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Timothy Dalton or Daniel Craig?

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  • FromCanadaWithLoveFromCanadaWithLove Canada
    Posts: 612
    HenryJonesVictor wrote:
    Dalton is Fleming's Bond. Craig is Jason Bourne. Nuff said.

    I don't think any of the six actors are Fleming's James Bond. They're all their own. And I'd have to give that win to Dalton, although Casino Royale is better than either of Dalton's movies. And that's not to say that Craig is bad, he isn't. He's brilliant, frankly.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    I was worrying just then, that there could well be a point in time where Craig becomes my favorite Bond, and takes over from Dalton, I don't really want that to happen, but if Skyfall is the success it could be, and what with his impressive Royale debut and sporadic moments of success in QOS, the sum total could be, Craig as 'best ever', it's an idea I must entertain, but I hope it never comes to pass. He is a good Bond for sure, and may get even better, but I think we'll just wait 'til end of year to see what he can produce again
  • thelordflasheartthelordflasheart
    Posts: 1,370
    thelivingroyale wrote:
    NicNac wrote:
    thelivingroyale wrote:
    Lots of critics praise Craig for being dark and serious when Dalton was dark and serious 20 years earlier.

    Biggest example is Roger Ebert. He didn't like Dalton because he didn't have the humour Connery and Moore had, he even said in his TLD review that when Bond starts acting like a real man it doesn't work, and that it should all be a joke.

    Then in his CR review he basically praises Craig for doing what he criticised Dalton for, saying it was good that he was able to be hurt and that it was more serious.

    Yes but it isn't just about acting 'dark and serious'. Anyone can do that. It's about how convincing you are when you do it.

    He never said Dalton wasn't convincing though. He basically critiscised Dalton for not having the humour of Moore and Connery. Then CR comes along and he gives it 4 stars for doing something different and being dark and serious. It's hypocritical.

    I think that it's more telling to read his reviews for both TLD and LTK. He gives TLD a poor review because Dalton takes it seriously, but then he gives LTK a great review because...Dalton takes it seriously. That's far more hypocritical than comparing his reviews of TLD and CR.

  • battleshipgreygtbattleshipgreygt
    Posts: 1,215
    I like them both but Craig is more charismatic and is the only Bond actor to come even close to Connery's understated coolness.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    But neither Connery or Dalton would be seen sucking fingers or saying 'Ouch' during an injection, I think they'd be much more masculine than that. But Yes, Craig is a good Bond. Good, but not great. That time may yet come, but as of now, the jury is still out for some perhaps
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,330
    @Baltimore_007 I think when Craig said 'ouch' I think he was being sarcastic to the guy who injected him with the transmitter.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    edited July 2012 Posts: 28,694
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    But neither Connery or Dalton would be seen sucking fingers or saying 'Ouch' during an injection, I think they'd be much more masculine than that. But Yes, Craig is a good Bond. Good, but not great. That time may yet come, but as of now, the jury is still out for some perhaps
    That was Bond pulling a leg. I guess you don't pick up on dry humor very well...
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    I don't like humor in Bond films

    It's one reason why Dalton is a favorite and I greatly applaud Connery for his earliest work, and why Octopussy and View to a Kill leaves me with distaste
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    I don't like humor in Bond films

    It's one reason why Dalton is a favorite and I greatly applaud Connery for his earliest work, and why Octopussy and View to a Kill leaves me with distaste

    Same here, mate. You don't even like Dan's dry comedy? That is comedy I like, as I am a very dry person as well.
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    Craig is a good Bond, a minimum on laughs, there is humor evident, but it's much more benign than say Moore, or Brosnan even, so it's all very well and good. I just like Bond adventures serious, it's just a preference I have
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    Craig is a good Bond, a minimum on laughs, there is humor evident, but it's much more benign than say Moore, or Brosnan even, so it's all very well and good. I just like Bond adventures serious, it's just a preference I have

    That's exactly how I feel.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote:
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    Craig is a good Bond, a minimum on laughs, there is humor evident, but it's much more benign than say Moore, or Brosnan even, so it's all very well and good. I just like Bond adventures serious, it's just a preference I have

    That's exactly how I feel.

    Same with me, I like the darker and more hard-edged Bond movies that focus on the seriousness and gravity of the mission rather than everything else. That's why movies like GoldenEye, License to Kill, A View to a Kill, Tomorrow Never Dies, and From Russia with Love occupy my top five. For anyone who doesn't understand AVTAK and TND in that list, such scenes like Zorin gunning down his workers and Brosnan popping a cap in Kauffman's head exhibit enough explanation on their own.
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    edited August 2012 Posts: 12,837
    thelordflasheart wrote:
    thelivingroyale wrote:
    NicNac wrote:
    thelivingroyale wrote:
    Lots of critics praise Craig for being dark and serious when Dalton was dark and serious 20 years earlier.

    Biggest example is Roger Ebert. He didn't like Dalton because he didn't have the humour Connery and Moore had, he even said in his TLD review that when Bond starts acting like a real man it doesn't work, and that it should all be a joke.

    Then in his CR review he basically praises Craig for doing what he criticised Dalton for, saying it was good that he was able to be hurt and that it was more serious.

    Yes but it isn't just about acting 'dark and serious'. Anyone can do that. It's about how convincing you are when you do it.

    He never said Dalton wasn't convincing though. He basically critiscised Dalton for not having the humour of Moore and Connery. Then CR comes along and he gives it 4 stars for doing something different and being dark and serious. It's hypocritical.

    I think that it's more telling to read his reviews for both TLD and LTK. He gives TLD a poor review because Dalton takes it seriously, but then he gives LTK a great review because...Dalton takes it seriously. That's far more hypocritical than comparing his reviews of TLD and CR.

    It's sort of the same with his CR and QOS reviews too. He gave CR a good review because of the reboot and because they removed cliches, but in his QOS review he basically slammed the film for not having the cliches. The guy can't make up his mind!
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Methinks Ebert lost his mind quite a while back. He doesn't have reliability much anymore.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    As far as the movies are concerned:

    The Living Daylights > Casino Royale
    The Living Daylights > Quantum of Solace
    License to Kill > Casino Royale
    License to Kill > Quantum of Solace

    100% Timothy Dalton on that note.
  • mi6returnsmi6returns
    Posts: 10
    Out of Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig, Daniel Craig wins the vote, because he plays James Bond perfect, but overall if i had to pick the best Bond it would be Sean Connery!
  • doubleonothingdoubleonothing Los Angeles Moderator
    Posts: 864
    Craig. Best Bond since...well, he's just the best Bond, really.

    Still, I love 'em all. Although (shock!) Dalton is possibly bottom of the pile. Yup, I said I prefer Lazenby to Dalton. Make of that what you will.
  • RisicoRisico
    Posts: 97
    I'd say Daniel Craig. Dalton is wonderful (in The Living Daylights anyway, in my opinion) but I always get the sense he's not 100% comfortable in the role. Craig owns it.
  • doubleohdaddoubleohdad
    Posts: 1,146
    If you think Bond should be tough and have an edge to him, then Craig. But of the three Bonds I don't care for (Moore, Brosnan and Dalton) I prefer Dalton.
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    edited August 2012 Posts: 12,837
    doubleohdad wrote:
    If you think Bond should be tough and have an edge to him, then Craig. But of the three Bonds I don't care for (Moore, Brosnan and Dalton) I prefer Dalton.

    Why don't you like Dalton??? My probem with Craigs toughness is, they feel the need to shove it down our throats by having him punch something or do some big action scene every 5 seconds. It wasn't so bad in CR, but in QOS it was action overload. Ok EON, we get it, Craig is hard, you can stop now.

    Anyway, my vote still goes to Dalton. Just a much better Bond imo.
  • GermanladyGermanlady
    Posts: 6,601
    But that was not his fault, it was because they needed the action to fill the gaps of the script. Too much action in QOS, I agree, but to judge Caig Bond, better look at CR - there you have both action and dialogue and some of the best, too.
  • craigrulescraigrules
    Posts: 284
    when i first saw craig's name in the running i thought it was a tabloid yarn like eddie murphy or sharon stone but hey i saw the film and loved his Bond.
  • marymossmarymoss
    Posts: 176
    I've been thinking about this but it's tough since they are very similar. Both are ultra-serious. In my opinion, they are *too* serious but Dalton has a certain suaveness that I don't remember seeing in CR or QOS.

    I do think that Dalton was too hard and serious in the first half TLD. I liked him a lot better in the second half of the movie. I also liked him in LTK. So, I'd say I'd give Dalton the edge for now--unless Craig shows me some charm in Skyfall.
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    Posts: 12,837
    marymoss wrote:
    I've been thinking about this but it's tough since they are very similar. Both are ultra-serious. In my opinion, they are *too* serious but Dalton has a certain suaveness that I don't remember seeing in CR or QOS.

    I do think that Dalton was too hard and serious in the first half TLD. I liked him a lot better in the second half of the movie. I also liked him in LTK. So, I'd say I'd give Dalton the edge for now--unless Craig shows me some charm in Skyfall.

    Uh oh, you said Craig didn't show charm. I can hear the army of "positive opinions on Craig only" fans marching this way to jump in and defend him.
  • GermanladyGermanlady
    Posts: 6,601
    Here I am and saying just the opposite :D
  • RisicoRisico
    edited August 2012 Posts: 97
    FromCanadaWithLove wrote:
    HenryJonesVictor wrote:
    Dalton is Fleming's Bond. Craig is Jason Bourne. Nuff said.

    I don't think any of the six actors are Fleming's James Bond. They're all their own. And I'd have to give that win to Dalton, although Casino Royale is better than either of Dalton's movies. And that's not to say that Craig is bad, he isn't. He's brilliant, frankly.

    Here! Here! I think it's like trying to decide which actor IS Hamlet. All of the actors who've played Bond have significant areas of overlap with the Platonic Ideal Bond, but they're all their own men too. That was the genius of casting Craig; they were consciously going for an actor who was NOT a new version of the Milk Tray Man, and challenging the audience to see the character as more than a pair of dark eyebrows in a tux.
  • RisicoRisico
    Posts: 97
    Here! Here! I think it's like trying to decide which actor IS Hamlet. All of the actors who've played Bond have significant areas of overlap with the Platonic Ideal Bond, but they're all their own men too. That was the genius of casting Craig; they were consciously going for an actor who was NOT a new version of the Milk Tray Man, and challenging the audience to see the character as more than a pair of dark eyebrows in a tux.
  • ukluigiukluigi
    Posts: 1
    YESTERDAY I WATCHED SKYFALL...

    IT´S A GOOD ACTION MOVIE BUT.......I CANT HELP MISSING THE OLD BOND STYLE,THERE´S NOTHING OF THAT PLAYBOY WITH A GUN IN ONE HAND AND CHAMPAGNE IN THE OTHER ONE.

    AN ELEGANT GENTLEMAN ENJOYING LIFE,WOMAN BUT BEING SERIOUS AND GRITTY WHEN THE ACTION COMES TO HIM.DALTON KNEW TO GIVE THIS BOND´S SIDE.LOT OF PEOPLE PRAISE GRAIG´S BOND BUT TRUST ME....DALTON IS FAR BETTER,ELEGANT,GRITTY,DARK A RUTHLESS AGENT BUT TOP CLASS.

    GRAIG COULD LOOK LIKE THE BAD GUY,HE´S TOO MUCH

    NOW IT´S ALL ABOUT EXPLOSIONS,BIG PECTORALS,RUTHLESS EXPRESSIONS AND NOT SEX APPEAL, BRAND´S PUBLICITY AND A JUDY DENCH LOOKING MORE LIKE HIS MOM ANGRY WITH HER SON.

    I´M AFRAID I WONT NEVER SEE AGAIN A JAMES BOND LIKE BEFORE.

    SHAME!
  • GermanladyGermanlady
    Posts: 6,601
    http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-skyfall-timothy-dalton-daniel-craig-bond-20121108,0,2428085.story
  • identigraphidentigraph
    Posts: 1,052
    Shame that Timbo feels the need to criticise Rog.
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