It's official: Daniel Craig IS James Bond.
- In the pre-credits scene (filmed in black-and-white):
- The traitor Dryden enters his office to find that Bond has already snuck in and seated himself. Believing Bond not to be a threat, he notes that M would've sent a 00 agent for him if she was certain of his indiscretions, gloats about Bond not being one, and points a pistol at him. Unfortunately for him, Bond's already thought a step ahead.Dryden: Shame. We barely got to know each other.
(Dryden pulls the trigger, nothing happens)
Bond: (holds up the gun's magazine) I know where you keep your gun. I suppose that's something.
Dryden: (in a "touché" tone) True. - After Bond implicitly tells Dryden that he's already killed his contact, Dryden says, "Well, you needn't worry. The second is..." BAM! Bond puts one silenced round in his chest, killing him instantly, and then finishes his sentence for him — "Yes. Considerably." And just like that, Daniel Craig convinced the world that he could play James Bond in his very first scene.
- The fight scene between Bond and Dryden's contact, which ends with Bond seemingly drowning the mook in a bathroom sink, only for him to grab the gun he had dropped on the floor and point it at Bond, to which Bond responds with a faster gunshot of his own. The kicker? This final shot is turned into a new version of the Bond Gun Barrel (see page image). James Bond is back, and ready to kick ass!
- The opening notes of the film's theme, Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name", kicking in right after Bond fires his gun (dun nah dun nah dun nah nah naaaaaah...) — now that's a hell of a way to start not just a film, but Craig's run as Bond.
- The traitor Dryden enters his office to find that Bond has already snuck in and seated himself. Believing Bond not to be a threat, he notes that M would've sent a 00 agent for him if she was certain of his indiscretions, gloats about Bond not being one, and points a pistol at him. Unfortunately for him, Bond's already thought a step ahead.
- The opening title sequence
. It's a strong contender for the best title sequence in any Bond film, and it's a CMOA for Bond, Cornell, and especially Daniel Kleinman. If those titles didn't make you want to punch the air, you were probably in the wrong theatre.- The visual of two bullet holes being shot in a "7" card, which then fades seamlessly into a "007" on a digital screen as the following message is typed: "007 - status confirmed".
- Seriously, if the opening didn't convince you, it ends with Cornell yelling "You know my name!" while Daniel Craig steps out of the shadows to face the camera — practically a "fuck you" to anyone who doubted him.
- The second opening gambit, involving a chase scene with one of the pioneers of parkour is filled with awesome moments for both Bond and his quarry. The suspect runs through a building under construction, and leaps through a window above a door. Without slowing down or breaking stride, Bond runs through the wall to continue the chase. That one part defining Bond's methods.
- Earlier in the same chase scene, the suspect runs, vaults, and jumps into the construction site, and turns with his gun, waiting for Bond to follow him. Which he does. In a front-end loader.
- The bit where the suspect parkoured down to ground level like greased lightning, leaving Bond up above and about to lose him, only for Bond to commandeer a scissor-lift and descend the whole way in one swift drop was pretty cool too: Bond may prefer all-out overkill, but he improvises nicely too.
- The parkour sequence is also a CMOA for Daniel Craig as he did it mostly himself.
- And then, of course, there's the standout moment of the whole chase. Bond corners Mollaka at the end of a crane... and Mollaka jumps to another crane, then Bond follows him. The jump was done for real by Sébastien Foucan and Craig's stunt double Ben Cooke.note The higher crane was 140' (about 42m) in the air, and the pair wore safety harnesses attached to an even higher crane out of shot and had an emergency landing platform below that was digitally erased. But they still had to jump!
- M's rant about Bond. Also doubles as a CMOF.M: And how the hell could Bond be so stupid? I give him double-O status and he celebrates by shooting up an embassy. Is the man deranged? And where the hell is he? In the old days if an agent did something that embarrassing he'd have the good sense to defect. Christ, I miss the Cold War.
- Bond spends most of the first act of the film as an impudent loose cannon, rapidly infuriating M, and escalating to the point where he breaks into her home and casually chats about how he figured out the origin of her code name. She informs Bond that she will have him killed if he says her real name out loud. You really get the feeling that if M wanted Bond dead, he'd be dead and there'd be nothing he could do about it.M: Utter one more syllable and I'll have you killed.
Bond: *obedient silence* - The terrorist sent to blow up the plane in Miami is epically Hoist by His Own Petard. That moment where he presses the detonator, looks down at his belt and appears panicked is awesome enough. We cut to Bond's triumphant smirk, and that seals the deal.
- Vesper is a ball of awesome (and hotness) on legs. Her very first scene involves her and Bond having a dueling Sherlock Scan moment, and she quickly establishes that she's not your typical Bond girl:Vesper: ... MI6 looks for maladjusted young men, who give little thought to sacrificing others in order to protect queen and country. You know... former SAS types with easy smiles and expensive watches. [Glances at his wrist] Rolex?
Bond: Omega.
Vesper: Beautiful. Now, having just met you, I wouldn't go as far as calling you a cold-hearted bastard...
Bond: No, of course not.
Vesper: But it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine you think of women as disposable pleasures, rather than meaningful pursuits. So as charming as you are, Mr. Bond, I will be keeping my eye on our government's money — and off your perfectly-formed arse.
Bond: You noticed?
Vesper: Even accountants have imagination. How was your lamb?
Bond: Skewered. One sympathizes.- Doubles as a crowning moment of funny.
- This exchange. Such a Bond response.Bond: Don't worry, you're not my type.
Vesper: Smart?
Bond: ...Single. - Craig's Bond suiting up in a tux for the first time; it gets a nice laugh at first because he's aghast, but then when he sees himself all decked out, even his face has a glimmer of appreciation.
- Before that, when he sees that Vesper has gotten him a dinner jacket and protests that he already has one, she declares, "There are dinner jackets and dinner jackets. This is the latter", making them sound completely different with absolutely no change in the inflection of her voice. And indeed, as written above, his reaction when he sees himself in the mirror proves that she was right.
- Vesper is informed that she has to play the role of Ms. Fanservice to have all the poker players Distracted by the Sexy. She ends up walking in from the opposite side of the room so that Bond too is distracted. She doesn't break character and still lets him know she did it just to Troll him. Once she joins Mathis at the bar, he informs her half the table are still staring.
- Perhaps this is normal in multi-million dollar poker games, but the barman's ability to remember a drink order with seven ingredients that Bond invented on the spot was impressive. Similarly, the way the dealer accepts a tip of what is likely tens of thousands of dollars with a very matter-of-fact "Thank you very much".
- The Reveal of Felix's identity, and how he gives Bond the money to keep playing in exchange for the CIA getting a crack at Le Chiffre.
- Vesper coming to Bond's rescue and saving him from the poison with the defibrillator.
- 007 has Balls of Steel big and hard enough that not only does he laugh off Le Chiffre's attempts to torture him despite the pain, he actively goads Le Chiffre into hitting him harder. Cue every male in the audience crossing his legs. No, scratch that, cue everyone in the audience crossing their legs.Bond: TO THE RIGHT, TO THE RIGHT, TO THE RIGHT! AAAAGH!! Yeah! Ahh, ahh! Yes, yes, yes, yes. [sobs then laughs] Now the whole world's gonna know you died scratching my balls!"
- If some developments of No Time to Die are anything to go by, that painful torture didn't leave him infertile. Crosses a bit into Hilarious in Hindsight.
- While Le Chiffre is torturing Bond, he hears shooting behind the door. He smugly thinks that this is his minions having killed Lynd... Until Mr. White comes out. And then, White kills Le Chiffre.
- The finale action sequence, where a rage-fueled Bond works his way through countless baddies using his suppressed Walther P99 pistol, a 2x4, a loose electrical wire, a chair, and a nail-gun while Vesper stares on in awe.
- Even when she's actively trying to use the opportunity to kill herself out of guilt, Bond still manages to kick the gate open and pull Vesper's body out of the lift.
- Fans of the novel celebrated this line, uttered near the end of the film.Bond: Job's done. The bitch is dead.
- Bond's confrontation with Mr. White at the end leads to Craig finally saying the words, followed by the cut to the credits and the classic theme tune.White: (on phone) Hello?
Bond: (on phone) Mr. White, we need to talk.
White: (on phone) Who is this?
Bond shoots White in the knee as the opening notes of the theme begin playing
Bond: The name's Bond. James Bond.
