Bond Has Himself a Tough Beginning

Rating: 9/10 (12 May 2007)

This is where we have to begin now, isn't it - as far as the Bond mythology on film. Here - in a black&white prologue, as if we're back in the Cold War. We're somewhere in Prague, actually, where Bond earns his double-0 credentials. Now we're off and running, with the presumed-missing familiar gun-barrel, of this new Bond firing in our eyes and now in full color, the usual eye-catching credits. There was some trepidation in those first few seconds, that this restart, this new beginning would take us too far from the familiar Bond territory, but we worried needlessly. We're still with the slick spy/assassin concept, the blunt instrument with some cold cunning and extraordinary luck attached. If anything, the first major action set piece after the credits in this Bond adventure showcases one aspect of Bond better than all the previous ones, right off the bat (at least matching the best of Connery), thanks to the script and actor Craig: Bond's relentlessness. We're smacked by this in short order as he chases some bad guy who seemingly possesses superhuman tendons, leaping among girders and buildings like some Spider-man super-villain. Bond, as in good shape as he is, can't match this guy in the speed department, but he'll catch him anyway. He is relentless. See, that's 007. Not 001 or 005. Lucky number 007, possessed or driven by some possibly psychotic need to win, no matter the consequences.
Is Bond as good as chief villain Le Chiffre at cards? He can't be. It's established that Le Chiffre is some sort of mathematical genius. Yet, Le Chiffre resorts to poisoning Bond and still loses (not giving anything away here - this plot point, besides being in the novel, was already dramatized way back in the '54 TV version and in the '67 comedy version). You can't stop Bond, that's part of his charm. Not that you can't give it a good try. And quite a few people do, as we've come to expect. But, Bond doesn't slip through these lethal attempts very smoothly in this one, i.e. without a scratch, reflecting the fact that this is an early adventure. He's a superior agent, obviously (as contrasted with another one in the first act), but he's in the really big leagues now. He's extra proficient, very capable, sharp, quick and even smooth already, but lacks that bit of seasoning which, in some clever moments, seems to throw off his timing just that tiny bit - and he usually ends up with quite a few scratches. Actually, Bond looks 90% dead or too near death throughout half this picture, an extreme version of 'learning-on-the-job' pitfalls, and that's where his determination comes in. In the other half of the film, he seems simply unstoppable. He is relentless. There's even a suggestion that he enjoys some of the pain to be endured in such an occupation ('that which does not kill me..') and there's a genuinely uncomfortable torture scene, especially for male viewers. It takes the usual sadism present in Bond pictures to another level.
The plot follows the original Ian Fleming novel for the most part: Bond's central assignment is to beat the main villain at poker (not Bacarrat, as in the original story, an acknowledgment of where 21st century interests lie). Le Chiffre, a dead-eyed, rather soulless sourpuss, funds terrorists, and taking his money assures some points for M's department. Dench is back as M, even though she's over 10 years older than herself in "Goldeneye," which presumably took place later than this mission. But, such quibbles have no real place in considering Bond logistics. Bond, after all, is timeless, an immortal hero, and even though this is regarded as an origin story of sorts, the usual weaknesses of such tales is evaded by not stressing such ideas; there are just subtle hints and an overall casual air for most of the film, placing this in the same general limbo of all the other Bond missions. The film does veer into unexpected territory in the final act, involving Bond's relationship with Vesper, who did not fit very well into the standard femme fatale role; she somehow manages to drag Bond out of his steadfast persona briefly, as well. We can rationalize that all the constant pummeling Bond endured in the first three quarters of the story enabled this startling yet hard-to-believe twist; we can even regard this as another learning experience for a still-young Bond, in terms of reading people; but, how can he not know himself by this stage? Well, at least it was a brief aberration. Craig got all the nuances right, otherwise: he was grim when 'in the moment' of the job and relaxed when chatting with an ally, projecting a fearsome intelligence in all cases. He'll be back. Until then, watch "Dr.No" next. Bond:10 Villain:8 Femme Fatale:7 Henchmen:7 Leiter:9 Fights:10 Stunts/Chases:10 Gadgets:6(blasted cellphones) Auto:9 Locations:9 Pace:10 overall:9-