Casino Royale

Rating

Director

Martin Campbell

Screenplay

Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis (Novel by Ian Fleming)

Length

144 min.

Starring

Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelson, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, Isaach De Bankol, Jesper Christensen, Ivana Milicevic

MPAA Rating

PG-13 (For intense sequences of violent action, a scene of torture, sexual content and nudity)

Review

Ever since super spy James Bond was brought forward from the Cold War into modern times, his films have slowly slipped into obscurity. However, with Casino Royale, a harder, edgier Bond emerges to christen a whole new generation of 007 pics.

Making his debut as the world’s top film secret agent, Daniel Craig brings a heretofore unseen sharpness to the increasingly glossy character. This time out, he appears in the first non-spoof rendition of Ian Fleming’s novel Casino Royale. Originally produced in 1967 starring David Niven as Sir James Bond and Woody Allen playing his nephew Jimmy Bond, the original farce bears little resemblance to today’s adventure.

Marking his first major mission after having killed his second individual, Bond is put on the trail of money launderers who he must bring to justice before they can use that money to purchase arms and munitions. Complicating matters is the love of James’ life, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green). Unlike the novel and the original production, this film centers around Le Chiffre’s (Mads Mikkelsen) poker winnings and not baccarat winnings.

In the mix again is Judi Dench as the undaunted M, head of the espionage organization, but nowhere to be seen are gadgeteer Q (most recently portrayed by John Cleese and whose name had been changed to R) or secretary Miss Moneypenny (now played by Samantha Bond). The exclusion of the former is hardly detestable but the latter is absent because of the needed romantic involvement with Lynd.

Craig does surprisingly well as Bond. Not only does he obliterate the idea that Bond has to be dark haired, he brings the dark side back to the superhero that made Timothy Dalton despised by many, but now brings welcome cheers from most fans of the series.

Another tradition terminated is the presence of overly attractive, limitedly talented actresses appearing as Bond Girls. Though Halle Berry, and more laudably Michelle Yeoh, have delivered fine performances, Green brings a vulnerability and sensuality to the role that has been missing for quite some time. Her performance adds to the overall feeling of success attached to this project.

Director Martin Campbell, whose past work on The Legend of Zorro isn’t terribly impressive, does his previous best Bond GoldenEye one better. His attention to story and avoidance of glossy and overblown scenes make Casino Royale one of the best in the longest running film series of all time. The opening chase sequence builds the needed tension and exhilaration in the audience and the rest of the film keeps that atmosphere moving.

Altering the Bond mystique by eliminating his world renowned ability at the baccarat table in order to appease the modern predilection towards Texas Hold ‘Em is an egregious mistake. A certain bit of the character died in that moment, hopefully to be regained in future installments where we can only hope Craig will return.

Another rather exasperating segment of the film is the normally luminous opening song. Chris Cornell’s “You Know My Name” is so forgettable that I couldn’t hum a single bar of it. Unlike past classics like “Goldfinger”, “For Your Eyes Only” and “GoldenEye”, “Name” easily marks as one of the worst choices of songs the series has made. The accompanying montage, once a part of the series that everyone looked forward to, has become an overblown mess relying too heavily on computer design to compete with the sumptuous montages of the past.

Casino Royale is the beginning of a new era for 007. Where Die Another Day ended the first twenty films with a thud, this twenty-first Bond adventure starts off the next twenty installments with a bang.

Review Written

February 6, 2007