A great movie but a weak Bond ( SPOILER )

Rating: 7/10 (27 November 2006)

After the sci-fi excess of DAD, eon decided to return to the style of the first Bond movies.
Being a fan of the 60's Bond, I was very excited. This time, the producers have taken their promise : It is really a new Bond, without any gadget ( but FRWL and OHMSS haven't, and they are two of the best bond movies of all time ) and more down to earth.
Action sequences are impressive, but not over the top like in the Brosnan movies.
Paul Haggis script is the best of all. It is faithful to the book and the dialogs work.
The new bond style is more realistic and violent, and it works very well. So is Casino royale an excellent spy movie ? Without any doubt But is Casino Royale a great bond movie ? It's not so clear.
The movie has one big problem : is name is Craig, Daniel Craig.
It's not that Craig is a bad actor, it's far from it ( he may be one of the finest actor to receive the role ), but the saddest thing is that he is absolutely the worst bond to ever face the silver screen.
Where Sean Connery ( the best bond ever ) did an amazing job by making bond a dangerous, brutal and highly charismatic bond with class, Craig's physical appearance and lack of class make him look more of a Jack Bauer in a tuxedo than Fleming's bond.
I only saw bond in three sequences : the pre title one, the one where he seduced and abandoned Solange and the last in the train where he met the treacherous Vesper Lynd.
What's a pity, with a young Connery, Casino Royale would have easily been the best bond ever. With Craig, it's just a ( pretty ) good movie.