BlogHer - Daniel Craig in Casino Royale: Don't knock him 'til you try him - Comments

Daniel Craig - real actor

David K — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 19:37:01 -0500

Man, I would watch this movie over and over again. I hardly wait the next series, the action, the adrenaline....mmmm
Look here for more info:
Daniel Craig site

Oh Man!

Tanilan — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 10:45:58 -0600

I haven't seen the movie, but oh my Lord that man is hot! I first saw him in Layer Cake and when I heard he was the new Bond, I absolutely melted. My friend gave me a copy of the picture above. I use it as my bookmark. Takes me a while to concentrate on what I'm suppose to be reading.

Love the new Bond Movie

Sarah-Jane — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:31:57 -0600

Well what can i say i love this movie. I was at first a little unsure about a Blond Bond but well well. Daniel Craig has certainly shaken me. Bond was raw and nothing like his predecessors, I hope we see much more in the next installment of Bond i cant wait.

Sarah-Jane
England

I Hated Bond in the Past, But Now...Wow

Glennia — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 08:48:12 -0600

I've been a longstanding hater of all things Bond. I would go to these movies and tolerate them because my husband loves them, then force him to see something like "Steel Magnolias" as...um, payback? I mean, Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist? puh-leeze.

I have to say that this one was different, and I loved it. It was not the ridiculous cartoon that the other ones were and the action sequences were riveting. I'm going to check out the other movies that Daniel Craig was in--thanks for the references, CityMama!

Glennia
The Silent I
Silicon Valley Moms Blog
Kimchi Mamas

I loved it!

maryrwise — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 12:15:43 -0600

I loved the movie -- the grittier, harder Bond that Craig played was a great departure from the suave Bond of recent memory. I thought it was neat in the very beginning that he actually was worse than his adversary at the gymnastics. The relationship developed pretty naturally too, and the ending cemented it.

And that body -- oh holy dear sweet Jesus.

The Blog: Red Nose
The Book: Girl Clown

I was on the fence about this one

Melinda Casino — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 22:36:53 -0600

I was on the fence about this one but I think you've tipped me over.

Melinda
Blog: Sour Duck

I had my doubts

Suzanne Reisman — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 19:50:54 -0600

Early on, I was not convinced that such an unconventionally rugged actor could play the deboinaire spy. However, after repeated viewings of the commerical and/or preview, whatever subliminal messages they contained brainwashed me into almost unfrenzied lust. It's the bathing suit scenes. And I haven't even seen the rest of the movie yet.

Thanks for the great review!

Suzanne, BlogHer Contributing Editor - Feminsim & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS)& Other Rants

i just saw it last night...

Crunchy Carpets — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 13:41:26 -0600

It as refreshing to see that after two decades of destroying the James Bond franchise, they finally started listening and made an 'Ian Fleming' Bond again.

A movie that is action and story driven and NOT gadget driven where our secret agent is more superhero than human.

Mind you the punishment he takes in this film is unbelievable too..but he does it so well.

Daniel Craig in Casino Royale: Don't knock him 'til you try him

CityMama — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 11:18:36 -0600

Poor Daniel Craig. He had to put up with so much flack for being chosen as a "blond" James Bond. That's all we heard about leading up to this movie. Well, I hope Daniel Craig is laughing his ass off right now, because in Casino Royale, he pulled off James Bond and then some.

Casino Royale is a fantasticly entertaining film. The movie has gotten great reviews and, huh, I wonder where the nay-sayers are now? Like they say, acting well is the best revenge.

I admit a certain bias. I am an unabashed Craig fan. He first caught my eye playing Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath's poet husband, in Sylvia (2003). Then there is his role as Steve, one of the assassins in Steven Spielberg's Munich (2005). Whenever he is on screen, no matter what the role, Daniel Craig, with his steel-blue eyes, is riveting.

I'm too young to have had any Bond pre-Roger Moore make an impression on me. I'm not a die-hard fan of the genre, but I've seen all of the Bond films made since the 70's. I'm not going to put on airs and say that "Sean Connery is the best Bond ever" (what people expect one to say, right?) because he's not a reference point for me. Up until now, I thought that Pierce Brosnan was a pretty-fine Bond, but I'm going to have to revise that statement and say that Daniel Craig takes the cake as best Bond ever.

He is the most "real" Bond by far. He doesn't play Bond broadly, like a cartoon. He plays a more private, more human Bond. Bond the man. The scenes where he orders drinks (they have fun with this in the movie) speak to that. "Shaken or stirred," says the bartender. "Do I look like I give a fuck?" says Craig's Bond.

He plays the role with just the right blend of detachment, coldness, and wry humor. He is a Bond that you know could take you out in a split-second and he never lets you forget that. Craig plays the most intimidating Bond I've ever seen. He's scary, and you get the sense that he is that way because he doesn't care what happens to him. He doesn't waste the movie flirting with every woman he comes into contact with like other Bonds (which, frankly, gets old doesn't it?), he has a job to do, and that job comes first.

And yet, he plays both Bond and "Bond Girl," with equal aplomb. There are two bathing suit scenes that are pure eye-candy, including two (two!) requisite "just-emerged-from-the-ocean-dripping-wet" shots. In fact, he is naked more than any woman in the entire movie. Which, you know, I didn't have a problem with.

The movie is a visual treat from start to finish. The opening sequence is stunning and will have you holding your breath until it ends some fifteen to twenty minutes later.

Side note: The free-running stunts in the opening, coordinated by Sebastien Foucan, are sick. You may already know his work. He had a popular video floating around YouTube a couple of months ago that was so amazing it was almost not to be believed, and he recently worked on Madonna's "Jump" video. Once you become familiar with his work, it's easy to spot.

As is to be expected, the stunts are dazzling and the plot twists come just at the right time. The gadgety spy-stuff is cool. There is a torture scene in the movie that will have every man in the audience crossing their legs and wincing, but even still, Craig manages to inject humor into the scene.

To all the people that didn't think a blond could pull off James Bond I say: Go see the movie, and tell me what you think afterwards. I venture to say most people who thought Craig would fail have never seen any of his films. Those of us who are fans of his acting knew he could pull it off. Go see Casino Royale and let Daniel Craig change your mind.

Casino Royale (2006), directed by Martin Campbell. Rated R.

Contributing Editor Stefania Pomponi Butler blogs CityMama and Family Food and is a Founding Editor of Kimchi Mamas.