James Bond meets Inspector Clouseau
Bittersweet is the best word to describe Daniel Craig’s final starring role as James Bond in No Time to Die. This was a long-awaited end that paid off with a bang, but then again doesn’t every James Bond Film? I am partial to Craig because he gave me a straightforward way out of my unpopular preference for Roger Moore as Bond over Sean Connery. I do not think my father (R.I.P.) would approve of this hot take. However, had he lived to witness Daniel Craig’s legacy in the 007 franchise, he would have joined my camp as a true believer in Craig as the greatest James Bond. One cannot help but wonder what the greatest James Bond is to do in retirement. He changes his name, moves to the south, and becomes the greatest detective in the world in Knives Out and Glass Onion.
This is not the first time we have seen Craig take the role of protagonist in the mystery genre. In David Fincher’s 2011 film, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, he plays an investigative journalist. Although this movie was of similar integrity, it performed poorly at the box office. I was disappointed that we did not get any more of these films. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was based on a book by Stephen Larsen and was part of a trilogy. Of course, these stories were not as approachable as the Knives Out films.
Craig’s character, Benoit Blanc, is a hilarious detective with a southern accent. His character is like a mashup of James Bond and Inspector Clouseau (if he were from Alabama). Although Craig was impressive in Knives Out, he really takes the role to the next level in Glass Onion. The same can be said for other aspects of the films as well. The cast of Glass Onion was incredible as it included Edward Norton portraying an Elon Musk-like billionaire, David Bautista playing a Joe Rogan-inspired influencer, and Janelle Monae, who co-stars with Craig as a protagonist.
Glass Onion is full of fun twists and turns. It delivers a tasteful satire of society as we know it, particularly in the space of influencer culture. The humor is consistent and although I found myself laughing aloud throughout the film, this variable did not take away from the brilliance of the story. This falls into the category of films that I would recommend to anyone. It seems director, Rian Johnson, has really found a niche with these films. Johnson is a director who has made some exceptional films including Looper and The Last Jedi. The team-up of Johnson and Craig is impeccable and has the potential for a fresh franchise as epic as 007 or The Pink Panther.
About Nathan Conrad:
He’s best known as the Nashville-based Hip Hop/Indie Pop emcee Spoken Nerd, but this isn’t your typical rap project. He rhymes playfully at times, singing and/or rapping, juxtaposing his style with real-life situations and subject matter. Occasionally Spoken Nerd will find inspiration in films and will put it into song. With eight full-length albums into his career, the rapper has built a healthy catalog of music, which doesn’t include the number of EPs and singles released. His most recent release is the collaborative effort Grapes, with Juan Cosby.
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