Face-Off: Jason Bourne vs. James Bond

Sort of hard to come to blows in that tux of yours isn’t it James? Until the last few movies that Daniel Craig has approved with his presence, 007 has always seems more comfortable around guns and other gadgets and employing other items around him like…well helicopters and such. Though as I said, we’re getting a grittier Bond that is down to brawl for a new generation courtesy of Craig, but for now it’s too little too late for this dapper dan in this particular category. I thought to myself in the introduction to Casino Royale, yes, much better to get down and dirty in a hula shirt.

Here is one of the areas in which James Bond shines, where he lacks in the fighting skills Bourne possesses, he makes up for in the ability to hatch schemes to get his man. We get the classic spy formula with this guy. 007 starts out with an elaborate plan that gets thwarted, he faces a situation that can only lead to death yet his resourcefulness gets him out of it, and a more elaborate plan mixed with the villains surprise that he made it out of a fatal situation helps 007 come out on top. Ethan Hunt from Mission Impossible fame is more in the vein of James Bond in the save-the-day quick schemes. That will be for a future Face Off, for the sake of a closer race. Sorry Jason.

Elegant, refined, unbelievably desirable to the better half of our species, and these days we have all that mixed with the hard ass persona Daniel Craig brought to the table with his portrayal. He doesn’t just bring his charm to wooing the ladies; it’s in everything the man does. He even charms the pants off of his foes every now and again. His style shines through in his drinking, his sexy time, and his battles to save the day. If what’s his face from the Old Spice commercials wasn’t so damn good at his job, ol James would be a good substitute. Bond has never had to be on a horse to look like someone we all want to be.

James Bond has been a main stay for years and there is reason for that. Outside of the actors chosen to play the roles the character has remained stagnant with no real evolution but this is a character that for the longest time didn’t need it. Thankfully filmmakers have realized that the James Bond of old has run its course and we have a more rugged 007 to look forward to, while still getting shades of the character we’ve all come to love for the past twenty or so movies. James Bond is here to stay and I daresay we’ll be getting more character development in future films, which will never hurt. Point is, depth or not…we love you Bond.