# Daniel Craig not good for James Bond? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 22, 2006, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584 "2006-02-22T03:57:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/1 "2006-02-22T03:57:28Z")
It seems a group wants to boycott _Casino Royale_ because they don’t think Craig is [handsome](http://www.craignotbond.com/) enough to play Bond. Hell, he looks more like Hoagie Carmichael than Connery, Moore or my favorite, George Lazenby. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/2 "2006-02-22T04:17:49Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > It seems a group wants to boycott _Casino Royale_ because they don’t think Craig is [handsome](http://www.craignotbond.com/) enough to play Bond. > Hell, he looks more like Hoagie Carmichael than Connery, Moore or my favorite, George Lazenby. The literary Bond isn’t a particularly handsome fellow; he has a “cruel mouth” and “cold, piercing blue-grey eyes”. I don’t think Craig is exactly when Fleming envisioned, but if the director and producers are honest about wanting to roll back to the non-gadgetfied source treatment then Craig is an excellent choice to play a sociopathic, morally ambiguous hired gun. And word is that Eva Green is the choice to play Vesper Lind, which strikes me as inspired casting. I actually have a modicum of enthusiasm for the project if it continues to pan out as stated, which is more than I can say for any future Brosnan-based film. Of course, going back to source on the character (with Timothy Dalton) didn’t really help the series; a pity, as I thought _The Living Daylight_ was, aside from the A-ha theme song, one of the better entries into the series. 'Course, I’m one of those wierdos who thinks that _On Her Majesty’s Secret Service_ is the standout film that aspires to, and mostly reaches, a Hitchcock-level of interest and suspense. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/3 "2006-02-22T05:41:04Z")
Hoagie Carmichael is exactly who Ian Fleming once said James Bond is supposed to resemble. Maybe some Bond fanatic out there has the cite; I would guess the quote is from Fleming’s Playboy magazine interview. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/4 "2006-02-22T05:44:05Z")
Or did I misinterpret your original post? You’re saying Craig is a more qualified Bond because he _does_ resemble Hoagie Carmichael? ---
**Author:** ![wayward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a87d85/32.png) [@wayward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wayward)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/5 "2006-02-22T10:08:32Z")
According to that site, Daniel Craig has > [@](#): > > a penchant for playing killers, cranks, > cads and gigolos Sounds like the perfect Bond to me. They also seem to to think he’s too short. A quick scoot around the IMDB shows that all the other Bonds have been at least 6’1", but at 5’11", Craig’s hardly a midget. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/6 "2006-02-22T13:16:45Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > 'Course, I’m one of those weirdos who thinks that _On Her Majesty’s Secret Service_ is the standout film that aspires to, and mostly reaches, a Hitchcock-level of interest and suspense. Hear, hear \*that. \* ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/7 "2006-02-22T13:28:50Z")
I read all of Fleming’s Bond stories and thought Dalton did a good job of bringing the book Bond to life. I don’t know who Daniel Craig is, but if the producers are serious about de-gadgeting and otherwise taking Bond back to his literary roots, that is good news in itself. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/8 "2006-02-22T13:39:27Z")
> [@Ellis Aponte Jr.](#): > > You’re saying Craig is a more qualified Bond because he _does_ resemble Hoagie Carmichael? No, I’m saying not being a male model hardly disqualifies him. I believe it was in _Casino Royale_ that Fleming described him as somewhat resembling Carmichael. De-gadgeting would be great for those of use who read the novels, but it would be like taking the transporter out of Trek for someone who has only seen the movies. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/9 "2006-02-22T15:51:20Z")
Just to emphasize how subjective this all is, I’d rather spend a weekend in a Swiss chalet with Hoagy Carmichael than with any of the screen Bonds–well, except maybe the young Sean Connery–and I’d rather make noisy sweaty whoopie with Daniel Craig than with ANY of them. ---
**Author:** ![lurkernomore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@lurkernomore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurkernomore)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/10 "2006-02-22T16:34:00Z")
I think JB was also supposed to be a bit better boxer - Craig started his career leading with his face… lost a couple of teeth already in his first fight > **[Scifi.com](https://www.syfy.com/scifi/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=34685)** > > Visit Syfy.com ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/11 "2006-02-22T16:38:46Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Hell, he looks more like Hoagie Carmichael than Connery, Moore or my favorite, George Lazenby. [He looks okay to me](http://www.dieneueepoche.com/pics/2005/10/14/l/2005-10-14-l--Getty_131005_DanielCraig_007.jpg) but on the craignotbond page it looks like they deliberately chose a less flattering photo. He looks more like Steve McQueen there. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/12 "2006-02-22T16:41:50Z")
[nice shot of him in character](http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0381061/Ss/0381061/a001.jpg?path=pgallery&path_key=Craig,%20Daniel%20(I)) ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/13 "2006-02-22T16:59:47Z")
Personally I’m more disappointed in the choice of Eva Green than I am in the casting of Daniel Craig (though for some reason he looks Australian to me rather than British and I cannot seem to shake that impression out of my head). I think she’s awfully average-looking to be a Bond Girl. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/14 "2006-02-22T17:24:31Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > Personally I’m more disappointed in the choice of Eva Green than I am in the casting of Daniel Craig (though for some reason he looks Australian to me rather than British and I cannot seem to shake that impression out of my head). I think she’s awfully average-looking to be a Bond Girl. _sigh_ That’s part of what I like about her; she doesn’t look like a plasticine supermodel airbrushed to perfection. That, and she’s as sensual as Marlene Dietrich ever was. She was the best–and perhaps the only redeeming–element of _The Dreamers_. And she fits the literary role excellently, at least in my demented imagination. “The bitch is dead now.” I’m morally certain that Eon will ufck it up at some point and try to make a gadgetized _The Saint_-esque story out of it, replete with infantile witticisms and absurd plot twists, but if they don’t it could be an excellent adaptation. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/15 "2006-02-22T17:33:45Z")
> [@wayward](#): > > According to that site, Daniel Craig has > Sounds like the perfect Bond to me. > They also seem to to think he’s too short. A quick scoot around the IMDB shows that all the other Bonds have been at least 6’1", but at 5’11", Craig’s hardly a midget. It’s all in how you angle the camera. Funny, I recall a few years ago Ben Affleck claiming to be passed over for roles because he is too tall. :rolleyes: > [@Scumpup](#): > > I read all of Fleming’s Bond stories and thought Dalton did a good job of bringing the book Bond to life. I don’t know who Daniel Craig is, but if the producers are serious about de-gadgeting and otherwise taking Bond back to his literary roots, that is good news in itself. Check out the recent [Layer Cake](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375912/). He also has a supporting role in the current [Munich](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0408306/) (which also features former Bond villian and character actor [Michael Lonsdale](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003909/) in a critical role). I like the pic of him with the gun and silencer; the blond hair aside, he looks how I imagine the Fleming Bond to look. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/16 "2006-02-22T18:12:16Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > _sigh_ That’s part of what I like about her; she doesn’t look like a plasticine supermodel airbrushed to perfection. That, and she’s as sensual as Marlene Dietrich ever was. She was the best–and perhaps the only redeeming–element of _The Dreamers_. And she fits the literary role excellently, at least in my demented imagination. “The bitch is dead now.” > > I’m morally certain that Eon will ufck it up at some point and try to make a gadgetized _The Saint_-esque story out of it, replete with infantile witticisms and absurd plot twists, but if they don’t it could be an excellent adaptation. > > Stranger To me the Bond movies are supposed to be fantasy (with a little action and thriller on the side), which is why Green doesn’t fit into it for me. If you keep in mind that there are a lot of people like myself who have watched the movies but never read the books, I think you’ll see where I’m coming from on that. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/17 "2006-02-22T18:20:19Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > If you keep in mind that there are a lot of people like myself who have watched the movies but never read the books, I think you’ll see where I’m coming from on that. Not to invalidate your opinion, but I wonder how many who agree that the Matt Helm movies suck have ever read one of the novels. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/18 "2006-02-22T18:30:22Z")
I read an article in the _Daily News_ (New York City) today- Craig had his front teeth knocked out during a fight scene, and can’t drive a manual stick-shift- which is what the Bond Astin-Marton happens to be. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/19 "2006-02-22T18:52:05Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > To me the Bond movies are supposed to be fantasy (with a little action and thriller on the side), which is why Green doesn’t fit into it for me. If you keep in mind that there are a lot of people like myself who have watched the movies but never read the books, I think you’ll see where I’m coming from on that. Hollywood pumps those kinds of movies out a dime a dozen, and Bond can’t keep up without going completely, ridiculously over the top; witness the excreable _Die Another Day_, former Oscar winner and all. I’m not saying that the cinematic Bond should be replaced by George Smiley, but a harder, darker take on the character would be refreshing; Brosnan’s performances actually edged in that direction–I found him surpisingly good in the role–but the scripts were a discombobulated collection of stunt shots. It’s possible to make a good action-thriller fantasy that thrills the masses but retains the essential darkness of the literary character, methinks. And give Eva a chance; she may not be walking the runways, but she’s hotter than blowtorch. She’d scorch any random Hollywood starlet–we’ll pick Cameron Diaz a a random example–right of the screen. She’s a perfect pick for the emotionally tortured, duplicitous Vesper Lind. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2006, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584/20 "2006-02-22T18:52:48Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Not to invalidate your opinion, but I wonder how many who agree that the Matt Helm movies suck have ever read one of the novels. 🙂 I didn’t even know who/what this was. I had to look it up. The books sound depressing; the movies might be so bad they’re good. 😉 I’ve enjoyed the Bond series a lot, and I think reading any of the books would probably ruin it for me; you know how that goes. I also approach movies made from books I have read with trepidation - they present the same potential problems. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daniel-craig-not-good-for-james-bond/345584.md?page=2)