Connery or Moore? Brosnan or Craig?

Swayed by the brutish sex appeal of Craig? Consider yourself a rare Dalton fan? And what about that other guy? Add your argument to the ones below.

Have a simple rant? Leave a comment.

May the best Bond win!

Sean Connery

Case for:

• The first - defined Bond a generation

• Athletic, rugged, handsome, deadpan - the complete package
• A tough guy, with refinement. Connery learned his lessons from Terence Young well, and made an archetypal character--smart, relaxed, smooth
• The Alpha Wolf--did it first, did it best--everybody else has to catch him.

Case Against:

• This is tough. He did come back for that unofficial Bond remake of Thunderball - Never Say Never Again. It wasn't bad though.
• Portrayal of Bond as a womanizer stigmatized the characer.
• Couldn't compete against all the spectacle and gadgetry, and became sort of lost in the chaos starting with "Thunderball"

George Lazenby

Case for:

• A few great one-liners
• Stalked the producer at a salon in hopes of being cast - it worked
  
• The closing scene of On Her Majesty's Secret Service - maybe George can act!
• Most faithful representation of the Bond based on the novels.
• Portrayed Bond as sensitive and emotionally charged.
• Did the action scenes and the "This Service owes her a debt" and "...those girls" scenes impeccably, but that's about it...
  
• Created a more dark side to Bond; Dalton followed in these steps in later years.
• Took on one of the hardest roles emotionally i.e. the death of Tracy and getting married and Tracy being captured after becoming lost in an avalanche.

Case Against:

• One hit wonder
• Model turned actor
• Blowing a huge opportunity by behaving like a recalcitrant tosser
• "Wooden" performance, saved by extensive dubbing throughout
• The one-liners should be credited to the writers, not the actor.

Roger Moore

Case For:

• He, like, tried to be funny and stuff.
• Successfully updated Connery's sexual wit and innuendo without being condescending to women. Made Bond assessable to a wider audience. Can you imagine if Connery's "man talk" comments and smacking women on the bum was still par for the character?
• He made the one-liner a staple of the Bond character.
• Portrayed Bond as a softer, wittier character. Added depth to the character.
• Most romantic of the Bonds

Case Against:

• Following Connery is no easy feat....

• Fashion: did Moore get saddled with the most depressing era of men's attire of 20th century?
• Masculinity: Did you ever once real feel like Moore could kick anyone's ass? Seriously, would Pussy Galore have rolled in the hay (yes, literally) with Roger Moore?
• Moonraker: nuff said
• Didn't really seem to dig the chicks much.

Timothy Dalton

Case For:

• He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Academy.
• After Bond he made several appearances on the Lifetime channel.
• Reinterpreted Bond as a cynical, angry character. Gave Bond an edge and a dark side.
• And thus, is the most faithful representation of the Bond based on the novels.
• Only actor who seems to have actually read Fleming
• Attempted more of his stunts than previous actors
• Insisted on cutting innumerable "one-liners" from scripts
• His Bond set the stage for darker, more serious Bond performances from Brosnan and Craig

Case Against:

• The end of the cold war and AIDS did not give a womanizing secret agent much of a chance...
• Lacked some of the compassion of other portrayals that made Bond a more three-dimensional character.

Pierce Brosnan

Case For:

• The guy can wear a suit, i.e. modern sex appeal.
  
• Is anyone old enough to remember Remmington Steele?
• The most well-rounded Bond portrayal: Witty, charismatic, reflective of Fleming's original character, and believable ass kicker.
• Rejuvenated the series and made Bond "matter" again

Case Against:

• Die Another Day - we didn't deserve that
• Unlike the other portrayals, contributed nothing to the mythos of "Bond"
• Best performance was "Goldeneye," though they all had their moments
• Despite working hard, may have been the dullest Bond
• Perhaps in an effort to "butch" Brosnan up, kept putting him through interminable fire-fights with automatic weapons *Yawn*

Daniel Craig

Case For:

• Masculinity: Craig's brooding thug looks capable or hurting someone - how refreshing.
• Stoic, introverted portrayal of Bond very similar to Fleming's
• Takes Bond away from the "pretty boy" stereotype that was destroying the character
• Makes Bond capable of doing incredible stunts, while making him vulnerable and "human"--tough to pull off!
• Certainly the best Bond since Connery--maybe even better in the future
• Taking the role much more seriously than an "actor"--seems to be more of a participant in the production
  

Case Against:

• Range? Does Craig have it to be an enduring leading man?
• Positions Bond solidly within the "action hero" stereotype
• Bond as the muscle-bound ass-kicker. Lacks of subtlety.
• Blond Bond? I mean, come on! I suppose they'll cast a woman as Bond next.