The Bond Identity

Rating: 6/10 (28 November 2015)

Who is James Bond? After fifty three years on the big screen you would think we would have a good idea, right? Well this Bond fan is not so sure anymore. During the first forty years our man has seen a few changes to his overall character. From the coolness of Connery, our first adaptation to the thuggish quality of Lazenby, Moore's humorous take on the British agent to Dalton's original with Brosnan' s suave, Gillette glamour Bond, wrapping up the first four decades. Then came the re-boot, enter Daniel Craig, taking on the role in the first serious film adaptation of Flemings Casino Royale. Finally a chance for EON to bring the character of Bond back to his roots, a blunt, rough, colder OO7 just as Ian Fleming had penned in the fifties and early sixties. Like Dalton before him, Craig played the character closely to the original as possible and he didn't disappoint. Along with the change of character, the settings of the films have also seen a shift. No over the top villains with their larger than life lairs and henchman, no gadgets and gadget loaded cars etc. For the first time I can see Bond in a believable, real world. Six years on, another two films added to the franchise and I am still a happy fan. Craig's adaptation of Bond is still consistent all be it a more scarred individual after the events of Casino. Certain elements of the classic formula have also been blended in well with the introduction of Q and Moneypenny. We also have M back in the traditional Whitehall setup. Three years later and we have SPECTRE, the 24th Bond film but wait, where's our man? Where is James Bond? I can see Daniel Craig on screen but where is the blunt, rough, cold assassin that I was introduced to nine years ago? In his place there seems to be a combination of Lazenby, Moore and Brosnan. Now don't get me wrong, I have the up most respect for the said actors, who I believe, played the role within their respected periods very well but this is the re-boot! Why go to all the bother of peeling back the cinematic lairs of the character, to get back to Flemings original idea, just to abandon it in favour of the classic formula Bond? Wait a minute, the answer is staring me in the face. It's the setting; the setting is classic formula Bond. Suddenly we have a return of the villains lair, the villains silent brute of a henchman, the go go gadget car, the go go gadget watch, (even though we were told in no uncertain words by Q in the previous film that they don't go for exploding pens anymore, so why a watch?) The re-booted version of Bond would never have fitted into this setting. So, who is James Bond? Is he classic formula Bond, the witty, humorous, suave,glamour Bond with the lairs, henchman and gadgets? Or is he the re-boot Bond, the blunt, rough, more colder OO7, who lives in the real world, without the need for gadgets, who takes on villains who don't need over the top henchman and lairs, who uses his skills as a driver to outwit his pursuers not flame throwers and ejector seats. The classic formula,perfect for its time, has had its day. For OO7 to survive in this post Bourne world, the character and style of the re-boot needs to be the foundation of the franchise. But the truth of the matter is it's not me that should be asking who James Bond is, its Wilson, Broccoli and everyone at EON.