Barnes & Noble

Brimming with lavishly mounted and inventively staged action sequences -- not to mention beautiful women and exotic locations -- the 19th James Bond film ranks among the series' best. Pierce Brosnan, playing 007 for the third time, seems quite comfortable in Bond's skin: He trades bullets, quips, and kisses with supreme self-assuredness. The plot, characteristically simplistic but unusually credible, has terrorist Robert Carlyle threatening to nuke a pipeline that would link oil-rich Azerbaijan to Europe. Director Michael Apted (42 Up) augments breathtaking action set pieces (including a speedboat chase on the Thames) with stunning visuals, not the least of which are sultry Sophie Marceau and super-curvaceous Denise Richards. The regal Judi Dench returns as intelligence chief M, and the late series regular Desmond Llewelyn makes his final appearance as gadget master Q. Surpassing the expectations of Bond devotees while subtly updating the series' conventions to reflect post-cold war realities, World powerfully demonstrates the continuing appeal of this venerable movie franchise. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

James Bond, the world's greatest secret agent, is sent once more into the breach in the name of Queen, Country, and a dry martini. In the 19th Bond adventure, 007 (Pierce Brosnan) must resolve a potentially deadly power struggle between two unstable nations, with control of the world's oil supply as the ultimate prize. Bond is assigned as bodyguard to Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), the daughter of a petroleum magnate who was brutally murdered, and is trying to foil the fiendish plot of Renard (Robert Carlyle), a villain who was shot in the head with an unusual result: he cannot feel physical pain, an apparent failing that proves to be a considerable asset. Denise Richards appears as Dr. Christmas Jones, an expert on nuclear weapons, alongside Desmond Llewelyn as Q, Judi Dench as M, Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny, and John Cleese as R. Alternative rock band Garbage performs the theme song. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 883904137566
• Source: MGM (VIDEO & DVD)
• Region Code: A
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 2:08:00
• Sales Rank: 16,379

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• James Bond Ultimate Edition, Vol. 1
• James Bond Blu-Ray Collection 3

Features: