Competent spy film. Not a Bond movie.

Rating: 4/10 (17 June 2008)

While this is a competently done spy film, it seems more like an installment in the Jason Bourne series rather than a Bond adventure.
The idea of bringing gritty realism to a Bond tale just doesn't make sense. Bond films have always been over-the-top and done with a sense of humor. The character is never too serious, always composed and always one step ahead of everyone else. Bond is a man who can leap from a speeding car, grapple with a couple of thugs and still not get a wrinkle on his tuxedo. It's hard to evaluate Daniel Craig as Bond, because the character he's asked to play exhibits none of the traits we have come to expect. This "new" Bond is tortured by inner demons, doesn't have much to say and consistently lets the bad guys get the better of him. About the only thing that feels "right" here is the high-stakes poker game in a glamorous casino.
The fun and intricate action scenes are gone. Dramatic shootouts on skis in the Swiss Alps have been replaced with bloody fist fights in dark stairwells. Bond bleeds, gets tortured, is uncertain he can finish the mission and is often saved by pure luck. The creative and memorable gadgets are gone as well. The old Bond relied on cleverness, trickery and intelligence to escape situations. The new Bond relies mostly on brute force.
I'm all for updating the Bond series and getting a fresh perspective on things. Admittedly the movies had become a bit stale and predictable. However, this isn't the breath of fresh air that was needed. So much of what made the Bond character great has been abandoned. Everything this movie attempts is done ten times better by the Bourne Identity series.
Imagine if they created a "revised" Superman. He doesn't wear a costume or cape, can't fly, and is from Cleveland, Ohio rather than the planet Krypton. Is that still Superman? Some things just shouldn't be changed when it comes to classic characters.