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The best moments in Bond films have come when the British agent uses his wits to escape a situation rather than resorting to gadgets. Over the years, that ratio has tilted perilously to the gadgetry side.

Fortunately, “Die Another Day” finds Bond (Pierce Brosnan) at his most resourceful. He’s also a little wiser, tougher and, in some ways, more jaded.

Yes there are nifty new spy devices on display (an invisible car, for one), but time and again he uses his imagination and manipulation of the available environment to avoid certain death.

“Die Another Day” has a lot going for it, not the least of which is a first act that is one of the most electrifying of any Bond picture. The opening salvo finds the agent trying to thwart a diamonds-for-arms trade involving an ambitious North Korean colonel (Will Yun Lee).

Only the spectacular action sequence doesn’t end with Bond escaping and tumbling into the arms of a beautiful companion. Instead, he is taken prisoner by the Southeast Asian nation’s army.

What follows is one of the weirdest title sequences in 007 history. Sure, there are the requisite images of almost-nude girls writhing to a techno ballad, but they’re imposed over scenes of Bond being beaten and tortured by his North Korean captors.

This comes across like a mixture of “MTV” and “Midnight Express.”

Fourteen months later, Bond is liberated. But his boss M (Judi Dench) considers him unusable ?" she believes he gave up intelligence secrets while under duress ?" and strips him of his double-0 status.

Pierce Brosnan, left, and Halle Berry play secret agents attempting to thwart an evil scheme in “Die Another Day.”

Bond then goes on an unauthorized hunt to determine who betrayed him, leading to exotic locations like Cuba and Iceland, ingenious villains like diamond czar Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens) and bountiful Bond babes like American operative Jinx (Halle Berry).

For the 20th official installment in the franchise, “Die Another Day” takes great pleasure fulfilling its role as a tribute to the 40-year-old series. The movie features a visual or verbal homage to each of the previous pictures. For instance, a knife-toed shoe turns up as a nod to “From Russia With Love,” while a line of dialogue confirms that “diamonds are forever.”

Perhaps the most obvious tribute is by a bikini-clad Berry, who mimics Ursula Andress’ famous entrance in “Dr. No” by emerging from out of the ocean. Berry is a bit more proactive than the typical Bond gal, and is treated by 007 as a professional equal instead of another trophy. (Word is the producers liked her character so much that they signed the actress to portray Jinx in her own big-screen project.)

With four films comfortably tucked under his tuxedo, Brosnan has established himself as the second best Bond next to Sean Connery. That’s hardly faint praise; it’s kind of like calling him the second best home run hitter next to Hank Aaron.

At age 49, the Irish star is in phenomenal shape. And he looks comfortable whether his character is supposed to be sexy and debonair or athletic and resilient. Even when special effects duties force Brosnan to act in front of green screens for ludicrous surfing/parachuting stunts, he still manages to keep his dignity intact.

“Die Another Day” does eventually devolve into the flashy, ridiculous climaxes of most Bond features, which encompass lots of gravity-bucking chases, hand-to-hand fights, explosions, etc.

(Note to Bond screenwriters: When two opposing characters are stuck on a plane that is about to crash, they are likely to put their personal animosity aside to find a way to save themselves.)

The film also has the dubious distinction of having the worst-ever Bond theme song ?" even more annoying than Rita Coolidge’s “All Time High” from “Octopussy.” This latest contribution is by Madonna, who also makes a cameo as a London fencing instructor that is nearly as lackluster as her music.

If nothing else, the role ensures that the Material Girl will appear in a successful movie this decade.

Halle Berry is set to reprise the role of NSA operative Jinx from “Die Another Day” in her own feature film.