Casino Royale (2006) Review

 "Christ, I miss the Cold War."
-M



Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a banker for the world's terrorist organizations, loses a large amount of his clients' money in a failed scheme.  To make it back, he hosts a high-stakes poker tournament with the winner getting nearly $150 million.  MI6 gets James Bond (Daniel Craig), a recently promoted 00 agent, into the game, but the inexperienced agent doesn't know as much as he thinks he does.


What Works:

The character of James Bond has always been a character without much in the way of flaws.  Sure, he has plenty of vices, but they've never really prevented him from doing his job with ease.  Daniel Craig takes the character in a different direction.  Since this is a reboot of the series, we're able to see Bond on his earliest missions and he has a few things to learn.  Sure, he's generally the smartest person in the room, but he is arrogant.  It's great to see more flawed take on the character.  It's an interesting change of pace and a breath of fresh air for the series and Craig does a great job with the role.

Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) is an elite Bond girl and I know a lot of people who have her as their favorite overall.  She's not a spy, so she's not overly helpful on Bond's mission, but she and Bond have amazing chemistry, arguably the best of any duo in the series.  All of their dialogue is fantastic in their early scenes and I love how she puts Bond in his place during their dinner on the train.

Le Chiffre is probably the darkest of all the Bond villains.  There is no humor surrounding the character and he is willing to torture and kill anyone who gets in his way.  The scene where he tortures Bond is one of the most memorable of the series and certainly the most painful to watch.  For a character who doesn't even survive into the 3rd act, he certainly leaves an impression.

The action is elite across the board, even if there isn't as much as in a typical Bond film.  Both the fight at the Miami airport and the climatic battle in Italy are extremely well done and are grounded in a more realistic manner than any of the Brosnan films.  They are some brutal, but fun sequences and look fantastic.

Finally, Casino Royale has my favorite single action sequence of the entire series.  The parkour chase in Madagascar early in the film is one of the greatest action sequences ever captured on film.  It's impressive to watch and very creative.  We get to see this hyper-athletic henchmen making his way through the construction site in a variety of inventive ways, while Bond just brute forces his way through the chase.  It's a great way to introduce Craig's version of Bond and just how tough this guy is.


What Sucks:

I will say the 3rd of the movie drags a little bit.  I like the chemistry between Bond and Vesper, but all of the scenes of Bond falling in love with her go on for a bit too long.  I get the point.  We didn't need all of this.  It certainly slows the pacing and energy of the film down.


Verdict:

Casino Royale is the best introductory film for any Bond actor, even better than Goldeneye was for Brosnan.  Craig gives us a different and interesting take on the character, the action is superb, and both the Bond girl and main villain are top tier.  The 3rd act could have been shorter, but this movie has absolutely got it going on.

 9/10: Great 


#1. Octopussy

#2. The Spy Who Loved Me

#3. Casino Royale

#4. From Russia with Love

#5. Goldfinger

#6. Goldeneye

#7. The Living Daylights

#8. Moonraker

#9. Die Another Day

#10. On Her Majesty's Secret Service

#11. License to Kill

#12 Tomorrow Never Dies

#13. Live and Let Die

#14. Dr. No

#15. For Your Eyes Only

#16. The World is Not Enough

#17. Thunderball

#18. You Only Live Twice

#19. A View to a Kill

#20. The Man with the Golden Gun

#21. Diamonds Are Forever    

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