Step aside Sean

Thanksgiving was relaxing and restful just like it should be. After lounging most of Friday morning, my companions got the great idea to see a movie. We settled on the new James Bond flick Casino Royale. This was my first time seeing a Bond movie on the big screen. I’ll start by saying up front that the only reason I went to see the movie was Daniel Craig.

Lately he’s been making some interesting character choices and that intrigues me. Okay, so he has the smokin’ body and charming accent but that’s just a cherry on top of his fine acting. His appeal is that he’s just cute enough to be deemed handsome, just fit enough to be considered hot and just rugged enough to be considered manly in his perfectly pressed tuxedo. He has that Steve McQueen quality. Did I mention the eyes? Crystal clear and dreamy. That’s right I said dreamy and I’m not even a teenager in 1950s middle America but it’s fitting. His eyes are mesmerizing.

From what I’ve seen in other James Bond movies, Casino Royale contains the usual international backdrops and beautiful people. The best thing about Bond movies is the sleazy villains. Le Chiffe (Mads Mikkelsen) was delightful as the bad guy. Not only was he timeless Euro sleaze with the appropriate general Euro accent. He seemed to be perpetually sweaty and bled from an unusual part of his body. Gotta love that. He even had an equally vampish Euro girlfriend.

Casino Royale introduces us to a younger brasher James Bond (Craig). We learn how the new 00 discovered his car, favorite cocktail and his penchant for well-made tuxedos. He is accompanied by the lovely Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) and the badass M (Judi Dench). There’s not much to say about the plot except that it was easy to follow by Bond-movie standards but included enough twists and turns and double crosses to live up to the reputation. The bulk of the plot surrounded a high-stakes poker game, which was brilliant considering Hollywood’s love affair with the game.

I look forward to Craig returning for another installment. He’s no Sean Connery but was fun to watch and even may give Connery a run for his money. Both have that suave but rugged persona that attracts the ladies and makes the men envious. Time will tell. I adored Pierce Brosnan because I’m a Remington Steele addict. He personified classic James Bond but was more a romantic fantasy than the magnetic appeal of Connery and Craig. Roger Moore is a mystery to me. I never got his appeal.

With that said, who is your favorite James Bond?