Bruised Bond

Rating: 10/10 (4 December 2006)

The Bond that Daniel Craig portrays here is the most complex ever brought to the screen. What is so remarkable in the 'new' Bond is the fearless way in which the character's vulnerability is made apparent. The shower scene that Craig shares with Eva Green is the most extraordinary realisation of the maturity of the portrayal: instead of a cheap thrill, here is Bond, the ruthless killer, slumped, traumatised almost as completely as his love interest by the brutal nature of what he does. This is fine acting and great cinema.
It is hard to 'like' this Bond, in the way that some of his predecessors may have been likable, but it impossible not to be drawn into his terrifying world. Craig and the writers have done a fabulous job: this Bond probably has the least dialogue of any of the incarnations of the super-spy, but less is definitely more. This 'silent but deadly' approach lends a brooding intensity to the character that has never really reached the screen before. Welcome back Mr.Bond.