Casino Royale (2006)

Originally, James Bond was meant to be camp. The situations 007 was placed in were often ridiculous. The series was perfect mass entertainment anyone could enjoy. The creative names of the Bond girls (Pussy Galore, Xenia Onatopp) serve  usually as a great pleasure and indicator of the light tone  of the series. However, after almost twenty films, the series became repetitive. Watching the films in chronological order, I have to admit by the time they get to Timothy Dalton, I just about had it with the mediocrity. Pierce Brosnan is enjoyable, but never had my full attention. Then, in 2006, James Bond was rebooted, and the results are spectacular.

Casino Royale stands alone as the best of all Bond films. It took them to a whole other level. Daniel Craig is a big part of it. Rarely, if ever, has James Bond been as raw, violent, and vulnerable as he is here. When he needs to, Craig kicks ass (plenty of it) and delivers the usual one liners with a twist, but his Bond is a real character, not a mere caricature. By taking us to his origins, the director is able to explore how James Bond became the detached killer who sees all women as disposable objects. Not that Casino Royale lacks disposable women, but this femme fatale seems different than all the rest. Vesper Lynn (still a wonderful name, though in a different vein) has to be the only woman James Bond really falls in love with. I won't give too many spoilers, but results are devastating. I also especially enjoyed Bond's first kill shown to us in messy, grainy black and white. He struggles. Killing does not come naturally. Still, after this, his "considerably" easier second kill comes in as a dark comic relief. 

M returns, again played by Dame Judi Dench. Oddly, she's colder and nastier than Bond without ever holding a weapon. Skyfall, the upcoming Bond film, looks into M's past. I really can't wait. My only real complaint with this film is that I would have liked to see more of her, and Q would have been nice too. Apart from that, Dench is just wonderful, specially when she shares the screen with Craig. The tension and the sarcasm are almost unbearable.

After the credits, which is a wonderful sequence of animated playing cards, the films takes us to Madagascar, where Bond is trailing a lead. The foot chase that follows must be of the best I've ever seen. The target takes Bond across an animal fighting ring, into a construction site, through a half finished building, and finally an embassy where the chase concludes with a shoot out. I was never lost in time or space, and often amazed at what the director made me believe actually happened. All movies are fabrications, the best are the ones that make you believe in them anyway. I have seen this film five or more times, and every time I watch it, I forget what I am now telling you. It captivates me.

Bond was chasing a man associated with the main villain, Le Chiffre, a financial genius and professional poker player who serves as the investor of a group of global terrorists. Le Chifre has a tick of sorts. That, as well as his, peculiar,  method of torture, make him a truly unforgettable villain. The torture scene of Casino Royale shows its mastery of both horror and comedy simultaneously. High praise to the art designers and cinematographer for creating such dreadful scenery. 

The main event of the film  is a high stakes poker game in which Bond and Le Chiffre face off. Vesper serves as James' accountant, chaperone, and escort, courtesy of the British government. Bond, a notorious poker player, holds his own amongst the masters, but the directors draws the game out, making Bond bleed and the audience sweat in the process. The epilogue is unexpected and utterly devastating.

Verdict- 4/4

Casino Royale (2006) PG-13 2h. 24min.

Random Thoughts

- not to be confused with Casino Royale (1964) a spoof of the Bond series.

- For films most resembling other Bond films watch "Dr. No", the first,  or "The Spy Who Loved Me" which was the first I recall watching and also happens to be one of the best.

- 2 Aston Martins! what a shame for the second one.

- the train scene serves as a wonderful introduction to Vesper. It's extremely funny and shows that Vesper (as well as Eva Green) can hold her own. However, after seeing "North by Northwest" nothing set on a train will ever be the same. It is the standard by which all train scenes are judged, but I'm sure the film makers knew that. I would like to watch them side by side to see if I find any deliberate references.

- Idris Elba might be the next Bond. Black Bond? At first it might seem odd, but there is absolutely no reason against it. Race is insignificant to James Bond. Plus, it's Stinger Bell!!! Watch "The Wire" if you haven't.

- It struck me how little screen time Jeffrey Wright gets as a CIA agent who's also after Le Chiffre. He's quite memorable.

- Le Chiffre "the number" in French? appropriate name for an evil mathematical genius, no?