…these are small, marginal moments that detonate an unforgettable little frisson in the viewer. The important thing to remember is that these are not moments carefully designed to exert great dramatic effect—not that there’s anything wrong with those—but instead they are fleeting “privileged” moments writ small that we find ourselves strongly attracted to, perhaps even disproportionately so given their scale and possible (lack of) intention.
— Christian Keathley
scuff marks
Not that Casino Royale‘s pre-credits sequence doesn’t perfectly set the franchise’s new tone, but there’s a moment at the very end of the stairwell brawl that seals it for me. James Bond and the villain are sprawled out on the floor, with the former violently choking the life out of the latter. The villain doesn’t go quietly or quickly, and the audience isn’t let off the hook. We watch this man’s death throes; the last of his energy being spent on scuffing the ground with this shoes. Mathis will later dispose of this body and the other thug’s, but the night’s actions leave a mark.
