The latest gimmick in movie franchises is to start over and give a new take on the character/story. Batman did it, Superman did it (for the most part) and now James Bond has done it with Casino Royale.
When word came out the Daniel Craig was cast to be the fifth James Bond there was an uproar in certain segments of the fanbase. He was too short and too blond his critics said, before seeing the film of course. Being quite the Bond fan myself, I did not rush to judgment until I saw this publicity still:
I saw that and said, “this is going to work.” Craig may not be the typical tall and dark Bond, but he’s big enough and definitely ballsy enough. Remember that expression “women want him and men want to be him?” Ya, that’s this dude. He’s just the shot in the arm the franchise needed as it begins anew.
Luckily for the Bond producers, they had finally acquired the rights to the original Ian Fleming Bond novel Casino Royale, so they get to start off new with the original. It only took 44 years for this to happen and they didn’t waste it. We get to see a modern day origin of 007, and it is pretty intense.Casino Royale is no worse than the third best Bond movie ever with only Goldfinger and From Russia With Love in the same league.
In this edition of Bond, we get to see how James Bond became Bond…James Bond. The film’s teaser, shot in black and white, shows his first kill and his promotion to double-0 status. Following the opening credits, a chase that seemingly yields nothing more than a run-of-the-mill terrorist bomber and a major diplomatic incident, M, played by the always excellent Dame Judi Dench, is furious with Bond and is regretting her decision to promote him. Rather than just telling M what he has learned, Bond shows her in the most infuriating way possible. Gathering what information he needs, Bond is soon off to a sunny location where he puts the puzzle pieces together; getting in some swimming, playing cards, upgrading his vehicle, and of course bedding a hottie connected to the opposition (Caterina Murino) — pretty much standard operating procedure for a Bond flick but with better execution. Before long he is in Miami, tailing a suspect and foiling the initial plot of the antagonist Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), banker to the world’s biggest arms dealers. As expected, Bond returns to find the girl dead, earning a reprimand from M. She must again put aside her reservations about Bond and sends him off to Montenegro where Le Chiffre has set up a high stakes Texas Hold’em tournament to recover the money lost due to Bond’s deeds. Joining him for the trip is Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), an agent who will be dispersing funds for Le Chiffre’s $10 million buy in. The pair’s banter on the train to Montenegro is one of the best dialogues in a Bond film in a long time.
Arriving at Casino Royale, the two meet up with the local section chief Matthis (Giancarlo Giannini), and prepare for the game. During an intermission, things get a little hairy and Bond has to battle terrorists that Le Chiffre had betrayed. Returning, Le Chiffre notes that Bond had “changed his shirt.” The dirty tricks continue, nearly killing Bond and traumatizing Vesper. Her ice-cold attitude towards him melts away as he consoles her. Its a far cry from the typical Bond flick where the survivors just brush off what they have seen and done. The two draw closer to each other, but not so close that Vesper is willing to advance Bond another $5 million to keep the game going after Bond goes all in on a Le Chiffre bluff. Without the means to continue, Bond realizes he must simply kill Le Chiffre, but before he can make an attempt a fellow player intervenes, revealing himself to be Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright in a magic negro role), CIA agent. Leiter makes a quick deal to get Bond back in the game, provided CIA gets to apprehend Le Chiffre. Bond returns and wins the money. Before the celebration can last too long, Vesper is captured, setting a trap that Bond falls into. Tortured by Le Chiffre, Bond narrowly escapes death when a mysterious man breaks in and kills everyone but Bond and Vesper.
Convalescing at Naboo Lake Como, Bond and Vesper receive the money and pledge their love for each other. Bond resigns from MI6 as the two arrive in Venice. As he is preparing for his new life, the tables turn on Bond and challenge his new found peace, and ultimately hardening him into the tough, love’em-leave’em-maybe-kill’em secret agent we all know.
Casino Royale works because of Craig’s portrayal of Bond in what is ultimately a simple story. Rather than get bogged down with fantastical plots of world domination, death rays from space, etc. Casino Royale has a simple plot that allows for much more nuance and twists than 85% of the Bond series. Less is more! Additionally, Craig’s Bond, simply put is a total badass. He’s cold, tough, and intimidating. Even in torture, he’s the alpha male in the room, getting off one of his best one-liners. Craig is ultimate cool, in a way that only Sean Connery could approach. If the series retains this kind of tone and Craig continues playing the part this way, he could be one of cinema’s all time badasses, perhaps a mere level below Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry, Richard Roundtree’s Shaft and of course, Connery’s Bond. Craig is that good.
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