Casino Royale- review
August 8th 2007 05:12
The 007 film franchise has been in dire need of reinvigoration in the last few years. The Pierce Brosnan era started off amazingly well, with 1995's superlative entry to the series, 'Goldeneye'. But it quickly degenerated into over-the-top, formulaic action pictures. 2002's 'Die Another Day' was the final straw. Although I did enjoy a few of the new ideas it brought to the table (Bond being captured and incarcerated in a POW camp for over a year), it really struggled to make the audience suspend their disbelief (invisible cloaking device cars? This is 007, not 'Star Trek')
Now, four years, and a new Bond (played brilliantly by Daniel Craig) later, the franchise returns to form with 'Casino Royale', an adaptation of the first Bond novel Ian Fleming ever wrote (but left officially unfilmed until now, although there was a 1967 spoof adaptation made by a rival studio).
The 21st Bond film breaks the formula in every way. Which is a very good thing. They've stripped the concept down to its essential elements. There are no gadgets in sight, no appearance from Q, no Moneypenny, etc. It's also considerably more violent than usual. Which is also a good thing. The fights have a more realistic gritty intensity to them. And I liked it how Daniel Craig's Bond is actually VULNERABLE. He doesn't always win. Previous Bond movies (great though they are) portray 007 as some sort of invincible superhero. He's actually supposed to be more of an antihero, like Batman. Ian Fleming's novels paint him as a cold-blooded assassin who would kill you as soon as look at you. The handsome, suave, dinner-suited ladies man Bond is an invention of the movies, not the books.
Until recently, this 'antihero' persona of Bond has been best shown in the films by Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton. We can now safely add Daniel Craig to this list. As a lifelong Bond fanatic, I can say that he's definitely up there with the best of them. He has this wonderful'smartass' vibe about his performance, which always made me crack a smile. Daniel Craig was met with a lot of hostility by hardcore fans when he was announced as the choice for the next Bond. There were petitions online to 'Bring back Brosnan' and so forth. Hopefully, this movie will silence the critics.
The film plays out more like a 'Bourne Identity' thriller than a Bond film. It's a risky move, which may alienate some fans. Although I really enjoyed the greater emphasis on story and character. The plot is more in the foreground than the action, which harkens back to the early Sean Connery movies (but with a more modern twist). The fascinating thing about watching these films is seeing how Bond keeps updating himself to fit the times, to integrate himself into the contemporary zeitgeist of pop culture. In the early movies, 007 mostly fought Commies, as the Cold War was being waged at the time. When Star Wars hit in '77, the Bond series responded with it's very science fictional 'Moonraker'.
Bond needs to keep evolving to survive. High tech thrillers, such as 24, Mission: Impossible, and Bourne Identity are all the rage at the moment, so naturally, the Bond producers have finally caught wind of this. Bond is an actual CHARACTER this time around. There are some great character-building scenes for him in Casino Royale. Audiences are getting tired of over-the-top action movies. They want some believability and drama in their movies. Which brings me to my next point: the obligatory love story.
It was actually done very well this time. The chemistry between Craig and the love interest had to be visible, because the love story was crucial to the plot. Bond was willing to retire from his job, and marry this woman, so their love had to be convincing. Fortunately, Vesper Lynd, played by Eva Green, is particularly good in her role. There is some awesome dialogue between the two characters. I attribute that mostly to the fact that the screenwriter was Paul Haggis (who was behind this year's Oscar winning 'Crash'. An interesting choice for the Bond series, and I hope he comes back for the next entry).
When Vesper is killed at the end of the film, Bond has to emotionally detach himself from her for the good of the mission. He calmly tells his boss 'the bitch is dead', though you can clearly see the pain in Daniel Craig's eyes when he delivers the line. The whole point of this script is that Bond is a cold-blooded unemotional killer, who allows himself to fall in love with a woman, only to lose her. Whenever he fells a villain in the film, there are no cheesy one-liners. You can see the remorse in his eyes. Craig plays a Bond who is clearly struggling to keep on the good side of the moral boundaries. He's a reluctant hitman, who tells Vesper 'I wouldn't know what an honest job is'. One of the best portrayals of a love story in a Bond film to this date.
Top marks for Daniel Craig's performance here. The good news is, he's contracted to do at least two more, so we'll hopefully see some more gritty adventures for 007 in the future.
A great reinvention for the series, and a breath of fresh air. Totally different to the formula, and let's pray its a sign of things to come. 9 out of 10. Highly recommended. This is to Bond what 'Batman Begins' was for that franchise.
Now, four years, and a new Bond (played brilliantly by Daniel Craig) later, the franchise returns to form with 'Casino Royale', an adaptation of the first Bond novel Ian Fleming ever wrote (but left officially unfilmed until now, although there was a 1967 spoof adaptation made by a rival studio).
The 21st Bond film breaks the formula in every way. Which is a very good thing. They've stripped the concept down to its essential elements. There are no gadgets in sight, no appearance from Q, no Moneypenny, etc. It's also considerably more violent than usual. Which is also a good thing. The fights have a more realistic gritty intensity to them. And I liked it how Daniel Craig's Bond is actually VULNERABLE. He doesn't always win. Previous Bond movies (great though they are) portray 007 as some sort of invincible superhero. He's actually supposed to be more of an antihero, like Batman. Ian Fleming's novels paint him as a cold-blooded assassin who would kill you as soon as look at you. The handsome, suave, dinner-suited ladies man Bond is an invention of the movies, not the books.
Until recently, this 'antihero' persona of Bond has been best shown in the films by Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton. We can now safely add Daniel Craig to this list. As a lifelong Bond fanatic, I can say that he's definitely up there with the best of them. He has this wonderful'smartass' vibe about his performance, which always made me crack a smile. Daniel Craig was met with a lot of hostility by hardcore fans when he was announced as the choice for the next Bond. There were petitions online to 'Bring back Brosnan' and so forth. Hopefully, this movie will silence the critics.
The film plays out more like a 'Bourne Identity' thriller than a Bond film. It's a risky move, which may alienate some fans. Although I really enjoyed the greater emphasis on story and character. The plot is more in the foreground than the action, which harkens back to the early Sean Connery movies (but with a more modern twist). The fascinating thing about watching these films is seeing how Bond keeps updating himself to fit the times, to integrate himself into the contemporary zeitgeist of pop culture. In the early movies, 007 mostly fought Commies, as the Cold War was being waged at the time. When Star Wars hit in '77, the Bond series responded with it's very science fictional 'Moonraker'.
Bond needs to keep evolving to survive. High tech thrillers, such as 24, Mission: Impossible, and Bourne Identity are all the rage at the moment, so naturally, the Bond producers have finally caught wind of this. Bond is an actual CHARACTER this time around. There are some great character-building scenes for him in Casino Royale. Audiences are getting tired of over-the-top action movies. They want some believability and drama in their movies. Which brings me to my next point: the obligatory love story.
It was actually done very well this time. The chemistry between Craig and the love interest had to be visible, because the love story was crucial to the plot. Bond was willing to retire from his job, and marry this woman, so their love had to be convincing. Fortunately, Vesper Lynd, played by Eva Green, is particularly good in her role. There is some awesome dialogue between the two characters. I attribute that mostly to the fact that the screenwriter was Paul Haggis (who was behind this year's Oscar winning 'Crash'. An interesting choice for the Bond series, and I hope he comes back for the next entry).
When Vesper is killed at the end of the film, Bond has to emotionally detach himself from her for the good of the mission. He calmly tells his boss 'the bitch is dead', though you can clearly see the pain in Daniel Craig's eyes when he delivers the line. The whole point of this script is that Bond is a cold-blooded unemotional killer, who allows himself to fall in love with a woman, only to lose her. Whenever he fells a villain in the film, there are no cheesy one-liners. You can see the remorse in his eyes. Craig plays a Bond who is clearly struggling to keep on the good side of the moral boundaries. He's a reluctant hitman, who tells Vesper 'I wouldn't know what an honest job is'. One of the best portrayals of a love story in a Bond film to this date.
Top marks for Daniel Craig's performance here. The good news is, he's contracted to do at least two more, so we'll hopefully see some more gritty adventures for 007 in the future.
A great reinvention for the series, and a breath of fresh air. Totally different to the formula, and let's pray its a sign of things to come. 9 out of 10. Highly recommended. This is to Bond what 'Batman Begins' was for that franchise.
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
Nice to read you appreciated what Dalton bought back to the character.
From Russia With Love is still my favourite, but Royale could be a close second.
You can read my Casino Royale review HERE