Search: Directed by Martin Campbell

By focusing on the journey of how a spy becomes the Bond, James Bond we all know, the movie manages the impossible task of coping with all the baggage laid before it and reinvigorating our interest.

Ridley may not be in the top league of current action stars but she can handle herself, and she is at any rate more convincing as a former soldier than she is as a member of the working class.

This is a talky affair designed to move away from the original BBC six-parter's cold-war paranoia in favour of a Michael Clayton-style corporate cover up.

Where Goldeneye stands out is when it challenges the typical Bondian blueprint.

Dismal.

Once the action starts in earnest and the stunt doubles do their thing, the film is entertaining enough, although when Zorro leaps from a high rock onto the roof of a moving train, you do worry about the horse.

A balance is struck. Be serious about the swordplay and have fun with the rest.

The star is O'Donnell. As good as he is, he has the look of a lad on a gap year rather than the charismatic leader who might carry this through.