Pierce Brosnan has opened up about his time spent as James Bond 007. He doesn't appear too happy with it...
With Pierce Brosnan as 007, the 90s and early 2000s saw the revival of James Bond on the big screen, but each film ending up with higher and higher amounts of money in the bank. It would be fair to say that without Brosnan's Bonds, the even more commercially succesful Daniel Craig era might well be very different.
That said, some of Brosnan's Bond movies attract ire, even if the man himself doesn't. Chatting to The Telegraph, he does admit problems. "I felt I was caught in a time warp between Roger and Sean. It was a very hard one to grasp the meaning of, for me", he said.
He added that "the violence was never real, the brute force of the man was never palpable. It was quite tame, and the characterisation didn't have a follow-through of reality, it was surface. But then that might have had to do with my own insecurities in playing him as well". So does he ever revisit his 007 work? "I have no desire to watch myself as James Bond. 'Cause it's just never good enough. It's a horrible feeling".
On a slightly more positive note he had the following to say of his Bond work: "it's the gift that keeps on giving, that allowed me to create my own production company and make my own movies". So, there's always that.
Still, it does sound as though we're fonder of Pierce Brosnan's Bond movies than Pierce Brosnan is...
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After the painful end of Roger Moore's time in the role, the commercial failure of Timothy Daltons time as Bond and then legal issues I thought the franchise was dead. Pierce's stint as Bond basically saved the franchise and paved the way for Craig's harder hitting movies. Such a shame Die Another Day was such a disaster. I had hoped for a final movie but I agree it was time for him to go as the last thing we needed was another actor 50+ playing Bond.
The only problem I see with the Brosnan era is that they just started becoming too cartoonish with ridiculous gadgets like invisible cars.
None of the problems with the Brosnan films are in any way his responsibility: it was all down to the scripts and creative choices they made. He was great, bags of charm and charisma, and can do the humour, which Craig is weaker at. You always got the sense he'd have liked to have portrayed Bond's serious side more, but they didn't at that time want to emphasize that too much (eg Die Another Day after the opener). I think he gets the balance better than Craig but when you watch Brosnan's films now, they suffer from incredulity in style, much more than Craigs do. This is despite the fact Craig's films are pretty ludicrous in place ie equally OTT action (eg that daft opening sequence in Istanbul in CR). It's just the Craig films are styled much more seriously and cut out the Bond music so you don't always notice when it's OTT.
Isn't it the case the Living Daylights was a commercial and critical success. Licence to Kill did fine globally, not so well in the US but had a mixed critical reaction.
It sounds like he would rather have made the Bond movies that Daniel Craig has been doing.
I have to agree with Brosnan. While well-executed in terms of production, the films as vehicles to move the character of Bond in new and interesting directions were exceptionally weak. It's the same problem I have with Skyfall. It was almost as if the writers and producers couldn't come up with anything good and original as the first two Craig Bonds, knew it, and decided to recycle old Moore and Connery themes minus the heart. Plus, those types of stories just don't work outside of the 60's and 70's. Hell, they barely worked in the 90's!
Brosnan always is gonna be my favorite BOND of all BONDS.--He was the mix of SEAN and ROGER for me...And i agree % 100 with him..The movies in many ways was too campy...i mean all the gadgets was awesome but i think in the last film he make it (Die another day) in some ways they go to far (em..the invisible car)..that's why they come back to the basic with CRAIG..I think that what be great...if they done that whit BROSNAN...
Pierce was a great Bond! He shouldn't blame himself for the mistakes made by ppl behind the camera.