Posted By
Heather On 19 Nov 2008. Under
2006,
3.5 Stars (Exceptional),
Action Tags: 007,
Action, Action-Adventure, Bond, Casino Royale, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Giancarlo Giannini, Ian Flemming, James Bond, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench, M, Mads Mikkelsen, Martin Campbell, Movie, Neal Purvis, Pierce Brosnan, Robert Wade, Roger Moore, SAS, Sean Connery, Secret Agent, Suspense Thriller, Timothy Dalton
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action, a scene of torture, sexual content and nudity.
144 Minutes
Directed By: Martin Campbell
Written By: Neal Purvis and Robert Wade
The name’s Bond… James Bond. -James Bond
Synopsis
Bond returns with a new face and a new story, and after decades of gracing the big screen rewinds itself in history to the first mission of 007. His first mission is a game of gambling in more ways than one.
Review
The smooth and perfect Bond the world has grown accustomed to is now a bit altered on his first mission where errors and trouble are a muck. Our new Bond, played by Daniel Craig, no doubt is the same Bond we’ve watched years over, but certainly on the green side. The Bond we all know wouldn’t lose a fight, screw up, or be confused and caught by the bad guys, and if he would his escape and retreat would be so delicate it would see as though it were his plan in the first place anyway. But of course he had to start somewhere, and Casino Royale offers a trip to see where it all began for our favorite secret agent hero.
Bond of course never bumbles, but he does error in this film, and frankly it’s actually difficult to watch. He is still elegant as ever, not too mention arrogant, but to watch him fail makes this a very different Bond film. By the end of the movie you’ve found a resolve in his strength and why he is the Bond we know now.
With a different style, different script with a lot more depth, and a new Bond himself, Casino Royale often feels like the only characteristic its encompassed from Bond is the title character himself, and while this is not a negative thing, on first viewing it certainly does throw you, even if you expect it. Nonetheless, myself an avid aficionado of the Brosnan style Bonds, I found a relief in the fresh direction Casino Royale took and am more than perplexed to see where the next complicated Bond tale takes me.
Cast
- Daniel Craig as James Bond
- Eva Green as Vesper Lynd
- Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre
- Judi Dench as M
- Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter
- Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis
Daniel Craig slips into the smooth shoes of the beloved Pierce Brosnan as our new Bond. With a different twist and different kind of Bond, but with the same underlying skills underneath, Craig takes the chance of becoming the Bond everyone would hate. However, his sarcastic smugness coupled with his tantalizing charm is impossible to not accept. He plays his role perfectly while still possessing the qualities of a Bond that the world has grown to adore and idolize. The Bond club is a very unique group that only a few have been part of and most are remembered solely for. Even Sean Connery with all his accomplishments and diverse roles over the years is often referred to as Bond. Hopefully in Quantum Of Solace Craig continues the brilliant commencement of his Bond career.
Ratings and Suggestions
I really enjoyed Casino Royale. In fact, I rank it as one of the best Bond films ever. The risks taken were well worth the result, and made a new cousin in the Bond family, that while related is certainly it’s own self. Reinventing is not an easy task, and even a greater one when the popular belief states the story is closer to what Ian Flemming’s original ideals about Bond should be. In every respect Casino Royale was a success. It’s plot and script was flawless and balanced it’s fantastical action with character’s to die for. Casino Royale earns my respect and three and a half stars.