Daniel Craig, a fine British actor with 20 years in films prior to Bondage, gives a touching performance as Joe Scott, an aging and all-but-washed-up Hollywood star adrift in a haze of drugs, sex and squandered fame. When he learns of the sudden death of his childhood best friend, he returns to the small English seaside village where he grew up to attend the funeral. There, he's flooded by memories of the summer of ’72 – a summer of innocence, discovery and tragedy that set him on the path to his current life. This powerful drama about love, loss and redemption features a nostalgic soundtrack of songs by Scott Walker, Roxy Music, David Bowie and others. Watch for two scenes in particular: Young Joe and his girlfriend Ruth dancing and lip-syncing to the Roxy song, "If There Is Something," and the wordless final minutes of the film in which loose ends are tied up. Craig (who also executive produced) is superb, as is Claire Forlani (MEET JOE BLACK) in a small but indelible performance as Joe's grownup girlfriend who had married his now dead friend.
