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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.
