Daniel Craig was miscast as James Bond? I think so (Page 3 of 5)

Craig being blond was not a stumbling block for me, as I think James Fox or his brother Edward would have made good Bonds.

With Craig, the problem for me is that he is devoid of charm. I was in contact with Roger Moore very briefly in the late 2000s via email, and he mentioned to me that he thought Craig, though an excellent actor, and generally suited as a Bond for these times, lacked charm and wit, which he, Moore, thought essential for Bond.

Another thing about Craig that has already been mentioned here, is that his suits are too tight, and his gait is too studied “hard man”, as is his facial expression, which is like chiselled rock.

Indeed, Craig’s Bond is closer to Robert Shaw’s Red Grant than to Bond.

I agree. Mendes is not a good action director. Though I thought the pre-credit sequence for Spectre was good.

I prefer the old school look of Bond films. The wide angle panorama shots of glamorous locations, slower editing style, Barry's soundtrack, and more visual beauty.

The Bond films now all look like Bourne films.

First I disagree that Craig lacks charm. He has shown charm in many scenes. Charm and wit were Moore's many assets, so it's no wonder his Bond focused on that. Craig does drama and action better than Moore, so he made his Bond more Flemingeque.

While I'm actually a big fan of Craig's take on Bond, this observation is absolutely spot on.

I'd say Craig's Bond is closer to Red Grant than Roger Moore's Bond, but he is also closer to Fleming's Bond than Roger Moore's Bond.
It's unfair of me to make Moore the symbol of the lighthearted and unrealistic Bond. All Bond actors has played that to some degree, including Craig.

It's also worth noting that Red Grant is an assassin, something we often forget Bond also is.

But is Bond an assassin in the same way?

Bond is allowed to kill, yes, but in the course of his duty/mission. He isn’t sent on missions to specifically kill a person, as Red Grant was.

Bond kills if he has to, in order to get the job done, as he said to Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun (the film). He says this to show Scaramanga that he not an assassin like Scaramanga is.

Craig’s Bond has been written as a hired assassin in a way the novels and earlier films didn’t portray Bond.

I'm not arguing that- I used the word "cast" as a verb, not a noun. "Empire" is better cast, not has a better cast.

Not quite seeing the different there: are you saying Neeson etc. were miscast? And who was cast for Empire: Frank Oz and Billy Dee Williams? They're great and everything, but I'm not sure better. The rest of them had already been cast (verb) years previously.

Last edited by emtiem (28th Aug 2020 14:17)

well said and I think the swagger has matured right along with his character.  In CR he certainly had swagger but it was brash and even out of control.  By Skyfall and Spectre, it was calculating and smarter swagger that portrayed an even greater level of confidence that screamed I can deal with any situation and I won't even break a sweat.  I think he is going to be a tough act to follow but I thought that of PB as well.  RM never really did it for me at all and SC kind of transitioned himself out as his last performance just felt like he had had enough.  Perhaps DC will do the same, but I think his casting couldn't have been much better and he has grown into the role in a wonderful way.

Donovan Grant is also literally a looney who is compelled to murder every full moon. Like a werewolf in horror fiction.
CraigBond is presented as not-quite-right, but he doesnt do that.

Ordered to assassinate for his first two kills, For Your Eyes Only (and that was an unofficial favour for his boss, not for Queen and country), and the Living Daylights. Agrees to kill Dr Shatterhand in exchange for Tanaka's Russian intel before he even knows Shatterhand is Blofeld.
Though in FRWL, when he helps Kerim Bey kill Krilencu, Bond tells himself he has never killed in cold blood.

Yep, I love the Mickey Mouse introduction and the tiny little smirk at the very end with the line "all out of bullets" is absolutely priceless.