Sayak Basu
James Bond has always held a very special place in my heart. I was around 12 years old when Daniel Craig‘s ‘Casino Royale’ released, and I loved the film so much that soon enough I almost binge-watched all the Bond movies that came before it. When you’re that young and impressionable, nothing is cooler than watching a breathtakingly handsome man wearing the best suits possible, seducing women, sipping his shaken martinis, and wielding his Walther PPK like an extension of his own persona. You just wanted to be Bond when you watched his films, and it was not any different with me. Of course, soon enough I knew that no other actor who plays the role fits into it as perfectly as Pierce Brosnan. It seems like the man was born to play James Bond. He had the flair, the charisma, the good looks, and the screen presence to gel into the character.
Brosnan’s second film as Bond was 1997’s ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’, the first James Bond film made after the death of Albert R. Broccoli. The story centers around Bond trying to stop a major global crisis from kicking off after a media mogul creates massive tensions between England and China just to boost his own sales. ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ is one of the most ambitious James Bond films ever made. It has some of the best action scenes in the series, with one particular chase sequence standing out as the best in the franchise’s history. If you love this film and are looking for flicks that are similar in tone and style, then we’ve got you covered. Here is the list of best movies similar to ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ that are our recommendations. You can watch several of these movies like ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
8. Dr. No (1962)
This is where it all started. ‘Dr. No’ is the first time the world met and immediately fell in love with 007. The moment when Sean Connery lit up his cigarette in the casino announcing he is “Bond. James Bond”, a new chapter in popular culture began. The story of Dr. No is about Bond trying to prevent the eponymous villain from sabotaging one of America’s space programs, for which he travels to Jamaica where Dr. No owns an island of his own. The film started off the now-iconic gun barrel sequence which has become synonymous with Bond flicks, and it also established the Bond theme music which remains in use to this very day. Sean Connery and Ursula Andress would also create the prototype of what James Bond and a Bond girl respectively are, and what they represent in modern culture. ‘Dr. No’ is more than a film; it is a seminal moment in film history, a moment that needs to be celebrated often.
7. The World Is Not Enough (1999)
‘The World Is Not Enough’ is the third James Bond film to star Pierce Brosnan. Notably, this was the first Bond film made away from the United Artists’ label, the original owners of the franchise. The film centers around Bond trying to protect the daughter of an oil tycoon murdered by a dangerous terrorist called Renard. Bond tries his best to protect the girl in his custody, only to learn that Renard’s influence stretches much farther than what he had initially anticipated. The film finds its way to this list because it shows a clear departure from the previous Bond films of high-octane action to a somewhat more serious tone. However, the comedy elements that we expect from a Bond film are all present here in abundance. A mention must also be made of the performance by Robert Carlyle as Renard. He truly stands out as one of the best Bond villains ever.
6. The Bourne Identity (2002)
James Bond did start a revolution in the industry by creating the prototype of the super-spy who can act as a one-man army when necessary; someone who is able to take on both friends and foes alike. The 2002 film ‘The Bourne Identity’ introduced us to another such character who would also go on to become one of our favorite spies of all time. Jason Bourne is a former CIA agent who has been out of favor with the agency, and when we meet him for the first time, he’s floating around in the Mediterranean Sea with two bullets lodged in his back. Bourne does not have any idea of who he is or how he has landed up here in the first place.
Bourne movies always stand out for their action, and this one no different. Watch it as it is among the best action-thrillers of this century and it delivers all the goods that such a genre film requires. Matt Damon fits into the role perfectly, and the way he has carried the franchise forward on his own shoulders is truly commendable.
5. The Thomas Crowne Affair (1999)
Who would’ve known Pierce Brosnan could work his magic playing characters on either side of the law? In ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’, Brosnan plays a billionaire who is so bored with living an extravagant lifestyle that he wants some respite and thrill desperately. What does he do for the required thrill? He plans out major heists of some of the world’s most renowned pieces of artworks. Crown’s robberies go on pretty well until an insurance agent by the name of Catherine Banning gets suspicious about Crown and his life. ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ is a remake of a 1968 film starring Steve McQueen, albeit with certain changes in the plot. The film works well because of Brosnan’s performance, who keeps the Bond charm on while playing Thomas Crown.
4. GoldenEye (1995)
This is the film which introduced us to Pierce Brosnan as the new James Bond. The first scene of ‘GoldenEye’ features Brosnan making a massive jump from the top of a dam in order to infiltrate a chemical weapons facility operated by Russians. The image is so breathtakingly stunning that it served as the perfect vehicle for the new Bond actor to make an immediate impression upon the audience. The time during which ‘GoldenEye’ got made is also historically important — it was the first film among the 007 catalog to release after the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. The film centers around Bond and computer programmer Natalya Simonova trying to find out the location of one of 007’s old colleagues, Alec Trevelyan, who plans to extend the tensions of the Cold War by staging a nuclear attack. Immediately upon its release, it became clear that the audiences loved Brosnan as the perfect new James Bond and a much better fit to the character than his predecessor, Timothy Dalton.
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3. Goldfinger (1964)
“Do you expect me to talk?” “No Mr. Bond. I expect you to die”. A film which has as iconic an exchange as this one is sure to find a place on this list. ‘Goldfinger’ is the third film in the Bond canon, and besides Sean Connery in the leading character, it stars Gert Fröbe as the antagonist, Auric Goldfinger. Goldfinger is a business tycoon who runs a gold smuggling operation under the radar. It is Bond’s job to infiltrate his organization and stop his operations. The film remains one of the most highly rated Bond films of all time, and credit for it goes mainly to Frobe and Harold Sakata, who plays the tycoon’s manservant, Oddjob. Oddjob wears a hat with edges sharp enough to kill someone if thrown properly. The action, the comedy, and the solid performances make ‘Goldfinger’ one of the best spy movies of all time.
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2. Mission Impossible (1996)
Ethan Hunt is our second-most favorite spy after James Bond, and it would have been criminal to not have included the film that gave us this iconic American spy. In the first ‘Mission Impossible‘ film, we follow Ethan Hunt as he tries to clear his name from charges of corruption and betrayal. Hunt is a member of the Impossible Mission Force, a top-secret organization which works cases that are virtually impossible for any other government body to take on. ‘Mission Impossible’ led to the creation of one of the most iconic action franchises of all time and Tom Cruise went on to become a huge star. It became an equivalent of what the Rocky series is for Sylvester Stallone and the Terminator series is for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Cruise, with his brilliant suave, screen presence, and star power, looks as good in the role now as he did back then in 1996.
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1. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965)
Based on a John le Carré novel, ‘The Spy Who Came In From The Cold’ is a fascinating spy novel set during the Cold War. Richard Burton plays the protagonist Alec Leamas, who, in order to extract information about British prisoners of war being held in East Germany, reaches the Soviet-controlled area as undercover. He wants this to be the last case before he retires. However, things eventually get more complicated and Leamas is confronted with several dangers that he needs to eliminate. This Martin Ritt film is one of the best spy movies you will ever come across. It does away with the eccentricity of characters like Bond and Hunt, and provides a more real account of the dangers of being a spy. The film received massive critical acclaim and managed to win over audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.
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