Pierce Brosnan’s road to becoming Agent 007 in 1995’sGoldeneyewas a long, oftentimes turbulent journey, unlike what his predecessors and his successor,Daniel Craig, had experienced. The once small-screen heartthrob of NBC’s romantic detective seriesRemington Steele, Brosnan nearly landed the part ofJames Bondin 1987’sThe Living Daylightsuntil contractual obligations to the show paved the way forTimothy Daltonto don the tux. In between losing Bond and winning Bond, Brosnan gained career mileage with several low-budget action-thrillers such as 1992’sLive Wire.
Unlike other tepid Brosnan thrillers of the time, includingTaffinandThe Fourth Protocol, his role as an Irish-American federal agent showcased what the Bond producers were missing out on at a time when the long-running franchise was dormant.Intended as a theatrical release, the action blockbuster from directorChristian Duguay(The Art of War,Screamers) went straight to HBO as the future 007 struggled both personally and professionally. Regardless of the simplistic cop versus terrorist plot, Brosnan found credibility as an action hero with deep flaws, essential to one day portraying the legendary superspy.
What Is ‘Live Wire’ About?
Emphasizing terrorist acts around the world with the film’s opening shots showing real footage of thePam Am tragedy in Scotland,Live Wirefollows Danny O’Neill (Brosnan), the FBI’s high-strung bomb expert, investigating the death of a US Senator during a mysterious explosion. The bureau struggles to identify the device used in the incident. When O’Neill witnesses a court judge combusting after drinking water, the agent soon realizes it’s a transparent liquid substance that gets ignited by stomach acid. The source of this and other attacks on government officials comes from vengeful terrorist Mikhail Rashid (Ben Cross) seeking revenge for a botched arms deal.
While pursuing Rashid and his right-hand man Al-red (Tony Plana), O’Neill has to contend with his ex-wife Terry (Lisa Eilbacher) being in a relationship with shady US Senator Frank Traveres (Ron Silver). The agent’s marriage ended shortly after the accidental swimming pool drowning of his daughter, and he has remained haunted by it ever since. As Rashid sets his sights on Senator Traveres, it puts Terry in danger as well, forcing O’Neill to put his animosity towards his ex’s new beau aside to save their lives.
Live Wireis standard action fare in an escapist period of cinema where terrorist themes were treated flippantly before the9/11 attacks. It’s less outlandish than the offensive stereotypical Middle Eastern villains ofTrue Lies. But it lacks the cunning cat-and-mouse magic ofDie HardandNighthawks. The film mirrors the non-stop stunts and spectacles that theBrosnan-era Bond filmsbecame known for, beginning with O’Neill carefully disarming a car bomb, to the final act where he rigs homemade explosives to fend off Rashid’s henchmen in the Senator’s mansion.Unfortunately, these creative setpieces suffer fromLive Wire’s limited budget; Duguay also lacks the creative resourcefulness of the genre’s masters,John McTiernanandTony Scott.
After ‘Black Bag,’ Pierce Brosnan Should Return to the James Bond Franchise— but in a Different Role
Brosnan should come back to Bond, but not as the title character.
‘Live Wire’ Was an Important Stepping Stone for Pierce Brosnan to Become James Bond
DespiteLive Wire’s action movie clichés and direct-to-video quality,Brosnan’s performance was an important stepping stone to Bond. His early days onRemington SteelemirroredRoger Moore’s comic book style of James Bond, filled with charm and cheeky humor instead ofSean Connery’s aggressive persona. Yet, the ‘90s were a time when audiences were geared towards action heroes who were more aggressive yet human in action.Brosnan has a unique talent where he can take action and show intense fear throughoutLive Wire’s action scenes, including one where he has to stop Cross’s henchman disguised as a clown from combusting at a charity event. Almost resembling the chaos of aSam Raimifilm, this moment is whatLive Wireneeded more of because the intense physical jeopardy has an edge-of-your-seat quality that makes these kinds of thrillers work.
Then there’s the emotional pain of Brosnan’s O’Neill grieving over the accidental drowning of his child. According to the bookPierce Brosnan: The BiographybyYork Membery, the actor’s then-ailing wife,Cassandra Harris, convinced him to star inLive Wirebefore her untimely passing in 1991. The immense pain of his character losing his childandlosing his wife to another man was ironic given the actor’s difficult personal life. Yet, it added a much-needed layer for Brosnan to grow as an actor, especially in a difficult moment like O’Neill getting intoxicated while struggling to seduce his estranged wife, concerned for his well-being. As a fresh-faced television star in 1987, Brosnan simply did not have enough life experience to make his version of Bond a confident hero with a hardened exterior to hide his true pain. ButLive Wirecertainly showcased the growth he was having as an actor by channeling his grief through his hero’s vulnerability.
