Movie Info
Movie Name: Casino Royale
Studio: Eon Productions
Genre(s): Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): November 14, 2006
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Dude…I thought you said Old Maid…crap, I’m out.
Meet Bond…James Bond (Daniel Craig). He’s a new 00 agent in charge of stopping an international terrorist financier named Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). When Bond causes Le Chiffre to lose a huge investment on a fail terrorist attack, he must recoup the money by entering a high stakes Montenegro poker tournament at the Casino Royale. James Bond is sent to Montenegro by MI-6 to beat Le Chiffre and has the help of government backer Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), U. S. CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), and Bond’s contact Rene Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini). Bond is out win the big pot, but does he have a traitor within his ranks?
Um…is now a bad time to mention I’m afraid of heights?
Directed by Martin Campbell, Casino Royale is the twenty-first outing for the James Bond franchise and a relaunch of the series following Die Another Day in 2002. The film was met with positive reviews (making many Best of 2006 lists), a big box office draw, and successfully put energy back into the franchise.
Casino Royale has turned into one of my favorite Bond films. Movies like Goldfinger still are number one just because of the classic Bond elements involved in them, but this one seems to really get to the root of Bond by sticking closer to the novel by Ian Fleming. Casino Royale was the 1953 first outing of Bond and was previously made into a comedy-spy movie in 1967 starring David Niven as Bond.
Ladies…ladies…there’s enough Bond to go around!
The movie was initially met with controversy. Though I enjoyed Pierce Brosnan for the most part, it was time for him to go. Many objected to Craig’s casting and a “blond Bond”. I realize that Bond purists want a dark haired Bond, but it isn’t like Bond has stuck to anything created by Fleming (the movies usually just steal their titles). The movie eliminated Moneypenny and Q (last played by John Cleese) but did bring back Judi Dench as M.
Casino Royale is good because it does what Bond has needed for years. It sets up a real storyline which is meant to stretch for multiple films. Within Casino Royale, Bond learns of an organization behind the conspiracy, and the events at the end of the film leads him to want revenge. This puts a continuing story for a Bond film, but also has a stand-alone element that makes it enjoyable to watch by itself.
…I really think we should have taken our clothes off first
The Bourne movies have obviously changed Bond because this Bond feels more physical than previous Bonds. The Bourne Identity was released in 2002 and Craig fights more like Bourne in this film. The beginning sequence with the parkour run seems a little extreme, but Craig pulls it off with his physicality. I can’t see any of the previous Bonds pulling being able to do it (strangely enough the “dark” Bond Timothy Dalton might have been the closest).
Casino Royale is a great new start to an old series. I like the changes. I like the more realist approach to the character. I do kind of wish that Bond didn’t have to run everywhere and the defibrillator scene is a little convenient, but what is a James Bond movie without perfectly crafted “utility belt” toys for him? Casino Royale was followed by Quantum of Solace in 2008.
Preceded By:
Followed By:
Related Links:
