Film Talk: Looking Back – The World Is Not Enough

This one, it has to be said, may not have been his greatest, but it wasn't half bad, and it showcased one of the finest villain portrayals in the history of the 007 franchise.

The nineteenth flick in the James Bond series, 1999's The World Is Not Enough was the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fabled MI6 agent.

Directed by Michael Apted, the film was brought to life from an original story and screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Bruce Feirstein, and was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

Also starring Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Robbie Coltrane, Dame Judi Dench and Denise Richards, this one had the opulence befitting any Bond movie, and was filmed at locations in Spain, France, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and the UK (The Artist Formerly Known As The Millennium Dome plays quite the part in the opening chase).

And in a gorgeous nod to the heritage of the franchise, the film's title is in fact the translation of the motto on the Bond family coat of arms, seen first in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

With an assassinated billionaire, a beautiful heiress in danger, a scarred and scheming terrorist, and a fair amount of cross-continental skulduggery, this one had everything a decent Bond flick needed. But how would it fare with the critics of the day, and would the box office bank be up to scratch?

When oil tycoon Sir Robert King (David Calder) is assassinated at MI6 headquarters, M (Dench) assigns James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) to protect his daughter and heiress, the beautiful Elektra (Sophie Marceau).

A terrorist and former KGB agent named Renard (Carlyle) has his eyes set on taking down the King oil pipeline and Elektra along with it. Unable to feel pain thanks to a bullet lodged in his brain, he is as cold and unhinged an adversary as 007 has ever faced.

While on assignment however, Bond becomes suspicious of figures closer to home.

With assistance from old adversary Valentin Zukovsky (Coltrane), and physicist Dr Christmas Jones (Richards), Bond must work to stop a terrorist plot that has more threads than he ever could have imagined.

The World Is Not Enough received mixed reviews in its day, with its plot and Denise Richards' casting often targeted for criticism. Despite this however, the film earned $361.8 million worldwide.

The lion's share of praise in this film must always been given to Robert Carlyle, whose stunning (and frankly terrifying) Renard goes down in history for me as one of the best baddies in the entirety of the Bond legacy. As the recent Full Monty TV series proved, there really is nothing that this incredible Scottish actor can't do.

But perhaps most importantly of all, a special mention must go to the fact that The World Is Not Enough marked the final appearance of Bond legend Desmond Llewelyn as the character Q. Tragically, the star – who had been part of the furniture since 1963's From Russia with Love – was killed in a car accident shortly after the film's premiere. Llewelyn had been the glue that had held the franchise together since the Connery days, and had played his part to perfection from his first frame to his last.

If you too were a child of the Brosnan era, Goldeneye will always be where your heart truly lies. But as a decent second best, this one will always be up there.