Director:
Martin Campbell

Cast:
Daniel Craig
Eva Green
Judi Dench
Mads Mikkelsen

Official URL:

http://www.casinoroyalemovie.com

Country: USA
Rating: PG-13
Studio Name: Sony Pictures.
Running Time: 2 hr 30 mins
Release Date: November 17, 2006

Critics's Rating:
(3 1/2 out of 4 Reels) 

November 17, 2006

By Veronica Mixon

It takes two kills for a British secret agent to become active. When the long awaited Casino Royale opens, we see that the scruffy, unseasoned 007 talking to his second mark before execution and his cool, icy demeanor reminds one of Sean Connery despite Daniel Craig’s rugged, blue-eyed, dirty blonde good looks. The newly buffed up Craig, who is best known for his searing dramatic performances in films like Enduring Love, Munich, Road to Perdition and the gritty crime capper, Layer Cake, is definitely up to the task of being 007. James Bond is back with a vengeance!

Forget about the earlier comic version of Ian Fleming’s novel because this new millennium era James Bond is gritty, bloodier and much more realistic than past Bond pictures. It opens in Africa, where Bond bungles surveillance of bomb maker who is working for an international terrorist organization. Angrily, M (Judi Dench) tells him to bury his head in the sand, so Bond follows a lead to the Bahamas where another lead produces the identity of Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), an accountant who works for a series of international criminals. Eventually, Bond is staked in a multi-million dollar poker game and partnered with the lovely Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) who melts his steely veneer.

Fans of the James Bond series will find the film stuffed with long action scenes – martial arts fights, lethal gun play and fast car chases! But, this was the first Bond book and movie and the filmmakers breathe new life into the character with funny references to past movies and exquisite locations. The first car Bond is seen driving is a Ford! He wins a 1964 Austin Martin from one of the bad guys and it is Vesper who puts him in a tailor tux. She also changes his feelings about romance. He tells her coldly that his type isn’t the single gal but Bond falls in love and the loss is telling on his character. And, there are no gadgets, just good old-fashion smarts and ingenuity.

Daniel Craig seemed an unlikely chose for Bond but he’s such a good actor that he easily succeeds in the role. Women will swoon over him and men will admire him. Casino Royale is fast-paced and action packed with loads of global adventure but it is too long. The story stalls at the poker table. I believe a tighter storyline in the next Bond movie will definitely be guaranteed since the film has such a good cast like the beautiful Eva Green, villains like Mads Mikkelsen and Isaach DeBankolé plus dependable stable characters like M and Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Rush). I heartily recommend Casino Royale.

to TOP