On The Cards

Rating: 7/10 (16 February 2007)

With the exception of a couple of Sean Connerys I haven't seen nor had much desire to see any titles in this franchise but this one enjoyed both a good Press and good word of mouth so I gave it the old college try and found it excellent entertainment. I can only compare Craig with Connery of course and that's not unlike comparing matt paint with gloss. Where Connery was ultra smooth and sleek - and deadly with it - Craig is more a street fighter in a tuxedo. Although there were several 'action' sequences there were none of the 'gimmicks' that we've all seen in the clips on TV over the years so that 'Q' has been made redundant. There's one incongruity inasmuch as this is supposedly a fledgling Bond and we're privy to his on-the-job training yet several times we see dates on computer screens and the year is clearly 2006 as if the Producers are deliberately Denying the previous incumbents. There's also a coolness about the color photography which is light years away from the lush, well-lit Connery versions and this is in keeping with the world of John Le Carre which the film seems to be aspiring to. Entertaining, yes, Memorable, not really.