Nerves, Inginuity, Intelligence, and lots more!

Rating: 10/10 (20 April 2011)

A stunning sequel to Casino Royale from concept to action! This film takes you through a car chase ending in a great opening line, a foot chase ending in phenomenal focus on swinging ropes, a boat chase ending in a classic resurgence of bond musical strings, a plane chase with a death defying jump and chilling discovery absolutely critical to our political and environmental near future.
All this was done with no gadgets, hardly even a gun. One man, his wit, nerves, and bare hands - James Bond.
There were very subtle nuances between James and M that most people probably did not catch regarding loyalties. At one point, bond and M converse as if they are mad at each other and are actually telling each other information without the rest of the room noticing.
Yes, we missed humor for the most part and it was cold and driven - but I found Bond as passionate and warm in this movie as in any since On Her Majesty's Secret Service. There was a constant bombardment on his character, but you could see from the action - he was not killing on purpose - it came from the job at hand. What a responsibility and what a dedication to truth and justice.
Good to see Mathis again, and loved the way it panned out with Leiter. Great bond girls. Fantastic all around! Great stunts and cinematography. Good sound, good mood - good snooping and back and forth with headquarters. Very well directed - congrats! All in all - a touch different, but a welcome addition to the bond series - one that will be watched again and again with great pleasure.