The BBFC updated their entry for the 1997 James Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies " on 23rd May 2006 with an important decision - to waive all cuts made to the film and release it under a 15 certificate.

Back at the time of release, several cuts were made to the film in order to achieve the 12 certificate. These included all use of shurikens (throwing stars) and a bad guy having his face stamped on were removed, and most of the fight sound effects were reduced. The UK terrestrial television broadcast by ITV in October 2001 included the "shuriken" and "face stamping" shots that were removed from the UK VHS and DVD releases.

The first video transfer submitted to the BBFC back on 20th May 1998, which ran for 114m 8s, was changed with substitutions from the 12 certificate theatrical release. Subsequent releases under the 12 certificate (19th August 1998, 12th March 1999) ran for 144m 1s.

A later decision was made on 12th March 2001 where 6 seconds of cuts were required from the submitted print. According to the BBFC, "the company chose to cut violent and imitable techniques to obtain a '12' in line with the previous UK video version". This version ran for 114m 6s. The 2006 "uncut" version runs at 114m 18s and will be used on the Ultimate Edition DVD release.

Cuts Restored

When Bond breaks the arm of the man he throws into the printing press, the crunch sound has been restored to its original, louder volume.

The impact sounds in the CMGN building scene have been amplified to their original levels - in previous versions, you can hardly hear them at all.

The volume of the blows in the bike shop fight with Wai Lin have been restored to their proper volume.

The shots of Wai Lin plucking a shuriken (throwing star) from her boot, throwing it at a second guard and the subsequent gory shot of it embedded in the guard's neck (the star having cut his throat) have all been reinstated. All we see briefly in the cut versions is Wai Lin looking down at her shoe (it is more obvious in slow motion).

Just after Bond states he is going to stop the missile, the subsequent shots of him stamping on the semi-conscious guard's head and cracking his skull have been restored. In the cut versions, we only see the guard waking up, and Bond walking through a door with no explanation of what happened to the guard whatsoever.

Previous VHS cuts which were, for some reason, reinstated for the first and subsequent Special Edition DVD releases are also restored in the Ultimate Edition DVD. These include:

In the sequence where Wai Lin shoots two pipes and the escaping steam hits some guards in the face, the screams of the guards as they are scalded have been restored to the soundtrack.

The sounds of Carver's agonizing screams as he is drilled to death have been placed back into the sound mix