Back, bad and blond... the new Bond is better than ever!

Rating: 8/10 (20 November 2006)

In 1995 a relatively unknown Irish actor was cast to play a really very well known spy. The result was Goldeneye and that film represents, for me, one of the best Bond movies since the early Connery films. Sure Moore was good at the beginning, Dalton was perhaps the closest to the books and OHMSS had the best plot, but Goldeneye did something those films didn't: it reinvented Bond for the 90's (which was quite a big ask of the earlier films I admit), turning a sexist, out of date character into a modern action hero, albeit one who wasn't totally divorced from the shenanigans of his past: Brosnan still cracked hackneyed jokes in the middle of his numerous battles, emerged from explosions and firefights with nary a scratch or crease about his immaculately tailored person and treated women as a sort of temporary distraction. However, thanks to the Irishman's undeniable charm and good looks, combined with one of the best villains of recent memory, Goldeneye was both a success and a springboard for the resuscitation of the franchise. The film could have buried Bond, instead it spawned 3 pseudo-sequels that did increasingly well at the box office despite getting progressively worse.
That progression, most obviously in the hopeless Die Another Day, eventually lead down the inevitable road to self parody with Goldeneye's suave, sophisticated, lean and deadly Bond becoming the cheeky, winking, aged and creaking caricature of Die Another Day, a transition that most of the actors who play the character eventually end up undergoing - though Brosnan deserves a huge amount of credit for the way he sends this transformation up in the Matador. A change was needed and who better to do it than the man who'd 'just' reinvented the franchise - Martin Campbell.
With Goldeneye's director on board and scripting being polished by the double Oscar winner Paul Haggis the scene was set for a whole new look, but that required a whole new Bond. Brosnan was jettisoned, rather callously it must be said, and rumours about his replacement abounded. Clive Owen was everyone's favourite but he clearly had no interest in taking the part (his squirming when quizzed on the matter by Jonathon Ross some time ago was genuinely excruciating), while the role has always called for a talented unknown rather than an established thespian (hence no Ewan McGregor). In the end the producers made the courageous call of Daniel Craig who was, heavens forbid, BLOND! How could they?
Well, Craig was a truly excellent actor whose pre-Bond credits eclipse those of every other performer who has played the role bar none. Despite his melanin shortage he was perfect for the role and, despite all the media stories to the contrary, he fills Pierce's boots to bursting, adding a hardness, physicality and danger that the affable Brosnan often lacked. Complimenting this inspired choice for the main role is the movie's other great 'find.' Eva Green is another actor who has been plying her trade to excellent reviews over the past few years. Only 26, she appears considerably older and mature without losing an ounce of sexiness compared to the other, frankly underused Bond girls in this film. She handles her scenes, as well as her character's metamorphosis alongside that of Bond's, exquisitely and walks off with many of the films best lines, particularly when she is sparring with Craig.
Of the other actors we see considerably less and they suffer for it. Only Judi Dench, returning as M, gets much to do beyond the usual, her bantering with Bond being one of the highlights of the film for me, as is her transformation from irate headmistress to more maternal figure by the end of the movie. No one else really gets a look in, especially the other two Bond girls, one of whom barely even speaks! Mads Mikkelsen is forgettable as Le Chiffre, a character who not only has a facial disfigurement but requires a puff of his inhaler every time he moves, something that destroys any sense of danger he manfully tries to exude. All in all it is a waste as there are a couple of moments where his potential is darkly hinted at. Still, it was not to be.
That is because this is the film that defines Bond's origins. A full on Bond villain would distract from that, hence the muted Mikkelsen. Instead we see Craig do many extremely visceral and impressive stunts, none more so than in trying to track the incredible Sebastien Foucan during the excellent Parkour scenes early on. Unfortunately, the other action scenes, the Venetian conclusion aside, aren't as good, although they knock most of the efforts from all the previous films into a cocked hat. The emotional content is amped us as well, with the aforementioned Green matching Craig all the way, unlike any previous Bond girl, other than Diana Rigg, while one scene, between Mikkelsen and Craig towards the end, shows just how far Bond has evolved since Connery.
Concisely put: this is a Bond for the Bourne generation, where the darkness and yearning at the heart of a super-spy is of as much interest as his cavalier disregard for life and women. Like Bourne, this new Bond is hard but not indestructible and certainly not unmovable. Of course there are problems with Casino Royale. The theme song is bland as all hell while the standard Bond credits sequence is long overdue a place on the cutting room floor. It's overlong, with several near endings that one feels could've been better handled with a tighter script. Most of the secondary characters are completely undeveloped and the actual card game devoid of much sense of excitement. However, these are minor niggles and the new incarnation of Bond is a far more interesting character than those that have gone before and one who we will hopefully see much more of in the future instalments.