Movie

Die Another Day

Name: Die Another Day
Released: 2002

2002 • Action, Adventure, Thriller

Woke Score

4.2

out of 10

Plot

Pierce Brosnan gives one last mission as James Bond 007. Starting off in North Korea, Bond is betrayed and captured. Fourteen months later, Bond is set free, but traded for Zao (Rick Yune) who was captured by MI6. When back in his world, Bond sets off to track down Zao. Bond gets caught up in yet another scheme which sends him to millionaire Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens). Another MI6 Agent known as Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike) is also posing as a friend of Graves. Bond is invited to a presentation held by Graves about a satellite found in space which can project a huge laser beam. Bond must stop this madman with a fellow American Agent, known as Jinx Johnson (Halle Berry). While Bond tries to stop Graves and Zao, will he finally reveal who betrayed him?

Overall Series Review

The film starts with a gritty, darker edge as James Bond is tortured and disavowed, which quickly gives way to a highly exaggerated and gadget-heavy storyline. The main villain, Graves, is a flamboyant figure whose identity is a major point of the narrative, revealing a secret 'race-swapping' origin from a North Korean operative to a Western billionaire. The American ally, NSA Agent Jinx Johnson, is a highly capable and independent operative who operates as Bond's professional equal rather than a mere assistant, balancing the male hero's traditional role. Betrayal is a core theme, stemming not only from an international adversary but also from within the British intelligence agency itself, presenting a view of institutional corruption. The plot is focused entirely on stopping a massive doomsday device from triggering war between the Koreas, placing the hero firmly within the classic geopolitical spy thriller genre.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics7/10

The film's primary villain, Colonel Moon, undergoes gene therapy to physically 'race-swap' and become the wealthy, white British industrialist, Gustav Graves. This explicitly frames a white, elite male identity as a deliberate mask and vessel for an Asian enemy's villainy and global destruction. The core of the plot relies on this forced identity change. Jinx Johnson, the primary ally, is a highly prominent and competent African-American NSA agent who functions as a hero on par with Bond, representing a high-profile injection of diversity into the heroic structure.

Oikophobia5/10

The central threat remains an external North Korean military operative, but the narrative is complicated by the fact that the villain operates by successfully masquerading as a white British billionaire who exploits Western capitalism and technology. The mole who betrays Bond is also a white British MI6 agent. The film thus presents internal corruption and institutional weakness within the UK's security apparatus as a significant problem, but the ultimate heroic action is the defense of Western-allied interests against a foreign despotic power.

Feminism6/10

The female characters are highly professional and operate with significant competence. M, a woman, is the head of MI6 who suspends Bond and challenges his methods. Jinx Johnson is an NSA agent on a solo mission who acts as Bond's equal in skill and courage, and she takes on a major role in the final action sequence, affirming her capabilities under pressure. The main villain's accomplice, Miranda Frost, is also an intelligent, highly educated, and deadly former Olympic athlete and MI6 agent, showing female competence on both sides of the conflict.

LGBTQ+1/10

The story adheres to the traditional structure of a male-female pairing with no exploration of alternative sexual identities. Sexuality is presented in the context of private, transactional, and romantic espionage common to the classic Bond formula. The narrative offers no commentary or lecturing on gender theory or the deconstruction of the nuclear family.

Anti-Theism2/10

The conflict is secular and geopolitical, centering on a satellite weapon, conflict diamonds, and North Korean aggression. The film is not concerned with faith as a source of strength or a moral law. There is an irreverent moment where Bond and Jinx are shown in a love scene near a Buddhist statue, which caused mild controversy for disrespecting the religious site, but the narrative does not contain a sustained hostility toward traditional Western religion.