U2 / Bond [spoiler free]

ichi, ni, san, catorce! Friday was spent in a complete buzz. Sitting at my desk I found myself humming Vertigo, Where the Streets have no Name, Sometimes You Can't Make it on Your Own, etc. Even though I was as far away from the stage as it was possible to be, I had the greatest time. This fellow has some nice photos and a track list for the evening. Highly Recommended.

Casino Royale has no gadgets, no unstoppable henchmen, no space lasers, no arched eyebrows, no invisible cars, no monologue card totting villain, and thank Christ no smarmy, know-it-all, foppish, secret agent. If your idea of Bond starts and ends with Roger Moore, then you'd best stay away. You'll be one of those few who are decrying Craig as the anti-Bond.

The rest of us who've seen it know that Casino Royale is a Bond for adults. It doesn't treat the viewer as child. The actors are given time to well... act. Yes, this film requires acting of the leads, and they all do a fine job. Who Bond is, is as important as what he is. So while the plot sometimes intrudes, it is mostly a character driven story. And as such there are also very few of that Bond staple - the big action set piece. But don't worry, action has been replaced with copious violence. This is not a film that I'd recommend taking a younger viewer to. It is brutal and bloody.

Bond is not a superman who at most breaks a hard sweat as he dispatches space station loads of wrongdoers. This Bond carries the physical and emotional scars of his actions. He's more of the level of Jack Bauer of 24. So while obviously stretching credibility a little, Casino Royale doesn't fall into the "as if" baloney of almost every previous Bond film since Connery. I can't wait for 2008 to see what happens next. OK, that last sentence is a spoiler.

Daniel Craig IS James Bond. Highly Recommended.