James Bond has been done over and over, but right from the get-go, there’s something different, something effortless, and nonchalant, about this 007. British actor Daniel Craig is sexy, complicated and mean. And he looks like Steve McQueen. His blue eyes are wounded, sad, and simply to die for. The story begins with a startling opening as a British secret service agent acting very “Bondish’ in his execution of capturing the bad guy. But when he beats another man to a bloody death, it’s a Bond we’ve never seen before, though suspect may have always existed. And while he’ll say those infamous words, “Bond. James Bond,” his babes aren’t the usual blonde bombshells. Instead French actress Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) is brunette, skinny and has half a brain. Based on the first Ian Fleming spy novel and taking us back to the beginning, this movie moves from Bahamas to Britain and even Venice. This new Bond has no tolerance for true love, meddlesome women like “M” (Judi Dench) the head honcho agent, or even martinis shaken or stirred – to which he replies, “Do I look like I give a damn?” And that’s just what makes this (sometimes) disjointed movie work: A James Bond who doesn’t give a care about too much. Three Tiaras.
