Bueno, Muy Bueno

Rating: 8/10 (17 November 2006)

Greetings again from the darkness. I have never really understood my fascination with Bond as I prefer to think of myself as too intelligent for this type of movie. Maybe it was the great clothes, beautiful women, playing with guns, wonderful toys, fast cars and world travels? Well despite all of the hoopla surrounding this latest Bond production, feel relieved knowing that the 007 franchise is not only safe, but dare I say, better than ever.
Daniel Craig (although a bit long in the tooth) plays the just promoted to "00", James Bond, and is flat out terrific! The acting ability he has shown in "Road to Perdition" and "Layer Cake" really take the story and script to another level. Sure he can strut and pose and gaze with the best of them (Pierce Brosnan), but Mr. Craig can really ACT, which this somewhat complex script actually demands.
The action in the first 20 minutes is heart-pounding and incredibly fast and dangerous. Luckily the pace slows down a bit as the plot develops. Yes, there is a plot and this time it is not world domination. That is good news and bad news. One of the two disappointments in this fine film is the bad guy played by Mads Mikkelsen. He is a fine poker player and pretty evil in his torturing (all males will squirm), but he just lacks the real charisma of the best Bond bad guys over the years. The other disappointment is the underuse of the greatest film theme song ever (yes, better than Star Wars) and the extremely weak Chris Cornell opening credit song.
Of course, there are beautiful women. Eva Green as Vespa Lynd is not your typical Bond girl. She is smart and smart-assed and goes toe-to-toe in a couple of ways with Bond. What a nice change of pace to see a woman's role written in a full scale, complex manner. It makes it much more interesting and entertaining.
Did I mention fast cars? The brand new Aston Martin is almost as cool as the 1964 model we get a couple of shots of. Since there is no Q, the wonderful toys are not in full swing yet, but the incredible settings in Prague, The Bahamas and Italy more than make up for it. The scenery and architecture are awe inspiring.
There may be no Q, but there is definitely an M. Judi Dench reprises her role, this time showing her frustrated side with her newest agent. She recognizes Bond's rare abilities, but worries about his mental state. By the end, she knows he is ready for more.
The supporting cast includes the underrated Jeffrey Wright, the always great Giancarlo Giannini and super model Ivana Milicevic in a strange role. The cast is fine and second time Bond director Martin Campbell ("GoldenEye") really lets the action and story and setting do most of the talking. His action scenes are not filled with close ups or rapid fire editing ... we actually get to see the fights and chases. He does a nice job of keeping the viewer in the story. I couldn't help but chuckle as Craig steps out of the waves and onto the beach - almost identical to the classic Ursula Andress scene in "Dr. No". Being a huge Sean Connery fan, I find this difficult to say, but here goes ... this is the best Bond movie to date. Wow!