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This is a choice between my #1 and #2 Bond film....and in the end I pick...
Skyfall. Not only my favorite Bond film of all time, but one of my all time favorite films, period.
Skyfall for sure!
8. Casino Royale
7. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
6. Dr. No
5. Octopussy
4. The Man With The Golden Gun
3. The Spy Who Loved Me
2. Skyfall
I'm going to have to say SKYFALL - but only just.
It's just a well crafted film that didn't need to be dominated with Oscar heavyweights.
There's plenty of class, glamour and exotic locations, which is allowed time to breathe, mixed in with a serious and satisfying take on violence and impressive action sequences. The Bond girls are glamorous and the villains entertaining and interesting. CR is that good and as highly praised as it is, I still think it deserves a lot more recognition from Bond fans in particular because it has absolutely everything one could want in a thrilling, action adventure spy movie.
I mentioned earlier that SF wasn't up to par wholly with the action compared to CR but I'd also like to add that SF could have given us a bit more with China. When it comes to the exotic geographical atmosphere, CR has SF beat IMO. The beautiful sea backdrop of the Bahamas and Madagascar, the luxurious interiors of the hotel/casino, that beautiful establishing shot of passing through Montenegro. CR is just fantastic.
I will add the incredibly beautiful chemestry between Eva and Daniel. They have the strongest moments in the script.
But I still can't decide between SF and CR. :/
Yeah I'm actually surprised with the opposite. Why do so many people prefer Skyfall to Casino Royal, and for what particular reasons?
Both are Craig releases, Both are decent fun and plenty of action, even if a bit implausible sometimes, but Royale wins it. Cornell better singer, although Skyfall did have the better title designs
Lechiffre was a disappointment, Bardem only slightly better, but while I enjoyed Skyfall for the most part, I feel Royale was the better release, simply put
Btw, can we have a similar thread comparing two Bond girls from different films?
Oh, allow me:
*Fantastic opening harkening back to the beautiful black and white cinematography from days of old. It shows Bond right off the bat as one not to mess with, and sets up a grand introduction for Dan in the role with fierce shots showing how he attained 00 status. I also see the black and white style as a form of irony. In the world of espionage, it is all grays, and I think how the opening shots are desaturated show us something the Craig era contradicts later on.
*A mesmerizing Bond song that is so damn catchy that it makes you realize why you know Bond's name (see what I did there?).
*The opening titles of the film are the best of the best, not including random nude women just because, but it has substance. Things necessary to the plot appear, like Vesper, Bond's 007 status, and of course Bond himself, dishing out hard punches. And the overall theme of a casino and cards in the title designs further exemplifies how the titles connect to the film's plot.
*One of the greatest PTSs in Bond history. We start out seeing Bond simply surveying, then it turns into a twisted array of parkour and bullets taking Bond from a construction site all the way to an embassy with explosive ferocity. One thing I always love about this PTS is comparing Mollaka's professional and perfectly timed and executed traversal techniques, and Bond's sloppy and on the spot movements as he gives chase. Great stuff.
*The best ever Bond/M relationship yet, all the more important to see now that Skyfall is out, and it comes full circle. Dan and Judi just have that great chemistry together, and it is great to see them play off each other expertly in a scene. Some don't like this aspect of the Craig era, but I do, and it heightens our connection to Bond and M even further.
*Fantastic exotic locations including the Bahamas, Montenegro and Italy.
*The Best Bond girl of all in Vesper. She is sharp, gorgeous, and is the only one that can go up against Bond and size him up (both figuratively and literally) outside of M. She is the personification of everything a Bond girl is and always should be. Not just a pretty face, but so much more. Her betrayal and then change of heart out of love are both beautiful and sorrowful at the same time as she sacrifices herself, and that too connects us to Bond and we too feel his masked pain. His relationship with Vesper both in her life and after her death are some of the highlights of Craig's era. Vesper, like Tracy is so special to Bond that she affects him not just in one film, but down the line at a later time.
*Le Chiffre is a fantastic cerebral villain, and it made the casino game between him and Bond all the more intense.
*CR updated the plot of the novel expertly, doing many things even better.
*Both the novel and the film make the game of poker as exciting as any sport out there. The acting in these scenes and how Bond and Le Chiffre throw punches and stabs with their eyes is glorious. The intensity keeps climbing through Bond losing, having to buy back in, being poisoned, and then peaks at his victorious win.
*The action is top notch. The fights are relentless, every punch, kick and parry is like a well orchestrated dance. You really feel like you are being punched because it is so brutal.
*Mathis is right up there with Kerim and Quarrel, the epitome of Bond allies.
*Dialogue teamed with the amazing acting of the cast makes it all the better. Dan is the star, proving all the haters wrong, no matter how much they wish to deny it. His ability to play off the characters that flesh out the film is magnificent, especially with M, Vesper, and Le Chiffre.
*As if it needs repeating: Dan, Dan, Dan, Dan, Dan. He makes the film all it is. He is cool so effortlessly, then the next second volatile and dark. That mix of suave and pure coldness is tops in Craig's era. It is as if you see Bond's struggles both in the past and present through his face and eyes, like the history that they have seen is clear as day before you. We have a Bond that feels pain, looks a wreck when beaten, and you connect all the more to his problems, fears, and struggles as the film goes on. He ticks all the boxes, and never missteps. He plays the collected gentlemen at the card table, the brutal agent of combat, and the tortured man with a vulnerable spot for a woman all so expertly it is jaw dropping.
All these reasons and more are why CR is not only my favorite Bond film, but one of my favorite films ever. There is simply so much that it does right as a Bond film that it is easy to forget things you wish to compliment about it amongst the sea of treasures it has to offer. I could talk for hours upon hours on its brilliance. I bow to you, CR. You've earned it. ^:)^
Casino Royale. And I think I'm going to rewatch it right now and wish I was Vesper.
That's what I'm here for. :) But don't wish too hard. We still want you alive and with us. ;)
Don't worry. Not for the betrayal or her death, but for her amazing self and the shower scene. ;)
Wonder which will win?