Bonds Don’t Cry
by Kelly Tong
Bond doesn’t cry. When the iconic British secret agent is tortured in an anonymous cargo crate with no escape in sight, he makes a joke, sniffles, and sucks it up. Even when he gets kicked in the shin or sucker punched in the gut (which, let’s be honest, is enough to bring most of us down for a short second), he’ll bat his powerfully built arm before he bats his eyelash.
Yet, there is something apparently unfamiliar about the new James Bond, played by actor Daniel Craig in the recently released prequel to the entire Bond saga, Casino Royale. While he still is the womanizing rogue as the world has come to know him, Craig’s Bond has a subtle softer side. The emotionally distraught agent desires to be more than a blunt instrument of the British government. As any diligent intern in some Wall Street business firm would want to be recognized for hours sacrificed to servitude by their boss, Bond wishes exactly the same, except his day at the office involves averting international crises.
Falling in love is nothing unusual for a typical action hero, especially for Bond. In the past, the unhealthy number of one day flings our hero had has never been questioned. He’s a spy. What more explanation do you need? Yet, Casino Royale specifically focuses on his first relationship, with treasury-working Vesper Lynd. Bond is prepared to sacrifice his career for her, yet she strikes him a lethal emotional blow when his armor is down, thus giving the audience somewhat of an explanation of why Bond nearly sexually harasses most of the women in his life.
But I haven’t said anything novel yet. While Bond’s moments of weakness are portrayed with subtleties, they are far from hidden, so there is no need to identify each moment Bond becomes more human. However, Casino Royale, as unique of a prequel as it may seem, hardly diverges from the trend found in the super-hero genre that Hollywood is currently capitalizing on.
Spiderman, Superman, the X-men, etc. were created with one part imagination and one part morality. For instance, despite Spiderman’s superhuman strengths that he could use to impress any one he wishes, he still has soft spot for Mary Jane. He may be Spiderman while swinging through the skyscraper jungle of Manhattan, but in front of Mary Jane and his sweet aunt, he is still the clumsy and dorky Peter Parker. The series focuses on Parker’s constant moral dilemma in which he struggles with allowing his emotions get in the way of hero work.
Bond is actually no different. His weakness in Casino Royale is himself (sorry for the cliché). More specifically, he is a classic textbook case of egomania. The character is overly confident in his abilities, which ultimately leads to his downfall when he overlooks an important detail, and his demise reveals the dark emotional turmoil inside of him.
But does this new breed of dark superheroes mark the end of an era for the classic gung-ho hero? As much as I appreciate a little character development here and there, I will miss the classic Bond movies, in which the henchmen are infinite and Bond, well, just seems bulletproof.
Was Schwarzenegger really the last action hero? In the last five years, action movies have raked in less than they would have perhaps ten years ago. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s True Lies (1994) acquired over $146 million in box office sales. Yet, in 2002, Collateral Damage made approximately $40 million at the box office.
While audience tastes is not the only explanation for this drop in revenue, it is significant. Most of us can admit that seeing the occasional action movie can be considered a guilty pleasure; let’s be honest, The Rock isn’t exactly the greatest work in cinematic history. Nevertheless, it’s a great way to waste two hours if you are into dazzling gun fights and Nicholas Cage saving the world. However, currently, huge audiences are not craving films with senseless, unexplained action, like Rambo or any Van Damme movie. The fans of those movies already have their favorites, while younger generations of moviegoers want to be dazzled by CGI graphics and wirework. Ever since The Matrix was released, audiences are more concerned with ingenuity rather than random shootouts and “cap bustin’.”
So I think this is it – we must bid adieu to the action heroes of yesterday. Occasionally, there will be a stray action movie that finds its way to the theatre, such as The Marine, but the classic action hero will never again reign supreme at the box office. Today’s audiences have high expectations when it comes to any genre and a Bond with a martini, charm, and a license to kill just doesn’t make the cut anymore. But give him a dark side, and you’ll have a hit.
