Daniel Craig Beguiles as Bond

Rating: 10/10 (19 November 2006)

Intrigued by the previews, and the more recent turnaround in opinion from die-hard fans that'd originally rejected Craig as the choice to play Bond, I went in to the film with some reservation. Would he live up to the previews and the hype? I can confidently report that he does and surpasses expectations. With his craggy face, chiseled pecs, and alluded-to hardscrabble childhood, this Bond is leaner, meaner and more sexually charged than any previous Bonds, including Sean Connery. When running in pursuit of bad guys, Craig puts one in mind of the T-1000 robot from Terminator 2, in terms of the feral relentlessness that characterized it and that scared audiences so much. We would not want to be on this Bond's hit list! And there is no doubt that Bond will get his man, or woman. The well tailored suits he wears, (and Craig does wear them well!) rather than softening Bond, suggest barely contained ferocity, which is one of the main reason I think this image, rather than any other, was chosen by the producers for the newspaper ads. But we expect Bond to not just be all deadly force. As played by Craig, the few moments of humor (and there are just enough of them) and softness are convincing and don't feel forced or as appendages to the action. If for no other reason, you should go see Daniel Craig play Bond. He was born for it.