Machine Code

Synopsis

In North Korea, Bond kills Colonel Moon, who is trading weapons for African blood diamonds, and disfigures Moon’s henchman Zao in the process. Bond is captured and spends 14 months in prison before being exchanged for Zao, who had been captured by the British. MI6 believe Bond has cracked under torture, so he is disavowed. Bond tracks Zao to a Havana clinic, where he meets NSA agent Jinx Johnson, and finds out Zao is receiving DNA therapy to alter his appearance. After Zao escapes from the clinic, Bond follows the diamonds to London and then to billionaire Gustav Graves. M also suspects Graves – she planted agent Miranda Frost as Graves’ assistant – and gives Bond back his 00 status. In Iceland Graves unveils Icarus, a powerful laser satellite. Working together, Bond and Jinx discover that Graves is actually Moon; the colonel didn’t die in Korea and altered his appearance with gene therapy. Moon plans to use Icarus to help North Korea invade the South, but Bond and Jinx stow away on his cargo plane, where Jinx kills Frost, who had switched her allegiances to Moon, and Bond kills Moon, so preventing the invasion.

Cast

Pierce Brosnan, Halle Berry, Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike, Rick Yune, Michael Madsen, Will Yun Lee, Kenneth Tsang, Judi Dench, John Cleese, Samantha Bond, Emilio Echevarría, Michael Gorevoy, Lawrence Makoare, Colin Salmon

Producers

Michael G. Wilson
Barbara Broccoli

Director

Lee Tamahori

Release Date

20 November 2002 (UK)
22 November 2002 (USA)

World Premiere

18 November 2002, The Royal Albert Hall, London

Locations

Hawaii, USA; Aldershot, London, Eden Project, Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Chinnor, Burford, Oxfordshire & Pinewood Studios, England;Penbryn Beach, Ceredigion, Wales; Iceland; Cadiz, Spain

Music

“Die Another Day” – written and performed by Madonna, produced by Mirwas Ahmadzaï

Vehicles

Aston Martin V12 Vanquish; Jaguar XKR; Ford Thunderbird; Ford Fairlane Sunliner, Range Rover (L322), Graves’ ice dragster; Osprey hovercraft; Antonov aircraft; switchblade gliders; British Airways Boeing 747-400, Lamborghini Diablo, Ferrari F355 GTS

Gadgets/Weapons/Technology

• Walther P99
• Beretta Cheetah and Tomcat used by NSA agent Jinx
• Icarus satellite
• Battlesuit
• Surfboard with hidden weapons tray concealing a Walther P99 and ammunition, nylon rope, a tray of C-4 plastic explosive, a combat knife and a GPS device
• Combat Knife Beacon
• Omega watch with laser and detonator
• Mini-rebreather
• Sonic Ring
• ASAT Missile (Anti-Satellite Missile)
• Bounding mines
• Da Vinci machine
• Dream Machine
• Kevlar vest
• Industrial lasers
• Night-vision goggles
• Tank Buster semi-automatic/canon
• Virtual reality glasses
• Jinx’s descender device

Trivia

The ice palace took six months to construct

Scenes featuring a North Korean beach in the pre-titles were in fact filmed in Cornwall, England

The first film where Bond is seen with a beard

Although producer Michael G. Wilson had made several cameos in Bond films since Goldfinger, this was his first credited cameo appearance

The film marked the 40th anniversary of the franchise