I agree with the potential of Renard, but his potential was far from realised. His unique quality was lack from pain sensation, but when was this ever utilised, except for love scene and the one scene with Davidov. This should have been the basis of at least one confrontation with Bond and a major aspect of the finale - just a gimmick in the end.
I think i can fathom the reason for this: I remember reading that this nerve-ending lack-of-pain condition had originally been part of Stamper's character which would have made sense of the masochistic tendency also dropped from the movie (mentioned above) and knife in the leg in the finale that seems to have no effect upon him.
I'm guessing this pain gimmick, misguidedly rejected from TND (Stamper), was stuck onto Renard at the last minute to sex him up a little, but too late for the story to be re-writing fully enough to make this as integral to his story in the film as it should've been.
If they'd kept this pain gimmick in TND, however, Stamper would've been far more interesting and may have been a henchman contender (if they'd snagged Tony Hopkins away from MI:2 reshoots the movie itself would've been Brosnan's best... Oh wait a minute, Teri Hatcher... Darn it, together with Brosnan their 'love scene' turned from drama into Mills & Boon melodrama . Oh well ).
As it stands, Stamper's a pretty lame bunch of muscle in a suit - a cut-out henchman and Renard is his 'Basted child', with Stamper's DNA thrust upon him, but never fully realised.
For me Dario is the real thing, a scary piece of work whom i wouldn't like to find myself up tied up with.
Edited by Odd Jobbies, 08 December 2012 - 10:31 PM.