A bit long, but pure class!

Rating: 8/10 (23 November 2006)

It has been a long time coming and luckily, I've waited for all the hype and criticism to die down. I was always for Daniel Craig in the role of Bond (although I would have liked to have seen Clive Owen), having seen him in Layer Cake and I was surprised at the 'nutters' campaigning against him.
I'll start with the positives, of which there are many; Craig puts in a classy performance as Bond, Eva Green is one of the best Bond girls ever - with a part that really redefines the Bond girl image - full of verve, character, class, beauty and insecurity, all the supporting acts, such as Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, the speedjumping? French guy at the beginning and the CIA agent, play a significant and quality role to the film. My favourite part of the film was the initial interaction between Bond and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), the scriptwriter(s) should be praised for such witty dialogue between the two and both actors should be commended for the way in which they played their parts. My second favourite part, is the climax to the poker game; intense and intriguing, regardless of whether or not you know how to play poker or not... put it this way, I would not want to play either of them! The action is awesome, brutal, honest, less 1 shot kills (like in previous Bonds), amazing fight scenes and quality sets. The banter is also highly entertaining, which thins out the hardcore violence, particularly the quips about the Vodka Martinis. Going back to Craig's portrayal of Bond, I must admit, I did feel at times it was just a very good action movie and didn't have any attachment to Bond. However, I believe that this is because its his first Bond film. The next one will rightfully stamp Craig's position as James Bond in folklore. Eva Green is sexy, sweet, lovable and sassy throughout the film:not your usual Bond girl and with that Green will be able to move away from the stereotype and go on to have a great career.
The are only a few negatives, which do need to be pointed out. Firstly, the introduction sequence & titles is pretty poor and too long, I think everyone was getting a bit agitated in the cinema, I know I was. Secondly, during the poker game, Mathis is constantly explaining the rules to Vesper, which as a poker player was a bit annoying. I suppose there is nothing wrong with it as people who don't understand the game will not really know whats going on, but the problem was the way Mathis' dialogue was written to blatantly explain what was going on. I think it would have been better to have had Bond mention it a little by little (like he did the first time to Vesper and Mathis at the bar). Lastly, the whole part after Bond wakes up in the hospital and then declares his love for Vesper, to the point where he finds out she has betrayed him, is too long in my opinion and could be cut.
Overall, the new Bond is essential viewing for any film fan. You'll find that there is something for everyone: romance, action, drama and comedy. GO SEE IT!!!