Good Movie...Not Quite Bond

Rating: 3/10 (18 November 2006)

As an action movie its good. As a gritty spy movie, eh, so-so. As a Bond flick. Not so much.
Here's the problem...Bond is campy and you do a lot of suspension of disbelief because of the genre. If you move to a more "realistic" type of movie more plot is required and your suspension of disbelief requirements get tougher because things AREN'T over the top.
Spoilers....
Take for example the villain. He's someone MI6 wants. Okay fine. But they know where he is and his security sucks so much that everyone that wants to get at him succeeds. So why not just a snatch and grab and skip the poker part?
He wants to eliminate Bond to the point he poisons him. Why? The guy is competition but so is everyone else at the table who better be able to read tells. Especially the obvious ones he has. More, Bond is really just insurance. If Bond wins, well, it beats letting some third world warlord beat your security again and cut your arm off before he gets nasty.
Next Bond doesn't immediately secure $100M and change but decides to have dinner instead so someone can attempt to beat his password out of him. Which promptly happens but is saved by another set of bad guys who waltzes in and blows Le Idiot with Henchmen that Really Suck away.
Eh..."realism" is great but if you're going to go that route then having a plot that's somewhat less linear and fewer holes is required. As a "gritty" spy movie...eh. As a Bond movie? Double Eh.
Entertaining and worth seeing as a general action flick but I guess I'm a purist when it comes to Bond.