Die Another Day, released in 2002, is the twentieth film in the James Bond series and the fourth and final to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional British Secret Service agent Commander James Bond. In the film, Bond is betrayed after killing a rogue North Korean Colonel and captured. Once released in a prisoner exchange, he must follow a trail of clues in an effort to reveal the MI6 leak and soon learns that the villain he is pursuing is the same North Korean Colonel he supposedly killed. James then must prevent a satellite from igniting a war between North and South Korea.
Die Another Day was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and directed by Lee Tamahori. Being the twentieth James Bond film and also being released in the year of the film franchise's fortieth Anniversary, it includes references to each of the preceding films and additionally alludes to several Bond novels.
The film received mixed reviews, with some critics praising Lee Tamahori's work and others pointing out the damage caused by excessive CGI effects to the plot. It nevertheless became the highest grossing James Bond film of all time before being surpassed by Casino Royale in 2006.
"Die Another Day" was the theme to the James Bond film of the same name recorded by Madonna. It was Madonna's 20th anniversary of making hits. The single, released in late-2002, peaked at number eight in the United States and #3 in the United Kingdom, making it the most successful Bond theme since "A View to a Kill." The song was later included on the her 2003 album, American Life.
