Bond, James Bond: Prepping for Quantum of Solace

Last night we pulled out Casino Royale, because The Girlfriend had never seen it and I purchased Quantum of Solace earlier in the day. I have not seen Quantum, but I am given to understand it plays directly off Casino, and wanted both of us to enter it with a heads up.

First things first, since Daniel Craig is still young in the role. I like him best since Sean Connery. Other Bonds, especially Roger Moore, have seemed too polished to me. Bond in the Fleming books is far more brutal than he has usually been portrayed on screen. Craig fits the part, the side of Bond that M is referring to when she calls him a "blunt instrument." The determination and single-minded pursuit of the mission that Fleming created shines through in Craig's performance.

The Girlfriend had no objection to Daniel, but wasn't wowed either. She was set aback a moment by the lighter hair, as she pointed out that to her Bond will always be a brunette. She liked some aspects of him in the role, but her most interesting thought was that she liked the shape of his mouth and thought he would make a very sexy Batman, with that unique and sexy chin and mouth beneath the cowl.

Casino Royale was an update that backdates. By taking Bond back to his roots, they reinvent the character and make him more acceptable for today's audience. The brutal killing in the opening scene is an immediate wake up call. Moore or Pierce Brosnan would never have been involved in that kind of struggle unless it was against a guy with metal teeth and genetic enhancements. But a common thug? No, those get killed in ways that don't mess up your suit.

Casino also gets to indulge in some genuine character development for James, a rarity in this series. Not too much, of course. We know that he will start the next movie as a loner, so we know part of the ending. It is one of the frustrating things about writing a series. You can't change too much if you want to continue with the same characters. But the filmmakers attempted to set up a motivation for Bond's later interactions with the romance in this film. They do a fair job and much of their ability to sell James commitment to Vespa is hampered by circumstances beyond their control. We know she will die, because its James Bond.

While the movie is deliberately short on some of the gadgetry that once was more important to the series than plot, I think that is a change for the better. Everything we see is perfectly plausible or even commercial. Things like GPS are not science fiction to today's audience.

The new Bond relies more on the strength of his will than his technology and I like that. We also see a bit more of the detective in him, as when he figures out a code for a security door from a text message. But the thing that got the most press was the way this Bond gets bloodied, and to me that is a very correct change. Because of the genre, there is never a doubt that he will survive and win. But I like the fact that he has to struggle to do so.

I loved Casino Royale. It made me a fan again, and I can not truly say that I have been one of Bond since the seventies. Is Casino as good as From Russia With Love or Goldfinger? I don't know. Sean Connery is so iconic for me. But it at least holds its own in the discussion.

I'm looking forward to watching Quantum of Solace sometime this week.