The Best Bond Ever?

In my humble opinion, it is! I am referring, of course, to Casino Royale, the 21st installment in the official James Bond series of films. I say the official series, because there have been a couple that were not, including the time Sean Connery returned to the role he made famous in 1983's Never Say Never Again, which was not made by the official Bond production company.

Anyhow, I was not even planning to see Casino Royale until it appeared on DVD, which it does this coming Tuesday, March 13. I am a huge James Bond fan, and have been since childhood. I wasn't going to see the movie at the theatre because, at the time, I was very skeptical about the producers' choice to play Bond in this movie: Daniel Craig.

Craig had appeared previously in, among other films, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, where he played Angelina Jolie's love interest. He was not the stereotypical Bond actor - for one thing, he was a blue-eyed, blond Bond. Previous Bonds Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan were dark-haired. Craig would also be the first actor under six feet tall to play the legendary spy. There was such an outcry from certain die-hard fans of the character, including a website that was set up to decry Craig's choice, that I really didn't expect I'd like the film, either.

But, my pastor, Fr. Joe, went to see it and returned raving about it. He, too had been a Bond fan as a kid. He said, "Cale, go see it. It's the best Bond film ever." Better, even, than any of the Connery films, like Goldfinger? He said, "It's vastly different than any bond film of recent vintage. The opening montage features no scantily-clad women, but rather a styllized fight sequence. In this film, Bond also appears vulnerable - physically and emotionally. He bleeds. He allows himself to fall in love. They don't even play the Bond theme song until the very end!"

Well, Father definitely knew best! My wife and I went to see it - and I was blown away. Craig gives a virtuoso performance as Bond that completely silenced his critics. His Bond is raw, violent, and hard-edged - much more like the Bond of the original Ian Fleming novels, and certainly nothing like the clownish take of, say, Roger Moore. One really believes this man is a professional killer.

The film, which begins with the story of how Bond achieves his "double-0" status and license to kill, is a complete reboot of the series. As a whole, it is far more gritty and realistic than previous Bond offerings, which were way, way over the top in terms of unbelievable plotlines and ridiculous gadgets - just think of the awful Die Another Day's invisible car.

Casino Royale also features probably the best Bond theme song of all time, too: Chris Cornell's You Know My Name. Perfect for Craig's take on the character.

So, who's your favorite Bond actor? What's your favorite film in the series? And if you haven't seen Casino, give yourself a Royale treat and buy it on Tuesday!

And in closing, how's this for a coincidence: I just realized that this is post number 007 on my blog for March!