Plot: Casino Royale introduces James Bond before he holds his license to kill. But Bond is no less dangerous and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to '00' status. M sends the newly-promoted 007 to his first mission that takes him to Madagascar, the Bahamas, and eventually leads him to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. Le Chiffre's cunning and cruelty come to bear on Bond and Treasury official Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) in a way that he could never imagine and he learns his most important lesson: Trust no one.
Firsts: Craig as Bond, appearances by Mathis, Mr. White and Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, gun barrel sequence does not appear at the opening of the movie
Gadgets: Tracking device implant, personal defibrillator
Girls Bond slept with: Vesper Lynd; Would have slept with Solange had business not gotten in the way
Elaborate murder attempt that Bond escapes: Spiked martini, tortured with a knotted rope to the balls
Personal review: After 22 weeks, we've finally reached the end, which is ironic because this is the film that brought us back to the beginning. The Bond producers decided to reboot the franchise and the decision seems to have worked. I absolutely love this movie and have found Daniel Craig to be an excellent Bond thus far, even though many people weren't very confident in him when the announcement was originally made.
Not only is Craig a good Bond, but this is a really good movie too. Who knew Martin Campbell, who directed Goldeneye, could create such a beautiful and exciting picture? The action sequences are top notch, the locations are stylish and the movie manages to still have some fun too.
Part of what makes Craig such a good Bond is the way the character is written. Instead of being portrayed as some sort of superman, the character approaches situations in a way most people would. Take for instance, the opening chase sequence with the parkour artist. That guy leaping around like a frogman, but they have Bond slip and stumble in his jumps or just bust through walls instead of being able to leap over them. There are a lot of small touches like that which just make this an above average film.
Another one of the little things that I love about this film is how they withold many of Bond's trademark stuff until the end of the movie. If you notice the Bond theme and the 'Bond, James Bond' line are not used until the scene with Mr. White, as if to say he truly didn't become 'Bond' until after the Vesper incident. The way the film ends is just an amazing scene. The fact that this next film will start right where this one ends, makes me even more excited Quantum of Solace.
Speaking of the villains, Le Chiffre is all right, but not within the top eschelon of Bond villains. He's got the cool bloody tears and has some fun torturing Bond, but isn't truly significant. But knowing he was just a minor player within a larger organization makes it all right that he wasn't more memorable or evil.
And as for Eva Green as Vesper, she's certainly not the sexiest Bond girl. However, she brought an important vulnerability to the role which worked and made it believable as to why Bond would fall for her so hard. It appears that while she may not be the best Bond girl ever, she's likely to have the most significant impact on the franchise.
The lone common complaint about this film is that some feel it drags a bit and is too long. Those who believe this, typically point to the poker scenes as the parts that could have been cut. I don't really agree with this argument, but if there was an area that I would edit, it would be the Bond/Vesper scenes that occur after the tortune scene. I understand their purpose to advance Vesper's storyline, but they brought the film more to a halt than the poker scenes in my opinion. But like I said, in general, I really don't think the movie drags in the least.
I really feel like I could go on and heap more praise on this one, but I don't think its necessary. With it being the most recent and also likely seen by most people who read this, it seems like I don't really need to go into great detail as to why this is a good movie. Most will agree that Craig has been the right choice to take over the franchise after delivering such a knockout debut performance. I think all Bond fans are anxious to see what he now does for an encore. 10/10
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