Pierce Brosnan or Daniel Craig?

GoldenEye85

When I first saw Casino Royale, I really, really didn't care for it. It took me two or three more viewings of it before I started liking it, same with Quantum, now Casino Royale is one of my top favorites in the entire franchise. I like Quantum but it is in my lower top ten.

I like both Brosnan and Craig they both have brought different, but valid directions for Bond. All six films between them are good, not to say that they are flawless, but they are still good to watch.

BIG TAM

I was rewatching the special features on my DVD of DIE ANOTHER DAY on Saturday. There's a Hong Kong press conference where Pierce Brosnan goes on for some considerable time about the mechanics of Bond. Not for the first time he mentions wanting to strip away layers & play a human, fallible character. I then had another gander at the film itself. It's still a relentless mish-mash of noise & incident but Brosnan's attempts to humanise are indeed there. I sense the film-makers were probably playing the productions safe, hampering Brosnan a bit. I'm sure he secretly envies the opportunites now offered to Craig, where a more conflicted Bond is the choice of the moment.

vanguard

bailorg wrote:

Well, Craig is my second favorite Bond next to Dalton, so there's my answer.

As for Brosnan, as far as I'm concerned, his best performance as Bond came in The Thomas Crown Affair, which probably says more about my opinion of the actual Bond movies Brosnan had the misfortune of starring in.

Exactly my feelings on Brosnan. Craig is number 3 after Moore and Connery. Brosnan is not bad but cannot shine with the stories given.

Virgil37

Daniel Craig, hands down. He is the second best, second only to Connery, and that could change if he´s as good in Skyfall as in CR. Pierce Brosnan was my biggest dissapointment with an actor playing Bond. Actually, IMHO, his best performances as Bond are "the Fourth Protocol" and "The Taylor of Panama". Always with that grin that said, "ey, I´m I good looking or what? wasn´t I born to play Bond?"...

Jarvio

Craig for me. He just pulls it off better IMO.

I think Brosnan is one of the weaker bonds really. Nothing against him, and he's still good, but I would put everyone above him except for Lazenby. Brosnan seems too "boyish" for my liking, whereas Craig seems way more manly.

But really, there is no bad bond for me.

Thunderpussy

Here is a short Interview on how P Brosnan got Bond.

http://youtu.be/m3ndSrBuPkM

That Interviewer looks very familar. )

Dutchfinger

Thunderpussy wrote:

Here is a short Interview on how P Brosnan got Bond.

http://youtu.be/m3ndSrBuPkM

That Interviewer looks very familar. )

Haha great video! - Gosh, he got the phone call saying that he is the new Bond on his birthday! Can't inmagine a better present then that! - Funny seeing VJ in there as well )

Scrummy64

In the Craig vs. Brosnan debate, I'm impartial - all of the Bonds are absolutely 100% equal to me, based on their own merits, except for Dalton, who rises slightly higher than all the rest. The reason I like Dalton so much is not necessarily how he took on a darker tone for the franchise - if that was the main reason, then he would simply be on par with Brosnan and Craig - but how HE HIMSELF was determined to revolutionise the franchise, in order to make it less tongue-in-cheek and more like Ian Fleming had originally intended. Not only that, but if I'm not mistaken, he was also the only Bond to do all of his stunts himself, without the use of a double. It's that devotion that makes me appreciate him more than any of the other Bonds.

chrisisall

Scrummy64 wrote:

It's that devotion that makes me appreciate him more than any of the other Bonds.

I concur.

Dutchfinger

Scrummy64 wrote:

In the Craig vs. Brosnan debate, I'm impartial - all of the Bonds are absolutely 100% equal to me, based on their own merits, except for Dalton, who rises slightly higher than all the rest. The reason I like Dalton so much is not necessarily how he took on a darker tone for the franchise - if that was the main reason, then he would simply be on par with Brosnan and Craig - but how HE HIMSELF was determined to revolutionise the franchise, in order to make it less tongue-in-cheek and more like Ian Fleming had originally intended. Not only that, but if I'm not mistaken, he was also the only Bond to do all of his stunts himself, without the use of a double. It's that devotion that makes me appreciate him more than any of the other Bonds.

I do believe he has done a lot of stunt work himself, but definitely not ALL of them. It's far to risky to have the leading man do all of it by himself. I agree with everything you said though, I also believe that Dalton was the only one that actually read all of the fleming novells in preperation of the role.. I appreciate him a lot as Bond, and like most other members on this forum, I only wished he had done more Bond movies.

Jarvio

Dutchfinger wrote:

I appreciate him a lot as Bond, and like most other members on this forum, I only wished he had done more Bond movies.

I once heard that his third bond film "The Property Of A Lady" was planned for 1991 but was later cancelled.... pity it didn't happen

Dutchfinger

Jarvio wrote:

Dutchfinger wrote:

I appreciate him a lot as Bond, and like most other members on this forum, I only wished he had done more Bond movies.

I once heard that his third bond film "The Property Of A Lady" was planned for 1991 but was later cancelled.... pity it didn't happen

Yes I also know about this one. We can only think about 'what could have been' now...
When you look at it, all the actors really seem to nail down their performance in their third outing... (TWINE may not have been a top notch movie, but Brosnan did show he could act!) I'm sure Dalton would have really shined in his third one as well...

chrisisall

Dutchfinger wrote:

(TWINE may not have been a top notch movie, but Brosnan did show he could act!)

Just watching that last night... yeah, Broz was giving it his all. A few script tweaks and recasting Ms. Jones would have nudged it into top notch territory IMO. As it is, I still love it.

Loeffelholz

Interesting timing for me to peek in on this thread, as just today I showed a friend of mine her first two James Bond films ever: Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, back to back; a lovely Sunday afternoon matinee on the couch About halfway through CR, I gave her the short version of all the polarization and conflict surrounding Craigger's casting and asked her if she thought he was attractive. She said yes...but not 'conventionally' so.

She enjoyed her first Bondian experience, and is open to others. Might work our way backwards through the Brozzers from here :007) Report to follow.

chrisisall

Loeffelholz wrote:

Report to follow.

Yes, please! )

Thunderpussy

Reminds me of a time I showed a young lady QoS, soon she was
ordering me to Take Off her Underwear. :v

Well I suppose I shouldn't of been wearing them anyway. )

chrisisall

Thunderpussy wrote:

Well I suppose I shouldn't of been wearing them anyway. )

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! ) )

thesecretagent

Haven't watched a Bond in a while, but TND was on late last nigh and I started to watch it with my wife. "Oh, this is a proper Bond!" she said. It was the pre title sequence. And you know what? She was right. The whole feel of the film was BOND! Not Craig strutting about in his fashion ensemble, poor lines (QOS), Craig getting semi naked all the time... Just bloody good escapism.

chrisisall

thesecretagent wrote:

Haven't watched a Bond in a while, but TND was on late last nigh and I started to watch it with my wife. "Oh, this is a proper Bond!" she said. It was the pre title sequence. And you know what? She was right. The whole feel of the film was BOND!

I agree, and I loved Bond's remark when Paris told Bond "He said he loved me."

Dutchfinger

thesecretagent wrote:

Haven't watched a Bond in a while, but TND was on late last nigh and I started to watch it with my wife. "Oh, this is a proper Bond!" she said. It was the pre title sequence. And you know what? She was right. The whole feel of the film was BOND! Not Craig strutting about in his fashion ensemble, poor lines (QOS), Craig getting semi naked all the time... Just bloody good escapism.

I've always had the same opinion on TND which is exactly that! - You don't watch that movie for it's plot, it hasn't got a deep breath-taking story. But it is one of those Bond movies that you can watch with family, and just simply enjoy for it's escapism!

arthur pringle

Well, Brosnan clearly even though I think Connery, Moore and Dalton were better than Brosnan. Still not really getting Daniel Craig at all. I just find him a big tabula rasa in all of his films and he seems to look far worse than I remember every time they wheel him out again. I know the last film was four years ago but he looks like he's aged about ten years since Quantum of Solace in most of the Skyfall promo stuff I've seen. I just hope we don't have an entire generation of people now who think James Bond is supposed to be some sullen monosyllabic little fella who looks like Derek Deadman :v The Brosnan films were hit or miss (mostly miss) but I don't remember any debate about him when he had the part (in the same fashion that we still have to some degree with DC).