Something is flying the plane
Image: TMDBThe main crisis begins with a British Harrier apparently malfunctioning. Its pilot ejects, but the aircraft subsequently flies into China and crashes into a village.
The incident threatens an already delicate relationship between Britain and China as the Hong Kong handover approaches.
Investigating the technology behind it takes Bond to Canada and Connie Webb, a CIA-trained freelance thief. An advanced superconductor becomes bait to draw her out.
Here the screenplay finds a promising threat: equipment can be made to betray the people who trust it.
For a modern reader, that idea has aged rather well. The fear beneath the gadgets is recognisable — a machine carrying national authority may actually be obeying somebody else.
