Casino Royale (2006)
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Casino Royale easily surpasses expectations by delivering a white-knuckle thrill ride of a moviegoing experience that even those without one iota of interest in the previous Bond films (like myself) can get caught up in. Gone are the silly gadgets, disappearing cars, and incomprehensible plot lines. Even the bad guy looks like your average everyday criminal mastermind, albeit one who cries tears of blood. The action sequences and romantic excursions are secondary to storytelling, an element sadly lacking from the recent Bond movies.
The Story
Although set in the present day, Casino Royale explores the early days of 007 back when Bond, James Bond wasn’t the ultra-smooth, super-polished spy who orders his martinis shaken rather than stirred. In fact, this James Bond couldn’t care less how his drink’s prepared, all but biting the head off of the bartender who asks for his preference and responding to the question with, “Do I look like I care?”.
This Bond’s a MI6 agent hot under the collar and nearly out of control and M (Judi Dench) isn’t convinced promoting him to 007 status is the smartest move. But he’s promoted anyway and immediately sets off on the trail of a terrorist loan shark named Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). After a screw up exposes Bond, he’s off to Montenegro to defeat Le Chiffre in a game of high-stakes poker. With the help of a fellow operative (Giancarlo Giannini) and British Treasury Agent Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), Bond buys a seat in a game where $150 million is riding on how well he can read his opponents and handle his cards.
The Acting
There’s no arguing who’s in charge with the always classy Dame Judi Dench back as M. This time around the character’s got more bite than bark. M’s a woman at the top of her game who doesn’t take any crap from new agents. She’s more than a match for Bond – and he knows it.
The Bottom Line
From the astonishing opening foot chase sequence that’s beyond description to a jaw-dropping torture scene in which Bond’s manhood is at stake, to the more low-key scenes around the poker table, Casino Royale proves it doesn’t take ridiculous gadgetry and over-the-top set-ups to make a Bond movie work. Casino Royale fully succeeds in its mission to reinvigorate the franchise without relying on the campiness of past Bond films.
The action is extreme, there’s gorgeous eye candy for both sexes, and the plot is actually grounded in reality. Every single actor without exception is terrific. Sexy and violent, with just the right touch of humor to lighten the mood and make it a little playful, Casino Royale is enormously entertaining and a must-see movie.
* Important Review Disclaimer* - I’m not a fan of the Bond movies. I like the old Sean Connery films, didn’t see George Lazenby’s Bond, deliberately purged the Timothy Dalton movies from my memory, and hated the cartoonish takes on Bond in the Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan editions (although Brosnan did rise above the material). This is the first time in history I’m actually looking forward to the next film of the Bond series.
Rebecca Murray
Hollywood Movies Guide
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