Casino Royale
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An outstandingly good film and definitely my new favourite. Craig not only embodies but also really dials up all the qualities of the character that I wanted to see more of over the series. The brashness combined with the insecurity. The brutality. The conflict and the doubt. The collateral damage of his actions. The whole idea that he is a custom built killing machine. A bit of a monster really, but one that M has built/want to be that way. But with a real person lingering inside.
The fact he finally lets somebody in and then how it ends, just sealing him back up completely as an ice-cold killer, is a brilliantly tragic ending and a perfect way to start a reboot. "The bitch is dead" carried more weight than maybe any line I can cite from the series so far.
I loved how grounded and simple the story was. There was no massively complicated plot whatsoever. The poker scenes work really well in terms of breaking things up. Especially when he's playing opposite an actor as good as Mads, who I would watch read the phone book. I wasn't quite expecting the bollock torture scene either. That was grim, Christ. They don't downplay the brutality of his world and what he does at any point actually. The fight scene on the stairs is amazing. It's like Connery on the train for the modern world. Vesper just watching him choke the life out of a man and the effect it has on her. Fantastic.
Eva Green is amazing in this, by the way. I'd have just happily let her keep the money and gone evil for her.
So yeah. Not just a great Bond film but a really great film in general (not that I'm saying the two are mutually exclusive by any means), absolutely loved it. 9/10
Quantum of Solace
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I watched this right after Casino Royale, as I was aware that one picks up exactly (pretty much) where the other leaves off. I really liked this one too. It's a very different film in many ways though. Casino Royale sets it up with all this taut drama and emotionally damaged backstory and then QoS works as this sort of "now here are all the car chases and action sequences and gunfights!" coda to it. It's like it's louder, more hyperactive but not quite as smart or cool little brother.
There is a bit
too much action, if anything. But it does it very well. Generally it's just a full film of him out in the field doing his thing, really. I love the scene where he just effortlessly rumbles their super secret meeting at the opera and starting mugging them all off on the radio.
It doesn't overstay it's welcome either, which I like. I want to say it might be the shortest Bond? Dominic Greene is not the best Bond villain, it has to be said. He's far from the worst either though. I like that they still addressed the "consequence of Bonds actions" angle a little bit too in the form of Fields getting killed basically just because he couldn't help himself from seducing her, otherwise she wouldn't have been involved at all. Likewise, he pulls Mathis back in and basically gets him killed.
After Casino Royale (which is now out on it's own) it sits in the next group down of "very good Bond" for me.
8/10
I do have something of a social life, I swear. I've just had a bit of time off work this week and not a lot to do.