When Casino Royale first begins, I was shocked at how the familiar opening logo
of the James Bond films--with Bond shooting at an assassin through the POV of
the sniper’s telescope--was nowhere to be seen. I’d heard that this was not only
a reboot of the Bond franchise, but a major change in tone, as well. Yet there
were some things I felt that shouldn’t be mucked around with, such as that
opening logo. But as I watched how easily actor Daniel Craig settles into the
role of Bond, coolly dispatching two villains with the same lethal intensity
that had not been seen in Bond since the glory days of Sean Connery, I’d
realized at this point that I was finally watching the actor who was the true
successor to Connery as Bond, James Bond. And then, just when I least expected
it, director Martin Campbell incorporates the Bond sniper logo--BAM!--which
magnificently caps off an enthralling teaser sequence. All this was in the first
five minutes, and already Casino Royale had become my favorite Bond film.
Casino Royale tells the story of a younger Bond out on his first mission, and
those first two killings in the teaser were the score that he needed to
officially become a double-0 agent, complete with a license to kill. Yet
although he’s now in the distinguished double-0 club of England’s MI6, his boss,
M (once again played with great wit and vitality by Judi Dench), isn’t so sure
the newly christened 007 is up to the task. During a wild and spectacular chase
in Madagascar, into and throughout the skeletal framework of a hotel under
construction, Bond winds up shooting his unarmed opponent dead before blowing up
the courtyard of an embassy--an incident which was caught on surveillance video
and shown in headlines around the world. Disgusted with her novice agent, M
orders Bond to keep his head down for a few days.
Yet Bond can’t let go of the case. The man he was chasing in Madagascar was a
bomb maker who was a part of a larger terrorist network. And tracing his cell
phone leads Bond to the Bahamas, on the trail of Le Chiffre, a financier whose
clientele includes some of the most ruthless terrorists in the world. Martin
Campbell, who also directed Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as Bond in 1995’s
Goldeneye, was a great choice to direct Casino Royale because he does a
marvelous job at reinvigorating the Bond series once more. While Bond still has
his gadgets, they are not the focal point of the film this time. Campbell, along
with writers Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis, have grounded Casino
Royale in a more gritty reality, as well as change the basic story formula into
one that is more unpredictable and exciting.
When Bond gets into a knock down, drag-out fight--such as the intense battle he
has with a pair of terrorists on a staircase--the repercussions are felt in the
aftermath as when takes a stiff drink to soothe his nerves as he washes the
blood off of him. Bond gets injured, he gets bloodied…hell, he even gets
arrested by the local cops at one point. And Craig’s tough as nails, yet all too
human portrayal works brilliantly here. Instead of an unflappable superhero who
quips his way out of danger, James Bond is a regular man with extraordinary
skills and a powerful drive to succeed. Eva Green is also greatly sympathetic as
Vesper Lynd, and Jeffery Wright is an inspired choice to play Felix Lieter,
Bond’s CIA friend. There’s no audio commentary, but this DVD set comes with a
second disc that’s complete with several "making of" documentaries, including an
updated version of "Bond Girls Are Forever" a look at the actresses who’ve
played Bond girls through the years. Don’t get me wrong, the Pierce Brosnan Bond
films were great fun, but Casino Royale has finally updated the Bond series for
the 21st century in a dynamic and exciting way.
--SF
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