Bond is back! Jam-packed with all the sinister plots, snappy one-liners, chase scenes, henchmen and beautiful babes that you would expect from a Bond flick, Casino Royale provides everything you could ask for, and also breathes some much-needed life into the recently stale series.
This next chapter is special for a variety of reasons. For one, it’s based on the first Bond novel the creator Ian Fleming wrote. And what better way to start fresh than to bring in some new faces? This honor has now been passed to the relatively unknown Daniel Craig, a rising British actor most recently seen in Steven Spielberg’s Munich, and in the relatively unseen and remarkably overrated Layer Cake.
Still, the 38-year-old naturally blond Craig was an excellent choice to play Bond, James Bond. Not only is Craig an established actor, but more importantly, nobody knows him. So unlike Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan, Craig’s off-screen persona will not outshine the on-screen character. Also, he’s well-dressed (Esquire said so, it must be true ), which fits the naturally stylish Bond quite perfectly. Craig re-creates Bond exactly the way it needed to be done.
And Craig brings out the worst in Bond at times, creating a character whom his boss M – Judi Dench, reprising her role – labels a “brute.” This Bond is far more physically and athletically gifted than any one before him, and Craig seems to bring an unprecedented amount of ruthlessness and seriousness to the role. He also relies far more on reaction and skill than fancy gadgets and luck, which make his feats much more rewarding.
Casino Royale starts early in Bond’s career. Two assassinations filmed in black and white bring Bond up to “double-0” status, gaining him his license to kill. Bond’s journey as a 00-agent takes him first to Uganda, then to Madagascar and the Bahamas and finally to Montenegro – for most of the time, anyway. Country-hopping with Bond: Always enjoyable.
To stop a terrorism-funding banker from winning a large sum of cash (oh, you know, the usual $100 million), Bond enters a poker tournament the banker plans on winning big with. Essentially, it’s a pay-off. The banker Le Chiffre (Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen) is the usual stiff, scarred and slick-haired nemesis Bond will see for years and years to come. The banker even has the typical gimmicky deformation. In this case, he “weeps blood.”
“Do you believe in God, Mr. Le Chiffre?” the banker is asked. “No,” Chiffre responds. “I believe in a reasonable rate of return.” Oh, those Bond bad guys, sinister as usual.
“Banking” in on the recent poker craze in this country, director Martin Campbell loves to copy the dramatic pauses and deep stares we’ve been watching on ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker. While it’s a bit cheesy, Campbell – whose directing career most notably includes GoldenEye and the recent Zorro movies – was the right choice, if only because GoldenEye was the best Bond episode of the Pierce Brosnan-era. Also enlisted to interpret the Fleming novel was the hottest screenwriter in Hollywood, Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby, Crash). It helped; Craig and Co. are wittier than ever.
Eva Green takes the honor of Vesper Lynd, the next Bond girl, and the fifth French girl of the series (but who is counting). The 26-year-old brunette is sexy, but she instead chooses to brag about her brains and wit. This move is refreshing, because she seems to pull off both sexy and smart with great ease, often matching Bond’s witty remarks with her own clever quips.
Looking for a realistic action movie for once? I hope not. This chapter in the series provides as much realism as a Bond movie ever has, which is to say, none at all. Similarly, the plot has as many twists and action as any Fleming story, but for Bond films though, such over-the-top cinema is expected. Balancing class and ass-kicking is always a tough task, but Campbell has pulled it off.
What makes this film a mark above the rest of the Bond movies is something the series is not usually noted for: Skilled acting. Dench is excellent as the disgruntled MI6 leader and exhibits great chemistry with the new Bond, making Craig’s transition into the series an easy one. But of course, Craig is the biggest difference. He’s a little rough on the edges, and while that’s a slight departure from the typical uber-smooth Bond, it feels almost real. Don’t get me wrong, Craig still pulls off the smooth and sexy Bond, but he does it in a more ruthless and lethal way than any Bond before.
“Shaken or stirred?” the bartender asks. Bond’s disconcerted response: “Does it look like I give a damn?”
Campbell also does something no Bond film has ever done before by analyzing the protagonist. This move adds depth to a typically straight-faced character, as Bond learns lessons about trust, ego, and – most surprisingly – love.
In a film over 140 minutes long, Craig, Dench and Campbell deliver a revamped yet still classic Bond film. Casino Royale is less about crazy stunts, special effects and dramatics than good, old-fashioned action, thrills and adventure. This is not just a film for you Bond fans, but a film to bring your girlfriend with you too.
And I will say this: Craig is the best Bond we’ve seen since Sean Connery first iconized him. So get excited for the future.
Contact reporter Adam Z. Winer at awiner42@umd.edu.
