Bond re-visited and re-vitalized

Rating: 9/10 (23 April 2007)

Daniel Craig was a strange choice for many, including me. I was sorry to see Pierce Brosnan relinquish the role, and couldn't see how Craig could do the character justice.
But, as someone else noted elsewhere, and unlike previous Bonds, Daniel Craig can really act. Not only that, Ian Fleming could write. So when you combine a closer adherence to original novel with a raw, visceral and utterly convincing lead performance, it's no surprise that this is probably the most satisfying Bond ever. (And earned Craig a BAFTA nomination to boot.) In fact this is such a refreshing take on Bond, I find myself musing about shooting many of Fleming's novels all over again. The flippancy of the Moore productions with, for example, the utterly implausible "Jaws" character did the franchise no favours at all. This new approach (major kudos to Broccoli for taking such a gamble) restores and revitalizes in a way that the Lazenby and particularly the Dalton films threatened, but never entirely delivered.
The Bond character of the novels, as I remember reading in my youth, was suave, sophisticated but entirely ruthless and discompassionate about his job AND his women. There was real menace about the character. You would NOT mess with James Bond! That danger, risk and sense of threat is more believable here than in any other Bond film. Those films had deteriorated into Pantomime and Special Effect self indulgence.
So this Bond movie has plausibility. Daniel Craig as Bond is truly a maverick; on the edge in more ways than one. We see him struggling with the consequences of his newly assigned assassin's status. He neatly and poignantly finishes his victim's statement that the second time (using the 'double 0' sanction to kill), is easier. But he realises through the movie that this licence comes with a heavy price. Action, plot AND back-story - quite a feat!
Well done, Daniel Craig! You utterly convinced as Bond and in the process showed your critics where to shove it!