Smoothing-talking Bond is back to die another day

THE venerable James Bond is back for another outing, his 20th, in Die Another Day.

This time the suave secret agent, played by Pierce Brosnan, is chasing diamond smuggling terrorists in North Korea.

Things don’t go according to plan and he ends up spending 14 months being tortured in prison.

Why he doesn’t just use some of the famous gadgets he has accumulated during the previous 19 installments to escape is never explained.

When he's finally handed back in an prisoner swap he swears revenge against the terrorists’ leaders Colonel Moon (Will Yun Lee) and Zao (Rick Yune).

He follows them first to Cuba, where he bumps into Jinx (Halle Berry), who’s up to a few tricks of her own, and then to London, where he meets the flamboyant Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens) and the mysterious Miranda Frost (Rosamund Pike).

Graves has a dastardly plan to harness the sun’s power and take over the world. It’s up to Bond to stop him.

Let's face it, all the Bond flicks have pretty much the same plot. You either like the formula or you hate it.

Die Another Day has the usual cocktail of sexy women, clever gadgets, dangerous weapons, cheesy one-liners and action sequences set against stunning backdrops.

This time around they’ve added a new element, really crappy computer graphics.

All in all this is one for Bond fans who’ll support their hero, warts and all.

Action, 12. ***