The Bond We All Love, As He's Never Been Before

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2006)

When it was announced that Daniel Craig was to take over the 007 mantle from Pierce Brosnan, the outcry was deafening. He's too young, he's not good-looking enough. He's too blonde (!?!) All these worries are groundless, as the latest "re-imagining" of the most successful franchise in cinema history is all set to skyrocket.
The pre-credits action sequence is the Special Agent Bond earning his 007 status with 2 killings - one gunshot and one incredibly brutal, violent one. The producers wanted to revitalise the films after the success of films like The Bourne Identity / Supremacy and they have succeeded in spade-loads. Ignoring the continuity error of having Bond promoted to 007 status by Judy Dench's M in a post 9/11 world, we see the fledgling agent on his first assignment. Pissing off his superiors, making mistakes, getting beaten to a pulp (including a torture sequence that will have every male in the audience squirming), this is as far from Roger Moore's Bond as Snow White is from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Bond is more human, more accessible and more dangerous than he has ever been. Gadgets are all but gone, as are Miss Moneypenny (apart from a brief name-check) and the suaveness of Pierce Brosnan / Sean Connery. The daft puns are gone too, but a sense of humour is still very much present (BOND: "Vodka martini, please." BARMAN: "Shaken or stirred?" BOND: "Do I look like I give a damn?"). For the first time, we believe that THIS Bond is capable of real cruelty and violence, should the need arise.
The opening credits have lost the silhouetted naked ladies, but are yet still quintessentially Bond credits. The famous theme music is kept to a minimum, but we never forget that we are watching a Bond film.
The direction is confident, but not cocky. the action is breathtaking, the suspense is tangible and the story credits the audience with some intelligence.
Make sure you stay to the end of the closing credits; there's no add-on scene, but it is worth it because you have just sat through the most amazing action adventure film, but the hairs on your arms will still stand on end when you see the now-famous legend JAMES BOND WILL RETURN!
This is still the 007 we love, but as we've never seen him before! Outstanding!