Every Pierce – From GoldenEye’s upside-down quip to Die Another Day’s rocky North Korean chase that ends with torture, Pierce Brosnan’s pre-title sequences packed in stunts, suspense, and big-screen momentum—four films, one unforgettable run as 007.
Pierce Brosnan stepped into the James Bond tuxedo in 1995. six years after Timothy Dalton’s final bow as 007 in Licence to Kill. Brosnan’s debut, GoldenEye, didn’t just start a new era—it proved audiences he was worth the wait. And for every fan who remembers the gunbarrel shot. there’s another kind of Bond memory: the pre-title sequences that kick the night off like a blockbuster promise.
It’s hard to believe the Brosnan-era only consists of four movies—GoldenEye (1995). Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). The World Is Not Enough (1999). and Die Another Day (2002). But each one brings over-the-top action, suspense that snaps tight, and stunts that can make earlier openings blush. Here’s every Pierce Brosnan James Bond pre-title sequence ranked.
4) ‘Die Another Day’ (2002)
“Die Another Day” is often overlooked, but its opening sequence refuses to fade into the background. It starts with Bond surfing huge waves on the rocky North Korean shore—an early moment that the sequence itself essentially dares you to judge—before he hijacks a briefcase of diamonds.
From there, he prepares to drop those diamonds on the North Korean side of the DMZ. Bond hides explosives in the diamonds, escapes thanks to a well-timed blast, and then jumps onboard a hovercraft for a fiery chase.
The chase turns into something close to a Bond signature set piece: Bond gets “saved by the bell” when he grabs a church bell to avoid falling into a waterfall as the hovercraft flies over the edge. Yet the sequence breaks from what pre-title openings usually do. It ends with 007 getting captured and tortured as the title credits begin over Madonna’s dance and techno-heavy theme song.
Brosnan’s fourth— and final—time portraying James Bond closes out the era with an opening that’s all adrenaline, then sharpens into something harsher at the very end.
3) ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ (1997)
In “Tomorrow Never Dies,” the pre-title sequence starts at a Terrorist Arms Bazaar on the Russian border, where Bond is sent for reconnaissance. While Bond moves on the ground, M and a British Admiral watch from England through surveillance.
When the Admiral learns that many of the world’s terrorists are gathered there, he deploys a missile to wipe them out.
What follows is a sprint of escalating set pieces: Bond soon learns that there is a jet onsite carrying nuclear warheads. He destroys nearly everything in sight, then steals the jet and escapes just as the missile hits an enemy’s plane.
Once airborne, the fight doesn’t let up. Bond faces off against an angry co-pilot while a Russian plane attacks. In classic Bond fashion, he finishes off his copilot, the other missile-loaded jet, and calmly radios home to ask where the Admiral would like the nuclear bombs delivered.
It’s a pre-title that plays like a mission report escalating into pure chaos—with Bond still finding time for composure.
2) ‘GoldenEye’ (1995)
“GoldenEye” gives Pierce Brosnan the kind of introduction Bond fans wait for: suspense, big set pieces, and a moment that lands like a wink. The pre-title sequence opens with two huge stunts, a huge explosion, and an incredible one-liner.
Bond makes his grand entrance by bungee jumping off the top of a Russian dam to infiltrate a military base. He sneaks into the building and hides above a bathroom. A Russian soldier is reading a newspaper while doing his business—until the paper moves.
Bond appears hanging upside down and delivers the line: “Beg your pardon, I forgot to knock.”
That’s one of the few times Bond works with a fellow agent with a “Licence to Kill.” Bond teams up with 006 Alec Tevelyan, played by Sean Bean. Their partnership is brief, sharp, and grim: Tevelyan gets captured and is “killed” by a Russian Colonel.
From there, Bond sets up a bomb and hides behind a wheeled rack loaded with fuel. He slowly makes his way from one end of the room to the other with about 40 guns pointed at him.
Then comes the escape. Bond slips out via a conveyor belt that leads outside the warehouse. After 007 lays a few Russians to waste, he steals a motorcycle and races toward an unmanned plane racing down the runway.
When the plane falls off the runway near the edge of a huge cliff, Bond shoots off on the motorcycle right after it. He free falls until he gets into the plane and pulls it up to altitude just before crashing into a mountain. He turns back to watch the Russian base explode in an epic blaze of glory.
It’s maximal Bond energy—stunt after stunt, punchline nestled inside the danger.
1) ‘The World is Not Enough’ (1999)
“The World Is Not Enough” may not top every best-of list, but its opening sequence is hard to shake. The pre-title brings slick escape momentum, a huge explosion at MI6, and one of the most exhilarating chase scenes in franchise history.
The opening stretches to about 15 minutes and plays like a mini-movie that sets up Bond’s next mission.
In Bilbao, Spain, Bond escapes a harrowing encounter involving a briefcase full of cash. When he returns to MI6, the cash goes into a vault and is rigged with an explosive device.
The explosion rips a hole through the wall. Bond sees a woman with a sniper rifle and races after her in the Q Boat—an armed experimental speed craft packed with gadgets.
The chase runs across the River Thames, including the iconic moment when the boat dives underwater while 007 adjusts his tie. It doesn’t stay trapped in water, either. The action climbs into the air and then into an all-out set piece as the chase goes up a hot air balloon.
The sequence lands with an emphatic conclusion: an explosion sends Bond falling onto London’s O2 Arena.
The River Thames chase is widely remembered as the best Bond sequence from the Brosnan era—and it’s the reason this pre-title ranks first.
Pierce Brosnan James Bond GoldenEye Tomorrow Never Dies The World Is Not Enough Die Another Day Bond pre-title sequence MI6 Q Boat