"Casino Royale" Review
CASINO ROYALE
Directed by Martin Campbell
Starring Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini
In recent years the James Bond films have been heading down a dark path. Despite the presence of charismatic leads, the films have become more and more over-the-top, trying to squeeze as many ridiculous stunts and beautiful women as possible into every frame. With the casting of Daniel Craig as the new Bond, things seemed even worse. Here was a man who did not fit the bill at all - he's blond, has blue eyes, and is quite shorter than previous Bonds. With the release of "Casino Royale," I can tell you now that you can rest easy. Not only is this the best Bond film in many years (if not one of the best, period), it also debuts the best Bond since Sean Connery.
The plot follows Ian Fleming's novel fairly closely, although some of the details have been changed. This time the villain is not SMERSH, the evil Russian organization of the novel, but terrorists. They have entrusted their funds to Le Chiffre, a powerful investment banker, who loses all of it after Bond foils an attempt to blow up an airliner. In order to retrieve the money, Le Chiffre sets up a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro. Bond is assigned to sit in on the game and beat Le Chiffre, in hopes that after Le Chiffre loses he will trade his secrets to the British government in exchange for protection from his employers. There are, of course, complications.
Although this movie will appeal to teenagers, Fleming's Bond is more adult and the film reflects that. It's one of the darkest and grittiest in the series. The killings are up close and personal, sometimes even downright ugly. There is a scene of intense physical and psychological torture, as well as multiple betrayals, a poisoning, and a tense scene in which a terrorist nearly chops a woman's forearm in half with a machete. The characteristic action sequences are few and far between, and there are no gadgets to be found. The main character walks a thin line between humanity and cold indifference. In short, it's refreshing to see Bond returned to his roots.
As Bond, Daniel Craig is nothing short of astonishing. Not since Connery has Bond been this rough or detached, but not even Connery brought the range of emotions to the character that Craig does. This Bond is the most human out of any to yet grace the screen. This man has the guts and the strength to win against nearly any enemy that comes his way but cannot resist the charms of a beautiful woman (he actually falls in love in this movie - something that was long overdue for a Bond film). While he may not look the part as well as his predecessor, Pierce Brosnan, the ruggedly handsome Craig still exudes a powerful charisma. He also has the ability to be quite charming, delivering the usual Bond wit admirably. Let's hope that Craig stays on for many more films in the series.
The other actors are quite good. Eva Green is the best Bond heroine in years, bringing smarts, strength, and beauty to the character of Vesper Lynd - she never appears in a bathing suit, either. Mads Mikkelsen is quite creepy as Le Chiffre, a villain who differs from most others in the series. He acts not out of a maniacal desire to control the world but out of desperation; he must retrieve his lost money or he will surely be killed. Mikkelsen brings this underlying emotion to the surface in the torture scene, where he is at his most genuinely menacing. The card game scenes between him and Craig are quite tense as well, and it doesn't hurt that he cries blood. Jeffrey Wright makes a brief appearance as CIA agent Felix Leiter, and while he is not particularly important he is given a few well-written lines. It is Judi Dench who takes the cake for best supporting part as Bond's superior, M. She is finally given a chance to shine here. With Brosnan she could only be a little tart, but with Craig she has found an actor she can truly play off of and the film is all the better for it.
I have very few complaints with this film, but my biggest deals with the action sequences. While none of them are particularly overdone, they do run a little long and most of them feel like they were tacked on to satisfy the testosterone-driven section of the audience. The fight in the stairwell feels especially unnecessary, but luckily it's not too long. My other complaint is the ending, which is a bit abrupt and doesn't really resolve the main storyline. All in all, "Casino Royale" is, in my opinion, the best action film of the year. The Bond franchise is headed in a fresh new direction and I'm excited to see where it ends up. In the meantime, go see "Casino Royale." You couldn't ask for a more enjoyable movie.
Directed by Martin Campbell
Starring Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini
In recent years the James Bond films have been heading down a dark path. Despite the presence of charismatic leads, the films have become more and more over-the-top, trying to squeeze as many ridiculous stunts and beautiful women as possible into every frame. With the casting of Daniel Craig as the new Bond, things seemed even worse. Here was a man who did not fit the bill at all - he's blond, has blue eyes, and is quite shorter than previous Bonds. With the release of "Casino Royale," I can tell you now that you can rest easy. Not only is this the best Bond film in many years (if not one of the best, period), it also debuts the best Bond since Sean Connery.
The plot follows Ian Fleming's novel fairly closely, although some of the details have been changed. This time the villain is not SMERSH, the evil Russian organization of the novel, but terrorists. They have entrusted their funds to Le Chiffre, a powerful investment banker, who loses all of it after Bond foils an attempt to blow up an airliner. In order to retrieve the money, Le Chiffre sets up a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro. Bond is assigned to sit in on the game and beat Le Chiffre, in hopes that after Le Chiffre loses he will trade his secrets to the British government in exchange for protection from his employers. There are, of course, complications.
Although this movie will appeal to teenagers, Fleming's Bond is more adult and the film reflects that. It's one of the darkest and grittiest in the series. The killings are up close and personal, sometimes even downright ugly. There is a scene of intense physical and psychological torture, as well as multiple betrayals, a poisoning, and a tense scene in which a terrorist nearly chops a woman's forearm in half with a machete. The characteristic action sequences are few and far between, and there are no gadgets to be found. The main character walks a thin line between humanity and cold indifference. In short, it's refreshing to see Bond returned to his roots.
As Bond, Daniel Craig is nothing short of astonishing. Not since Connery has Bond been this rough or detached, but not even Connery brought the range of emotions to the character that Craig does. This Bond is the most human out of any to yet grace the screen. This man has the guts and the strength to win against nearly any enemy that comes his way but cannot resist the charms of a beautiful woman (he actually falls in love in this movie - something that was long overdue for a Bond film). While he may not look the part as well as his predecessor, Pierce Brosnan, the ruggedly handsome Craig still exudes a powerful charisma. He also has the ability to be quite charming, delivering the usual Bond wit admirably. Let's hope that Craig stays on for many more films in the series.
The other actors are quite good. Eva Green is the best Bond heroine in years, bringing smarts, strength, and beauty to the character of Vesper Lynd - she never appears in a bathing suit, either. Mads Mikkelsen is quite creepy as Le Chiffre, a villain who differs from most others in the series. He acts not out of a maniacal desire to control the world but out of desperation; he must retrieve his lost money or he will surely be killed. Mikkelsen brings this underlying emotion to the surface in the torture scene, where he is at his most genuinely menacing. The card game scenes between him and Craig are quite tense as well, and it doesn't hurt that he cries blood. Jeffrey Wright makes a brief appearance as CIA agent Felix Leiter, and while he is not particularly important he is given a few well-written lines. It is Judi Dench who takes the cake for best supporting part as Bond's superior, M. She is finally given a chance to shine here. With Brosnan she could only be a little tart, but with Craig she has found an actor she can truly play off of and the film is all the better for it.
I have very few complaints with this film, but my biggest deals with the action sequences. While none of them are particularly overdone, they do run a little long and most of them feel like they were tacked on to satisfy the testosterone-driven section of the audience. The fight in the stairwell feels especially unnecessary, but luckily it's not too long. My other complaint is the ending, which is a bit abrupt and doesn't really resolve the main storyline. All in all, "Casino Royale" is, in my opinion, the best action film of the year. The Bond franchise is headed in a fresh new direction and I'm excited to see where it ends up. In the meantime, go see "Casino Royale." You couldn't ask for a more enjoyable movie.