The World Is Not Enough (1999)


 

Mission
When 007 is assigned to protect an oil heiress, he is catapulted into a passionate, adrenaline-charged adventure that pits him against one of his most deadly adversaries: Renard, a ruthless anarchist whose total imperviousness to pain makes him a virtually unstoppable enemy.

Release Data
UK: 26th November 1999 (12)
USA: 19th November 1999 (PG-13)
World Premiere: 8th November 1999 (Bruin & Fox Theatre, Los Angeles, USA)
UK TV Premiere: 14th November 2001, ITV
US TV Premiere: 3rd November 2002, CBS

Running Time: 128 minutes
Classification: 12 (UK), PG-13 (US)
Budget: $135m
Worldwide Box Office: $352m
US Box Office: $126.93m
US Admissions: N/A
UK Box Office: £28.57


Cast & Characters
James Bond
Pierce Brosnan
Dr. Christmas Jones
Denise Richards
Elektra King
Sophie Marceau
Renard
Robert Carlyle
Valentin Zukovsky
Robbie Coltrane
Sasha Davidov
Ulrich Thomsen
Cigar Girl
Maria Grazia Cucinotta
Mr Bullion
Goldie
Gabor
John Seru
Bill Tanner
Michael Kitchen
Charles Robinson
Colin Salmon
Dr. Molly Warmflash
Serena Scott Thomas
M
Dame Judi Dench
Miss Moneypenny
Samantha Bond
Q
Desmond Llewelyn
Q's Assistant
John Cleese
   
   

Production
Producers: Barbara Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson
Director: Michael Apted
Screenplay: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Bruce Feirstein
Composer: David Arnold

Locations
Bilbao, Spain; London, UK; Scotland, UK; Baku, Azerbaijan; Istanbul, Turkey.

Pre-Credits Sequence
Bond is in Bilbao investigating to a Swiss banker in order to retrieve £3m that Sir Robert King used to buy a stolen top-secret report and to get a lead on a dead MI6 agent.

When Bond doesn't get his demands, he ups the ante by roughing up the goons. Upon questioning the banker at gunpoint, a mysterious assassin later to be known as "Cigar Girl" thwarts his attempts. It soon becomes time to leave and Bond opts for the window, keeping one step ahead of the authorities.

Later back at the MI6 building Sir Robert has arrived to collect his money and is speaking to M when Bond enters her office. When offered a drink he notices that the ice in his finger is making a chemical reaction. The money Bond collected is a bomb and 007 is too late in warning King as an explosion rips throught the MI6 building.

 

Bond spots Cigar Girl in a powerboat on the Thames and steals Q's retirement project: a boat loaded with armaments for "fishing". After a spectacular chase, Bond catches up with the girl who is trying to escape in a hot air balloon. Bond is hanging on by a rope as Cigar Girl opts to blow herself up rather than face the consequences, leaving 007 dropping onto the Millennium Dome.

Title
Uttered by James Bond when Elektra King offers him the world, the title of the film is taken from Bond's family motto that adorned his coat of arms in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". It is translated from the original Latin phrase "orbis non sufficit".

 

Cut Scenes & Alternate Versions
The trailer shows Christmas Jones telling Bond, "Someone is going to be after my butt." In the film, she says "Someone is going to have my ass."

Early press screenings ran for 160 minutes. The film was cut back to 128 minutes for release.
Scenes that were trimmed back include:
- Right after Bond jumps out of the Bankers office in Bilbao, the Cigar Girl comes into the Hotel Room from which Renard shot the guard. He says to her, he hopes that Bond will bring the money back.
- The boat chase sequence was originally 18 minutes long.
- The sequence in which King dies and Bond looks for the Cigar Girl was originally longer.
- Also shortened was the scene where Bond drives through the oil fields in Azerbaijan.
- While Bond is talking to Elektra her office was flown in by helicopter. It then expands to the size as it is seen in the film

Best Line
Zukovsky: "I'm looking for a submarine. It's big, and black and the driver is a very good friend of mine.

Best Mistake
When Elektra removes her earring to show Bond her mutilated lobe, it magically replaces itself in the next shot.

Distinguishing feature
007 shooting a 'Bond girl' for the first time, and Brosnan giving 007 a deeper persona.

Vital Statistics
Conquests: 3
Martinis: 1
Kills: 19
"Bond, James Bond": 2

MI6 Rating


Fan Rating

As voted in MI6's Fan Verdict poll

JAMES BOND WILL RETURN ["DIE ANOTHER DAY"]

DVD cover image courtesy Amazon Associates