Meticulously Crafted, Licenced to Kill

Rating: 9/10 (21 November 2006)

This may be a difficult change for some. A new generation has grown up with James Bond the action hero, rather than James Bond the spy. A James Bond of explosive confrontation and bullets, rather than one of subtle innuendo, gritty fist fights, and clever espionage. I am part of this generation. However, having seen this movie two times now, I find that this is not a film that feels old with repeated viewings, but one that becomes more entertaining with repeated viewings.
Performance-wise, all involved seem to have completely considered their characters and the tone, creating a highly believable atmosphere. I couldn't help but have a half-grin through the entire movie, with every line of dialog between Vesper and Bond acting out like a verbal joust between the physical action. Dialog and costumes often hark back to other Bond movies, but never become parody or insult.
The movie as a whole is paced very similarly to "From Russia With Love", keeping about half as many huge action set pieces as the last few outings and filling the holes with suspense and witty dialog. Does this movie feel like 2.5 hours? Yes. It doesn't zoom by; it feels like it is - 2.5 hours. But that is hardly a bad thing. And the movie leaves one with a sense of completion, but also a sense of a job to be done, both leaving the audience with closure and anticipation.
Problems? Only a few to speak of. Moneypenny's role has been given to a nameless man for some reason. The swiss banker, though a very small part, plays his part too cheesy and it feels out of line with the rest of the performances. The car chase toward the end was short, but not in any way sweet; literally the entire car chase is shown in the trailer. It could have easily been extended a bit to appease the action-aficionados, especially since this is a large spell in the movie with little action. Finally, the love scenes are over-done towards the end, causing the movie to lose its Bond-feel for a few moments. Not to worry, though; it gets it back in no time.
If you leave the theater distraught and angry, it is understandable. This is something different, and depending on who you are it will be a relief or a shock. Yet, this Bond should have no problem fitting into those Bond marathons on TV and I'm sure it will be regarded, eventually, as a very important chapter in the franchise. This Bond has been meticulously crafted to follow lightly in the footsteps of classic Bond, while also creating a legacy of its own. It will certainly be a long wait for 2008.