Casino Royale

[original post: Nov.19.2006]

The following is a review of the film Casino Royale.

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Casino Royale (3.5 stars)

I have always been a huge Bond fan. I suppose my mom was the one who first introduced me to Agent 007. We would go down to the independent video store in the town where I grew up and rent the James Bond movies from the 60s for $.99. I would then pick up some orange frozen yogurt (for some reason, it was the only other thing sold in that video store) and I would spend my summer nights watching Sean Connery in his perfectly tailored tux sip his dry vodka martini, shaken, not stirred of course, and race through the Austrian countryside in his "new" Aston Martin fully stocked with Q's latest tinkerings. In my opinion, Sean Connery will always be in my mind the best actor for the role, his collectivity, sophistication, and ultra-suave demeanor untouched by any other.

Sean Connery remains at the top of my list, but Daniel Craig comes remarkably close.

I admit that I did have my doubts about Daniel Craig as the new 007 in Casino Royale. He's blond, rougher, more muscular, and... well, he's the new guy. I suppose everyone's apprehensive about the new guy. But while Pierce Brosnan set the bar of temperament for Bond, Craig returns the character to his dark beginnings and brings Bond's sophistication and understated sex appeal back to the days of Connery. Craig has unexpectedly mastered the role with an appropriate blend of refinement and humor.

Furthermore, director Martin Campbell opens Bond's character up to a certain vulnerability when Bond girl Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) enteres the scene. Lynd breaks through Bond's cold exterior in a way that was not possible in the 1960s. The result is a man grasping for any remnant of his identity in a world of thugs, two-timers, arrogance and greed. It is thoughtfully and elegantly done and the end result is a plot line that works and held my interest for the 2 1/2 hour film.

The film also brought back a classic Bond signature, the relationship between 007 and the antagonist. Goldfinger, in my opinion, one of, if not the best Bond film, perfected the relationship between Bond and his enemy as one of civility, respect, and the ability to sit down at a table together without the need for a PPK. The antagonist "Goldfinger" in the film Goldfinger shares this relationship with Bond as he invites him to his ranch and the two share mint juleps. Bond and the villain Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) in Casino Royale share similar scenes, mostly around a high-roller's poker table. The "dagger-in-the-back" civility is present, especially as Bond is poisoned and nearly killed by a specialty cocktail, spiked by Le Chiffre's voluptuous henchwoman. Le Chiffre is one hell of a bad guy, finally bringing a sense of evil and darkness that was clearly absent from Die Another Day's cartoony Gustav Graves.

Casino Royale triumphantly reawakens all that is a James Bond film. A strong cast, breathtaking locales, sophistication, elegance, technology, intrigue, and the dark, complex persona that is James Bond. The late Ian Fleming would most certainly be proud.