“Casino Royale” is director Martin Campbell’s latest journey into the world of James Bond and he has clearly upped the ante the second time around. Everything from the intense, black-and-white opening to the strong, gritty action scenes give you the indication that this is not your typical razzle-dazzle Bond extravaganza. What we have here is a tightly written story that attempts to bring a more realistic element to the series by completely reinventing the character of James Bond to give him a more down-to-earth personality.
Daniel Craig (Layer Cake, Munich) may not have been everyone’s first choice to take over as Bond, but he is definitely the right man for the job. He looks as if he could pass for a villain rather than Bond himself, but his brute-like demeanor has allowed him to bring a renewed sense of rugged masculinity that many critics feel had been lost for quite some time. He’s a guy who doesn’t care whether his martinis are shaken or stirred and has an ego big enough to match his affinity for beautiful women.
Yes, this is a new kind of James Bond. One that displays a certain vulnerability that hadn’t been seen in the other films, but still delivers a wide array of exhilarating moments to satisfy any fan of the series. Since this is essentially a prequel, Bond has just been promoted to 007 and not yet earned the full confidence of his superiors. His methods are seen as unorthodox and he doesn’t really care how much noise he makes as long as the job gets done.
His latest mission revolves around Montenegro’s Le Casino Royale, where he must prevent an investment banker from winning a high-stakes poker game and using the prize money to fund international terrorism.
With the help of treasury agent Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), he is able to get a spot at the table and engage in a thrilling showdown with Le Chiffre, the paymaster of a Soviet controlled trade union, to determine who walks away with the $150 million pot. Desperate to win, Le Chiffre arranges for his girlfriend to poison Bond’s drink and nearly kills him in the process. Although the movie is almost entirely gadget-free, his Aston Martin DBS has a built-in defibrillator, which proves to be a life saver in situations like these. When he’s finally revived, he goes back to the table determined to win and is not going to let anyone get in his way.
Eva Green plays a stunningly beautiful Bond girl and her character depth is significantly greater than those in past years. Judi Dench also gives a great, sarcastic performance as M and her scenes with Craig are nothing short of splendid. Seeing her in a small role like this, reminds me of how great an actress she really is. Following the game, the storyline develops even further into an entertaining suspense tale full of explosions and over-the-top action sequences, which are a trademark of the Bond franchise.
“Casino Royale” is the Bond film I’ve been waiting for and probably the best since the days of Sean Connery. Craig’s portrayal of Bond is everything Ian Fleming intended for him to be and he does his best to make the character his own. By avoiding all of the fluff from previous Bond films, Campbell is able to create a revamped version of the beloved character, while totally redefining the franchise in the process.
- *** ½ out of 4
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