Review: Casino Royale

Starring Daniel Craig as 'James Bond'
With Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, and Dame Judi Dench as 'M'
Written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis
Directed by Martin Campbell

Note: I'm cheating by copying a review I wrote earlier on MovieLens (see the sidebar.) -B

I'm not a huge James Bond fan but when word got out that this was going to be a big reinvention of the series that was closer to Ian Fleming's vision I was intrigued, even though I've never even read the Bond books or short stories.

Indeed, the movie is as good as everyone says it is. I can't say its the Best Bond film ever but if it isn't the best then its close. So many of the Bond films, especially the more recent ones, seem to go through the motions with easy to follow plots overly focused on the villains. This one, on the other hand, has its own unique rhythm. As we get to see Bond develop he becomes a brand new character to us which is aided by Daniel Craig's debut Bond performance. Craig looks a little too rough to be the Bond most of us think of and he hasn't got the swagger and thrust of Sean Connery but I think a few more films will seal him as the new face of Bond.

I liked that there were only a few gadgets, the only obvious one being a clever one that I can't describe as its a mild spoiler. The lack of the usual science fiction trappings were refreshing and I'd like to see the next few Bond films follow the grounded feeling of this film.

If I can't say this is the best Bond film then I can say that the opening sequence is the absolute best opening I have ever seen. One reviewer called it boring but I think he was just mad that there were no naked girls. Being a man, I missed the silhouetted vixens too but that didn't hurt the opening as we get to see Bond fighting and killing his way through a psychedelic world of playing card motifs. And Chris Cornell's Bond theme is a perfect one. It has the unmistakable sonic signature of a Bond theme but the rock roots and Chris's voice matches the rougher Bond world involved in the film.

Also, one has to mention the Bond "Babes" but here, at least in Eva Green's character of Vesper Lynd, we have a Bond Woman who, while not at all tough, still comes across as a strong and real person, not a bimbo or superwoman like many other Bond heroines.

And, like many other recent Bond films, there are lots of fun in jokes for Bond fans. One I caught was a familiar interior from one of the films in the final action sequence. Again, I'll say nothing since its a spoiler but the scene was rather elevating.

The only problems the film has are the shape of its plot and its running length. Personally, I prefer a plot that builds continuously up to the climax and conclusion but this film . . . well, I can't describe it well without spoiling things but it has an odd structure that can be difficult to follow. I actually enjoyed that it didn't take the usual route of most storylines but had the movie been shorter it might have taken some of the confusion away. An easier way around this would have been to let us viewers in on more of the story that isn't revealed until the end but that would have made things less surprising. Casino Royale doesn't have obvious flaws, just unusual choices made to tell the story in the way the filmmakers needed.

Overall, this was an unusual Bond film but a much more satisfying adventure than many of the others. At the very least we have the best Bond film and the best Bond actor since Sean Connery. If the next films stick with a similar storyline (I suspect that the new films will form an ELLIPSIS) then I am all set to go again.

One more observation: While the violence and sexuality in this film is not as intense as others have said it is, this is a film for grown-ups. I say that as a compliment.