy than reality. The exterior of the boat was recreated in a 30-foot-long, 3.5-tonne miniature shot at the water tank at Baja Studios in Mexico, created for Titanic. During the fifth take of a fight sequence, the rim of a stunt performer’s metal helmet caught Pierce Brosnan’s face, and the actor was quickly rushed to Vernon Hospital in Middlesex. For the rest of the shoot, the injury was cleverly concealed by make-up.

Expert Witness: “I could see the funny side of it. There was a doctor suddenly confronted with James Bond lying on a bed covered in blood, and movie executives on mobile phones talking about how the injury would affect the movie. I was more worried about that. After all that effort we’d put in, I was thinking ‘Christ, have I blown it?’” (Pierce Brosnan, James Bond).