Roger Moore was a comedian. Nothing more, nothing less. He had his tongue firmly wedged in his cheek throughout his tenure as 007. Dalton was closer to Flemming's Bond than any of his predecessors. He made a point of researching his role, too. He brought darker edge to Bond. Brosnan was good, but there was something about his style that made it seem as though he was striving to match Dalton's persona. He was a bit too suave as well. Afterall, a secret agent has to spend a lot of time roughing it, not enjoying the salubrious existence Brosnan's Bond did with all those gadgets at his disposal. That was one of the reasons that, as a whole, made Sean Connery's Bond rather unconvincing. He'd often emerge from a serious scrape with death immaculate, as if someone had combed his hair during a fight without the audience noticing. His romantic encounters nearly always bordered on rape (see his 'embrace' with Honor Blackman's Pussy Galore in the barn scene in Goldfinger), as well, which didn't sit easily with me. Daniel Craig deserves the praise he's recieved for his take on Bond. Though the writing team should share in that credit as well. They're a match made in heaven. Craig is a Machiavelian Bond, a carbon copy of Flemming's original 007. He's violent and unrepenting. He doesn't take any prisoners, either. And he carries Bond's signature sidearm: the Walther PPK. A discreet weapon that fits neatly under his tux; none of this P99 nonsense.
But Desmond Llewelyn's Q (which stands for quartermaster - how many of you knew that, eh?) will always be my favourite character.
And this - between 1:24 - 2:15 - will always be the best Bond fight. Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen a henchman struggle so much with security.
