Die Another Day: Lee Tamahori looks back at his 'controversial' James Bond film (exclusive)

Yahoo Movies ^ | 11/17/2022 | Tom Butler

[L.A.Justice]

If Lee Tamahori could change anything about his James Bond film Die Another Day it would be the film’s use of CGI in one infamous scene.

“The only thing I’d do differently [with Die Another Day] would be the kitesurfing sequence,” director Tamahori tells Yahoo over the phone from New Zealand, where he's shooting his next film.

“I don’t know how you’d do it differently. It was virtually impossible to do it for real as a real stunt: falling off the edge of a glacier, hastily concocting a kite-surfing rig, and kitesurfing your way out of danger. If you tried to do it for real… you just couldn’t do it.”

“The VFX and CGI was the only way out of it.”

That particular scene in the 2002 film — which had its world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall 20 years ago on 18 November, 2002 — sees Bond escaping an arctic tidal wave with the help of some shockingly poor CGI.

[L.A.Justice]

The film was deep into pre-production when the events of 9/11 struck. The terrorist atrocity unfolded before the director and screenwriters’ eyes, who downed tools while working on the screenplay at Eon’s offices in Regents Park to watch the rolling news. Die Another Day's city-levelling finale was scrapped in response to the events, with the final strafing of the villains Icarus space laser moved from a city in South Korea, to the uninhabited demilitarised zone between North and South Korea.

I watched this Bond film 20 years ago...When it was released in the theaters...

Many people dislike this film...I understand their problems with the film...

But, I do like the film...Action scenes are great...Like the battle between Aston Martin and Jaguar on the ice...The movie begins with Agent 007 being captured in North Korea...

[EEGator]

My favorite Pierce Brosnan Bond film was GoldenEye.

Great N64 game too.

[dfwgator]

Sean Connery is the only 007.

[BenLurkin]

Die Another Day Sword Fight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNxA27iQkGw

[L.A.Justice]

Madonna sang the song for the film...She also had a cameo in the film...Sword fighting scene between James Bond and Gustavo Graves...

[EEGator]

Your age is showing. :)
I do like Sean Connery in many flicks, Especially The Untouchables, The Rock, and The Hunt for Red October.

Craig is the most realistic Bond.

I didn’t like Roger Moore Bond flicks, even as a kid.

[algore]

I liked Moore as Bond, and also as the Saint

[SaveFerris]

Yes

And HB is extremely overrated

[kosciusko51]

Moore played Bond the same as Simon Templar.

[SaveFerris]

Now Rosamund Pike back in the day......

[JBW1949]

“...Sean Connery is the only 007...”

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JBW1949]

“...Craig is the most realistic Bond...”

Nope...Read Ian Fleming’s books....

Sean Connery comes to mind while reading them...

[EEGator]

Realistic, as in the real world. Not most like the books character.

[JBW1949]

Well, that’s true...None of the stories that Craig played Bond in were written by Ian Fleming anyway...

[EEGator]

Wasn’t Casino Royale?

I did not read it.

[JBW1949]

Yeah...Bond was played by David Niven in the original “Casino Royale”...

Btw, when is Bond going to become a black female “Jamie Bond”???

[IYAS9YAS]

None of the stories that Craig played Bond in were written by Ian Fleming anyway...

"Casino Royale" was the first Bond story written by Fleming and the first Craig Bond movie.

None of the movies were 100% in line with the Fleming books. "From Russia with Love", "Goldfinger", and OHMSS were the closest. Others simply borrowed a title and several scenes were lifted from different books altogether. The Faberge egg in "Octopussy" was lifted from "The Property of a Lady" which was in the collection of short stories "Octopussy and the Living Daylights." The scene of being dragged behind the boat in "For Your Eyes Only" was lifted from "Live and Let Die."

[EEGator]

Well, Daniel Craig is done, so...

[newfreep]

Rosamund Pike made “Gone Girl” watchable and entertaining.

Certainly the writers of her character had more to do with that than her acting but she did a good job with the psycho character.

[minnesota_bound]

I would have replaced Halle Berry, Madonna and the villian.