21 replies to this topic

[Shaun Forever]

I've always been a fan of his work, but after viewing Skyfall, I'm starting to think that maybe he's my new favorite Bond........


You know how when you discuss Bond with movie goers, they'll always say, "Ah, but Sean Connery is the best one", I can imagine
people having the same view on Daniel Craig in decades to come.


Anyone else in the same boat?



By the way, I thought I'd post this in the spoiler section, so we can discuss his role in Skyfall, without having
to worry about giving too much away.



Daniel Craig IS James Bond.

[thecasinoroyale]

This one just showed how human his James Bond is, and how much I can warm to him over the films.

He looks so comfortable as 007 in this film, not that he didn't in 'CR' and 'QOS', but there are no teething troubles, no trust issues, he just eminates sophistication and confidence as Bond, especially during the Macau and London sequences. Conventionally, he is the sort of secret agent you would pass in the street and not think twice, and that works so much now in this era of film and current affairs - he's not a man who never looks rough or worn out, as he showed that he can be. He doesn't just let his hair look out of place or wear his tie to one side, but his face, his body language and his personna tell us this and lends to how good an actor he is.

He handles the action so well, he's a natural hands-on actor. He's tender, emotional and violent when needed and I really think the literary character of James Bond is at his closest with Daniel Craig, with Timothy Dalton coming second. Let's not forget, as I think we did in some Moore and Brosnan films, that his man is a human secret agent with demons, not an action hero as we seem to think he is. Craig has brought Bond back to what he started out as, but giving him a kick in the pants as someone we can root for and feel for.

I can't WAIT to see his next outing as this James Bond he's crafted - certainly our man for the 21st century and thank god Daniel Craig took the job on.

Don't know where we'd be without him.

[x007AceOfSpades]

Daniel Craig Is James Bond for his time as were Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, and Brosnan.

I will say that I was impressed with Skyfall, but Connery is still my favorite. Craig is a very good Bond nonetheless. I have three favorite Bonds: Connery, Dalton, and Craig. Craig is now number 2 surpassing Dalton. The other 3 is a toss-up for me.

If Craig puts on another performance like he did in Skyfall for Bond 24, then He very well may end up becoming my favorite Bond.

[Iceskater101]

Craig is a very good Bond, that's how I felt before and after the movie. I was very impressed.

[Emma]

Yes I have changed my mind considerably. I've gone from hoping that Craig would bow out of the role with this film, to making him my favourite Bond. Never thought that I would accept his 'everyman' Bond over what I'm used to. He's really shown that Bond can be a hero and yet human as well. Casino Royale was not just a fluke there's a real gem there.

[JimmyBond]

I always liked Daniel Craig in the role, but Skyfall adds a new dimension to his Bond. Humor. I always believed Craig would handle the humor well, and I'm so glad Skyfall proved me right. It's really neat watching him evolve in the role. Just when I thought he showed us all he can show us with Bond.

[Vauxhall]

SKYFALL has solidified my opinion of Daniel Craig as James Bond - in a very good way. I liked him as an actor way back in 2005, but I don't think I ever imagined he would inhabit the role in such an impressive manner. His acting has done justice to the material he has had to work with, and boosted the franchise over years which have been tricky at times.

[SecretAgentFan]

SKYFALL has solidified my opinion of Daniel Craig as James Bond - in a very good way. I liked him as an actor way back in 2005, but I don't think I ever imagined he would inhabit the role in such an impressive manner. His acting has done justice to the material he has had to work with, and boosted the franchise over years which have been tricky at times.

Perfectly put.

[PPK_19]

Loved him in CR, and his performance in QOS was arguably better than in CR.

And in Skyfall he just nails it, in every way possible. Even my friend who is an ardent Brosnan fan, who likes Craig but didn't really think him Bond material after seeing CR and QOS, said to me the other day that after seeing Skyfall he sees what i've been saying all this time. Craig is Fleming's Bond. "Badass," as he put it.

[Double-0-Seven]

I absolutely loved him in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. After Skyfall I can safely say he's my favorite Bond, maybe even the best James Bond we've ever had. I think he's the first Bond where you could put up a really good argument with someone who feels Connery is the best Bond. Never would I have thought Daniel Craig would take the role by storm as much as he has. You can feel his passion for the character and the series in his performances. Pushing the envelope without taking away from who Bond is. The charm, the charisma, the physicality... it's all there. Daniel is brilliant. So yes, my opinion has changed. He went from being awesome to simply the best.

[radio_wmn]

Having started with Connery (though with the later films, that had little relationship to the books other than their titles), I have a special fondness for him. That said, before Craig's Casino Royale, the early Connery-film screenplays came the closest to the novels, while Timothy Dalton's Bond came closest. In Craig's Casino Royale, we find a screenplay which, while updated to today, was close in story to its predecessor novel, and a Bond who had the cold, calculating nature of Fleming's character. I think we lost a lot of that in Skyfall, which had so many Die Another Day-like references to past Bond films that it made the action, and the storyline, seem trite by comparison. I don't think Skyfall did either Craig, or the franchise, much good in that respect.

That said, I need to see the film at least one more time for the story, and once for Craigverse continuity errors...

[Harry Fawkes]

Yes. My opinion of Craig has changed drastically with SkyFall. I now think he's the best Bond ever :-()

[Chief of SIS]

I assume what this topic will become is a 'how does Daniel rank' thread - a topic that I often try to avoid. Distinguishing the past from the present in film, especially performances, is fraught with difficulties. Let me provide an example. If I recall correctly, a few years back maybe, Daniel Craig mentioned in an interview about his approach to acting. His response was that he was a sort of minimalist. Even if he did not say this, it is clear on how he presents himself. Connery or Moore for that matter could not approach acting the same way Daniel can. This is largely because of the incredible development of mobility of the camera (thank you Garrett Brown). Grand tracking shots and constant close-ups while feasible in films prior 1980, were not nearly as common as in modern cinema. The implications for the actor are grand.

A good actor knows the difference between the stage and the film. Stage focuses on total body movement with each gesture using the entire body to imply motivation. Often, these gestures are quite overt. However, in film, we are directed towards cues. The audience sees what they are told to see. Therefore, when the camera became mobile and editing became easier, film actors no longer had to exaggerate small, character cues. Cameras moved our eyes to see what part of the actor we should see. I am not trying to make a massive crevasse between Connery's and Craig's acting styles, merely showing that the history of film has greatly altered how some actors behave on screen.

I consider Daniel a master of minimalism. This has been his greatest progression. He acts with his eyes more than his body and well understands that his physique will convey whatever it needs to without much of an effort. In Casino Royale however, he was sometimes stiff as a board. The Miami scenes come to mind in particular, but in Skyfall, he loosens that face ever so slightly to tremendous effect. He still doesn't move a whole lot but his facial, hand, and body gestures are spot on. It's more so the acknowledgement that he is comfortable in the role. There is a fantastic interview on Collider.com somewhere with Mendes praising Craig that highlights this. In particular, he mentions the now notorious train jump and how it was Daniel's idea to adjust the cuffs. It's an example of minimal movement and adjustment, but now it's a notorious Bond moment. The line where Daniel Craig ends and where Bond begins has never been so blurry.

Edited by Chief of SIS, 12 November 2012 - 09:18 PM.

[Dustin]

Splendid observation, Chief.

[Trevelyan 006]

Firstly: Skyfall is the best Bond movie to come out in the last decade.

Secondly: In a STRICTLY acting sense and standpoint, there are really only three men that stand out among the rest who have played Bond:

1- Daniel Craig

2- Timothy Dalton

3- Sean Connery

They are by far the best men to ever play Bond as far as acting skill and believable performances go, if you ask me.

Yet, Daniel has yet to claim my favorite Bond position...

[Nicolas Suszczyk]

Well, I've never hated Daniel's Bond, but yes, he's great in SKYFALL!

[Iceskater101]

Timothy Dalton was a good Bond, I wish he did more. Daniel Craig though has really come into his own portrayal of James Bond. Either you like it or you don't.

[Trevelyan 006]

Well then, place me in the "like him" category!

[Chief of SIS]

Well then, place me in the "like him" category!

Trevelyan, this is way off topic but I want you to know, I read all your posts in Trevelyan's voice. It's delightful.

[x007AceOfSpades]

Well then, place me in the "like him" category!

Trevelyan, this is way off topic but I want you to know, I read all your posts in Trevelyan's voice. It's delightful.

You're not the only one Chief

[bond_azoozbond]

Daniel Craig is one of the best bonds no doubt .. though he is different bond than Sean or Roger .. I consider Sean and Roger experienced bonds but Daniel is a beginner bond ..

[LordAsriel]

In CR, I was really impressed by Daniel Craig and how well he managed to combine Connery's coolness and Dalton's intensity. But in QOS all of that had gone and Craig was just a robot killer. He is a bit better in Skyfall but still disappointing I think. I mean in the first part of the film we see him drinking a lot, failing the tests which could have been interesting but unfortunately nothing is made of that in the rest of the movie in which we just have a generic Bond.
For Lazenby, Moore and Dalton I could find some argument to say that they are better than Connery : Lazenby beacuse he is more human and believable, Moore because he is more charming and funny, Dalton because he is more intense and closer to Flening. But for Craig as for Brosnan, I find nothing to say unless they are a more or less good mix of their predecessors. They brought nothing new to the franchise.
And as much as I like CR the way it has been done, I begin to think that it could have been more innovative if Cavill had been chosen; It might well have been a wasted opportunity not to go that younger.