Jed: You do not agree that women are the best judges of manliness? Is it not women who often inspire compassion in men, and therefore the transition to a gentleman is complete — a characteristic I personally would classify as belonging to manliness.

This episode in the Bond saga, to paraphrase the Spectator of London, was “brutal.” But the point of Casino Royale was to show how Bond becomes and became a 00. Throughout the film he is tempered by the character “M” (once again played by the inestimable Judi Dench), who tells him, “Any thug can kill. I need you to take your ego out of the equation.” From that point forward, we see the evolution of Bond into a man with just a touch of sensitivity. But if sensitive is not what you seek, don’t worry. As with any James Bond flick, it is short-lived.

To answer your ultimate question, though (and this applies to the TV show 24 as well), women love these men (the James Bond, Jack Bauer types) not because they look good in a white tux or an old T-shirt and jeans (though it helps) — they love them because in the end they always do the right thing.

RE: Your PS — See the movie!