Casino Royale (2006)
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Casino Royale (2006)
BOND #2.1: Bond Has Himself a Tough Beginning
DANIEL CRAIG as James Bond 007 in CASINO ROYALE also starring
EVA GREEN as Vesper * MADS MIKKELSEN as Le Chiffre * GIANCARLO GIANNINI
JEFFREY WRIGHT as Leiter * and JUDI DENCH as M * Directed by MARTIN CAMPBELL
There was some trepidation in those first few seconds, that this restart - this new beginning - would take us too far from the familiar Bond territory. There's no Q. No R. No Moneypenny! But, we worried needlessly. We're still with the slick spy/assassin concept, the blunt instrument with some cold cunning and extraordinary luck attached. If anything, the first major action set piece after the credits in this Bond adventure showcases one aspect of Bond better than all the previous ones, right off the bat (at least matching the best of Connery), thanks to the script and actor Craig: Bond's relentlessness. We're smacked by this in short order as he chases some bad guy who seemingly possesses superhuman tendons, leaping among girders and buildings like some Spider-man super-villain. Bond, as in good shape as he is, can't match this guy in the speed department, but he'll catch him anyway. He is relentless. See, that's 007. Not 001 or 005. Lucky number 007, possessed or driven by some possibly pathological need to win, no matter the consequences.
The plot follows the original Ian Fleming novel for the most part: Bond's central assignment is to beat the main villain at poker (not Bacarrat, as in the original story, an acknowledgment of where 21st century interests lie). Le Chiffre, a dead-eyed, rather soulless sourpuss, funds terrorists and taking his money assures some points for M's department. Dench is back as M, even though she's over 10 years older than herself in Goldeneye, which presumably took place later than this mission. That's one of the puzzling things about this Bond reinvention - if this is a restart, why is Dench here? She's older, yet Bond is younger. I guess the producers just couldn't bear to lose the actress. I assumed that the filmmakers were thinking long term, planning to present a less volatile and more experienced James Bond as the years wore on in the sequels, but they delayed this evolution in Bond 2.2, which begins only hours after this one ends.
We can rationalize that all the constant pummeling Bond endured in the first three quarters of the story enabled this startling yet hard-to-believe twist; we can even regard this as another learning experience for a still-youthful Bond, in terms of reading people; but, how can he not know himself by this stage? Well, at least it was a brief aberration. Craig got all the nuances right, otherwise: he was grim when 'in the moment' of the job and relaxed when chatting with an ally, projecting a fearsome intelligence in all cases. He would be back in Quantum of Solace. The producers need to be careful, however, that this newest incarnation of Bond doesn't lose his unique standing (no Q; no Moneypenny) and become interchangeable with numerous other super agents, like Bourne. Instead of Quantum of Solace or Bond 2.3, some viewers may instead prefer to watch Dr. No next.
BoG's Bond Scores: Bond:10 Villain:8 Femme Fatale:7 Henchmen:7 Leiter:9 Fights:10 Stunts/Chases:10 Gadgets:6 (blasted cellphones) Auto:9 Locations:9 Pace:10 overall:8.5
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» Casino Royale (Climax! 1954)
» Episode #38: The Royale
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Base of Galactic Science Fiction :: SCIENCE FICTION CINEMA :: Semi-Science Fiction Films :: Super Agents - James Bond and his ilk
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