His debut in Casino Royale was spectacular and I think he’ll be my favorite James Bond as long as the franchise’s handlers keep focusing on the stories over the product placements…I mean gadgets. Craig has the grittiness of Connery and Dalton because being a government investigator-assassin is dirty work. Very fitting for the Generation X stereotype. Don’t take the previous statement as a dig against Moore and Brosnan; they had a few good movies but their take was more casual and flippant so they came off as serious versions of Matt Helm or Derek Flint.
Before he landed the role of a lifetime, I caught him starring in L4YER CAKE which I rented to see who this new Bond was. He has appeared before American audiences in The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, Elizabeth (the 1998 version), Tomb Raider and Road to Perdition. I didn’t say they were all good films. I suppose his inconspicuous looks in those roles explain why he was chosen to be the sixth 007. I know they’re just movies but an effective operative is somebody who isn’t memorable, noticeable or recognizable.
I do plan on watching The Golden Compass when it’s available as a rental. He was the other factor after Sam Elliott in pushing me toward checking it out.
Meanwhile, I have to agree that Quantum of Solace is a horrible title for the next movie. It’s not as horrendous as say…Attack of the Clones, just arcane. I looked up the definition of quantum and Fleming’s use of the word is technically correct (it’s the title of a short story). Modern connotation has moved it into the realm of physics for most people now.