So what if it's not like the other Bond films?

Rating: 10/10 (27 December 2006)

I really wish people would stop comparing this Bond film to all the others. No, that's a bit hasty... there needs to be some comparison but it ought not to be judged on its relationship to the other films. Let's face it, the books were all written by the same guy but the films are comprised of different actors, directors and crew and are made in different eras for different audiences with each new reinvention. I wasn't expecting this film to be much like the others and it's all the better for it.
I quite liked Peirce Brosnan as Bond and Goldeneye was until now, for me, the best of the bunch. Like many I was sceptical about Daniel Craig but his gritty, dryly humorous and vulnerable Bond was a joy to behold. He's very different to the other Bonds and that's as it should be. This film stands alone largely on the back of his performance.
It opens with dark and unexpectedly gritty scenes and it's obvious from the beginning that this is a Bond in his infancy, so to speak... he has not yet earned his 00 status and his exchanges with M (brilliantly portrayed as always by the excellent Judi Dench) are electric and fascinating. When we charge through a building site with a very energetic Mr Craig in the pursuit of a villain the pace quickens and the film really shows us where it's going. These early scenes had me gripped despite the fact that this really wouldn't be my sort of film normally. The stunt work is incredible and somehow so much more realistic than the norm for Hollywood action scenes - hard to explain but the action is decidedly more raw and immediate than I have ever seen.
One thing I really love about the film is the way it combines this larger-than-life action with a script that is clever without ever trying too hard; the one-liners are just sublime but it never descends into the faintly farcical pseudo-comedy of some of its predecessors. The humour is there, and much needed, but never pantomimic or distracting. There is room in this script for so much to happen without bogging the audience down with detail, confusing red herrings and pointless plot twists. Indeed, there are actually few twists and turns and not very many characters, which is further testament to the skill on display - a simple concept is transformed into an engrossing film.
A movie that is largely about a small group of men playing poker really shouldn't be exciting and I expected the actual casino scenes, of which there are several, to be the most boring. Far from it; these were easily the mot enjoyable for me, providing a real opportunity to learn a bit about the characters, see their vulnerabilities and strengths and watch a contest unfold that is much deeper than fisticuffs can portray. Watching Mads Mikklesen as bad guy Le Chiffre and Daniel Craig in these exchanges is, for me, what cinema really is all about. Both men bring the right amount of intensity to their roles in these shots without hamming them up or playing them down. These powerful scenes are interspersed with some genuinely breathtaking set pieces and make the film canter along at a great pace; I certainly didn't feel it was too long.
Ultimately the best thing about this movie is the acting. Craig is spot-on in a role that has clearly been well crafted and thought out to suit his style and the wishes of the new film makers. Mikklesen is simply superb as a truly sadistic villain, managing to make him thoroughly dislikeable but altogether more human (and hence more scary) than any other Bond villain. One small complaint I have (and it is very small) is that he was not given enough screen time, although his ability to move from edgy, silent card shark to sadistic torturer is a work of genius and he therefore makes up the lack of screen time by putting in a performance of pure, solid quality. Eva Green is so much more than the token helpless female and the integrity she brought to the part was touching. She could easily have been a dislikeable character but Green's depiction of her vulnerability clashing with her harder edge made her so believable. The chemistry between her and Craig was palpable and their relationship was very believable.
Given that this movie had just over two hours to make it's point I think it did so remarkably well, allowing the characters to be introduced and then unfold in ways that most films don't find the time to do. The plot is fairly simple and bounces along at an agreeable pace but the characterisation and relationships unfolding around it are the film's true gems. Definitely one of the highlights of the year and a welcome break from the mould. Brilliant.