Casino Royale

Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
2006

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: James Bond (Daniel Craig) has just recently been assigned 00 status. In his first mission, he's assigned to bring down a criminal mastermind (Mads Mikkelsen) who is funding terrorist organizations.

Review:

Tim: I wasn't sure what to expect with this relaunching of the James Bond franchise. More than not, I grew more and more excited about it. While I really liked Pierce Brosnan as 007, I had to admit that the last several Bond films had gotten worse and worse as they delved into the utterly ridiculous. Casino Royale makes a huge departure from all that, and the change is much needed and much appreciated.

The best change is that this film moves Bond back to a much more realistic hero. Sure, some of the action here is impressive and somewhat of a stretch, but everything is grounded in reality. It is not ridiculous or far-fetched like the last few Bond films. I can't tell you how happy I am to see this. I also liked the new portrayal of Bond. By backing the story up to Bond's first mission, this allows everything to be reset. Bond isn't the slick, seen-it-all in previous films. He's still fairly green, and more of a "blunt instrument" then a cold-hearted effective killer.

Daniel Craig is absolutely amazing throughout the movie. While I had a hard time thinking, "This is James Bond," he's easily deserving of a mention in the "Best Bonds of All Time" debate. I am not a fan of Eva Green, but she was fairly decent here. Mad Mikkelsen makes a terrific Bond bad guy, much better than the two-dimensional characters seen in recent films.

Casino Royale has some terrific scenes. The construction site chase is amazing. The Texas Hold 'Em scenes are excellent as well. However, my all-time favorite scene has to be the torture scene with the chair and rope. This is classic Bond- hilarious under pressure. The film's big, final climactic battle is a little disappointing, but other than that, this is easily the best Bond film since Goldeneye (which also happens to be directed by Martin Campbell). This film is a must-see.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Goldeneye, Layer Cake