posted
This Friday Casino Royale is coming out (in the States and Canada; a bunch of other countries get it on the 16th). I wanted to start this thread before Puffy Treat got the chance.
I've made my plans. Me and Roomy-Number-One are taking the bus back home after the day is done and then straight to the theatre with another friend.
As a big Bond fan I'm pumped. I enjoy all the films, and consider at least five to actually be good.* I also consider all of the books save Goldfinger to be much better than their movies.
So, are there any other Bond fans out there with weekend plans?
Also, for your pleasure I've included a review from someone I trust (I'll give my thoughts on saturday if this thread is still alive):
The plot of the new James Bond film, Casino Royale, should be well-known to Bond fans by now: This is a “reboot” of the Bond canon, in which we first see 007 earn his stripes, then take on Le Chiffre, an international banker for terrorist organizations. English actor Daniel Craig is James Bond, taking over for Pierce Brosnan in a move which created a firestorm of controversy. For those more casual samplers of the 007 ouvre, a brief synopsis follows. Beware! Spoilers are scattered throughout.
Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) is running scared, having made some unwise investment decisions with his clients’ money. To restore his bank balance, he’s organized a multi-million-dollar poker tournament (which he plans to win—using a combination of his genius-level mathematical abilities, and, um…murder, if necessary). Bond’s mission is to literally beat LeChiffre at his own game, forcing him to save his life by providing information to the international intelligence community—a variation on the traditional witness-protection program.
Bond purists may have their first disappointment at the film’s opening—the traditional gun barrel opening has been changed. Instead of the opening strains of the James Bond theme followed by the white circle tracking across the screen, Casino Royale begins more traditionally with a clever black-and-white sequence, interwoven with flashbacks. The Casino Royale version of the gun barrel begins at the end of this sequence. I’m not sure, but I can imagine the series continuing this from now on—starting with a pre-credit sequence, and going from there into the gun barrel sequence. To be honest, I don't know I prefer this approach, but maybe it will grow on me.
Nevertheless, the black and white opening is an effective device, and it earns Daniel Craig his first laugh—and it’s not the one in the trailer--all the more impressive as the screening audience consisted of a dozen jaded film critics.
The credits are another departure from the standard. The “naked girls in silhouette” tradition is gone, replaced with a snazzy, retro-style animated deck-of-cards theme, and was (at least for me) a refreshing change.
The film opens with the much-publicized set piece featuring Bond in Madagascar, in an all-out pursuit of free runner Sebastian Foucan (playing a disposable baddie named Mollaka). It’s a stunner, and includes a couple of moments which elicited grunts of surprise and appreciation from the audience.
Mollaka provides the first thread of a clue--which Bond tugs on, unraveling the rest of the plot. This takes him first to the Bahamas (where he wins his Aston Martin DB5), meets and seduces beautiful Solange (Caterina Murino), and jets off to Miami “just as things were getting interesting.” Speaking of Solange, Campbell gives us a nice moment of will-she-or-won’t-she suspense that could be a textbook for creating sexual tension in film.
It is in Miami that Bond first derails LeChiffre’s plans by preventing the destruction of an aviation company’s new prototype. LeChiffre has gone a bear on the aviation company’s stock—and when Bond saves the day, LeChiffre takes a financial beating. This forces the terrorist banker to arrange the aforementioned poker tournament, in an attempt to get out from under (and not incidentally, avoid a nasty death at the hands of his irate investors).
The Miami action piece is very well done—but I must confess to a slight disappointment. Ever since “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” anything involving a fight on or in a large truck seems derivative, and evokes less-than-favorable comparisons. It’s a small thing, true, but I remember when the Bond franchise set the bar for action…
After the Miami incident, Bond gets his marching orders from M, (wonderfully played by Judy Dench) and heads off to Montenegro for the poker showdown with LeChiffre. Along the way he joins forces with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), a British treasury agent sent along to count the beans, CIA contact Felix Leiter (under-utilized Jeffrey Wright), and French Deuxieme operative Rene Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini).
On LeChiffre’s side is Valenka (Ivana Milicevic), whom the film’s publicity department refers to as a bodyguard (lovely to look at, she seems woefully underqualified for the position).
The card sequences play well—director Martin Campbell maintains the suspense, and poker aficionados won’t roll their eyes and groan. The best part? The crucial hand (for once) is not a royal flush! Unhappily, Mathis is saddled with a few clumsy (but necessary) lines of exposition, and Leiter is almost invisible. There’s very little evidence of their burgeoning friendship, always such a pleasure in the books (and arguably the best evidence of Bond’s humanity).
After LeChiffre gets his comeuppance at the poker table (you didn’t expect him to win, did you?), we’re into the second half of the film—and to be honest, it’s not as good as the first. The film’s running time of 144 minutes is a mixed blessing. On the plus side is more character development and a better story than in previous outings. On the negative side are the occasional times when the pacing flags.
One scene which has generated a lot of pre-release press is the torture scene, wherein LeChiffre batters a naked Bond’s privates in an attempt to get information. This scene could have been dreadful, with a cartoon Bond stoically absorbing punishment and miraculously escaping with the help of a talking car or a laser-equipped shoe. Instead, we’re given some excellent, gritty acting and edgy dialogue, creating a much more realistic feeling of menace, and a scene that stays true to creator Ian Fleming’s vision
The denouement features uncertain allegiances, a final action piece in a sinking Venetian building, and a closing scene that with three words indelibly places Craig’s stamp on the role.
There are also several moments where the filmmakers nod to past 007 films. Bond’s execution of a double agent is reminiscent of Dr. No, as is his emergence from the sea in a bathing suit (although I must confess I preferred the Ursula Andress version). The Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger also shows up—at this rate, it will overtake Miss Moneypenney for the title of ‘most appearances in a Bond film’ (I must wistfully report that Moneypenney is absent from this installation of the series). Finally, we are treated to M being surprised at home by Bond, in a reversal of the similar scene in Live and Let Die.
However, the three big differences between Casino Royale and the previous films are more pronounced. First and most obvious is the casting of Daniel Craig. The producers gambled on an edgier, less-traditional-looking Bond in favor of one with some serious acting chops. Their wager has paid off. Craig’s acting is simply wonderful, and I was completely ‘sold’ on him as James Bond within minutes. And in spite of the hype that this 007 is completely dark and too somber, Craig displays moments of levity which balance nicely with his seriousness, and give us a complete, more believable Bond. In addition, he brings a physical presence and sense of contained violence to the part that has been lacking for years.
The feel of the film is the second welcome surprise. Bond is a human being, with all the faults, fears and emotions this condition entails. He doesn’t wear a cape, and for once we feel that the filmmakers are not competing for the cartoon superhero audience.
Finally, there is the story. There’s no huge amphitheater sporting a monorail, no private army dressed in primary colors, no megalomaniac with a peg leg. It’s more grounded, and therefore requires less suspension of disbelief. The relationship between Vesper and Bond is scintillating, due to the chemistry between Craig and Green. Whether they’re exchanging snappy banter, arguing fiercely, or under the sheets, their scenes together throw off sparks. Some credit is no doubt due to the influence of Oscar-winning writer Paul Haggis, who was brought in to punch up the script delivered by Bond screenplay veterans Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.
This film will undoubtedly disappoint some. Those in the audience who favor the more lighthearted approach of previous Bonds Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan may resent the new direction. Of course the shortsighted misanthropes who cannot get past an actor’s hair color will continue to whine. But for those moviegoers who, like me, have been waiting for a Bond film to be proud of, this one fills the bill, and raises the bar for the franchise. Perhaps the highest praise I can give is the comment I overheard from another critic as he left the screening:
“It’s not just a good Bond movie--it’s a good movie, period.”
I agree.
-Grant
*Dr. No From Russia, With Love Goldfinger Thunderball On Her Majesty's Secret Service
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