Film

Tomorrow Never Dies

Name: Tomorrow Never Dies
Genre: Adventure, Action, Thriller
Released: 1997
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Ricky Jay

Spy action
Thriller
Relentless

Tomorrow Never Dies is a slick, propulsive Bond film that trades Cold War paranoia for media-age anxieties. Pierce Brosnan at his most charming, Michelle Yeoh as a partner who genuinely matches him, and Jonathan Pryce chewing scenery as a Murdoch-like villain. It's smart enough to acknowledge the machinery of news without getting bogged down. Perfect if you want Bond to feel contemporary without losing the absurdist fun.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy big, glossy 1990s set pieces with a wisecracking hero, a satirical swipe at media empires, and a rousing motorbike-and-car chase sensibility that feels closer to Goldeneye than to anything grittier.

Skip it if you want a slow, brooding spy story; this one is loud, quippy and built around gadgets and explosions, and its villain's plot is more cartoonish than menacing.

What it asks of you: Settle in for just under two hours of brisk, action-heavy scenes with little downtime, and be willing to take the bluster and one-liners as part of the fun.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Spy Who Loved Me1977

The template for Brosnan-era Bond: a villain with a plausible plan, a gadget-heavy plot, and a partner who's equally capable. Roger Moore proves the role can survive without taking itself too seriously while still delivering real stakes.

But The pacing lags in the middle act, and Moore's quips don't always land. If you need gravitas, this is the wrong Bond.

GoldenEye1995

Brosnan's debut and the bridge between classic and modern Bond. Sean Bean is genuinely menacing, the Russia-set plot feels urgent, and the action sequences still hold up. This is what convinced audiences the role had a future.

But The tank chase through St. Petersburg is spectacular but goes on forever. Some of the one-liners feel forced even for Bond.

Licence to Kill1989

Timothy Dalton's final bow is darkly personal—Bond seeking revenge instead of serving Queen and country. It's leaner and meaner than most Bonds, with real consequence and anger underneath the spectacle.

But The tonal shift is jarring if you come to Bond for escapism. Dalton's performance is so severe it can feel cold rather than cool.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Tomorrow Never Dies

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Year of Living Dangerously1982

Both films center on media manipulation and political intrigue, but Weir's film asks what happens to individuals caught in that machinery, where Bond lets the machinery be scenery.

Peter Weir's masterpiece about journalists in 1960s Indonesia—espionage and romance in the shadow of political collapse. Mel Gibson and Sigourney Weaver as conspirators and lovers. Tense, smart, and genuinely romantic in ways Tomorrow Never Dies just gestures toward.

But It's a talky character study, not an action film. The romance develops slowly. If you need movement, you'll feel it dragging.

The World Is Not Enough1999

Brosnan's best: a genuinely complex villain in Sophie Marceau, strong supporting work from Judi Dench, and action sequences that balance bombast with real character work. It's smart about power and legacy in ways Bond usually ignores.

But Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist is a miscast that derails the final act. The film seems embarrassed by it too, which doesn't help.

From Russia with Love1963

Connery's second outing is the gold standard: taut, elegant, a real spy thriller where seduction and tradecraft matter as much as gunfire. It's about espionage rather than saving the world. Subtly devastating.

But It moves slowly by modern standards, and the final act feels rushed. If you need constant action, you'll get restless.

Casino Royale2006

Daniel Craig's reinvention proved Bond could survive a total reboot. A tense, brutal poker thriller that grounds the character in real pain and consequence. Mads Mikkelsen is terrifying. The parkour chase is extraordinary.

But It's long and introspective in ways that can feel un-Bond-like. The final twenty minutes are narratively slack.

The Living Daylights1987

Dalton's debut: witty without winking, action-packed but attentive to plot. A perfect film for people who think Bond has gotten silly. Maryam d'Abo is a partner, not a prop. The Aston Martin is magnificent.

But Dalton's intensity can read as humourless. The Afghanistan subplot feels dated now.

Skyfall2012

Roger Deakins photographing Bond—it's stunning. Javier Bardem as an intimate villain. A film about ageing, loyalty, and obsolescence. It takes the character seriously while never forgetting he's a myth.

But The third act logic falls apart if you think about it. Some scenes prioritize beauty over momentum.

Octopussy1983

Moore at peak charm in a genuinely fun entry. Maud Adams is excellent, the India-set plotting is intricate, and the climax involves Bond in a gorilla suit, which somehow works. It knows exactly what it is.

But The humor is broad. The plot requires you to surrender logic entirely. If you want intelligence in your Bond, skip it.

Network1976

Both films pit an individual against media titans, but Network suggests the system survives intact no matter who you defeat—a darker vision than Bond's reassuring triumph.

Paddy Chayefsky's vicious satire about a news empire willing to do anything for ratings—which means it's more prescient about Elliot Carver's villainy than Tomorrow Never Dies itself. Peter Finch, William Holden, Faye Dunaway. Painfully, hilariously relevant.

But It's a polemic dressed as a thriller, and it's exhausting. If you want to relax, this film wants to make you angry.

Orpheus1950

Both films feature protagonists seduced and endangered by dangerous women; Cocteau's Eurydice is Paris Carver's ancestor, the woman whose power lies in her refusal to be saved.

Jean Cocteau's black-and-white reverie—Orpheus as a jazz musician navigating an underworld ruled by a femme fatale. Pure cinema, dreamlike and strange. The motorcycle death, the mirror between worlds, the absolute glamour of it. Nothing like a Bond film, but watching it is hypnotic.

But It's poetic and slow. The plot is myth, not machinery. If you need narrative clarity and forward momentum, you'll be lost.