A new 007 for a new day.
Casino Royale
fills the screen with a Bond for this generation. Director Martin Campbell (
The Legend of Zorro
,
GoldenEye
) and actor Daniel Craig (
Infamous
,
Munich
) successfully revamp the dated hero, delving deeper than ever before into the pathos of 007. The fresh Bond is grittier and more human than any of his glossy predecessors, exhibiting an icy
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ferocity that has not yet completely eclipsed his sensitive side.
Montenegro provides the rich backdrop for a high-stakes poker match in which the villain Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), banker to the world's terrorists, attempts to make back the more than $100 million he has recently lost. Bond, accompanied by local agent Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini), goes to the Casino Royale to win the game and bankrupt Le Chiffre.
At the heart of the film is the love story between Bond and British treasury representative Vesper Lynd, played by the lovely Eva Green (
Kingdom of Heaven
). The smart and stylish banter between the budding couple represents some of the best dialogue ever in a Bond film.
Green is heartbreaking as the love of Bond's life, exhibiting a perfect mix of strength and vulnerability. After assisting James in killing an attacker, she is so disturbed that he finds her on the floor in her evening gown under a running shower. Craig's Bond sincerely comforts Lynd under the hot water without so much as an attempt to seduce her. In a refreshing break from tradition, Lynd is the only woman Bond takes to bed in the entire film.
Bond's relationship with Lynd reveals the seminal experience in which 007's all-too-familiar, off-handed attitude toward women is forged. In order for Bond to become the freewheeling lady-killer of legend, this love story is doomed to tragedy, one that closes the doors to Bond's heart but instills a penchant for saving the damsel in distress.
A winning prequel,
Casino Royale
sets the stage on which Bond grows into the suave, impermeable agent with a license to kill.
Royale
begins with Bond's recent promotion to 00 status, establishing elements such as physical prowess and a frightening tenacity that set the young agent apart. He is immediately pictured as a chiseled, ruthless superhero, his first kill revealed as a difficult and bloody affair.
His initial chase is exceptional, picturing the hungry agent on foot after a villain with Spider-Man-like abilities. Bond runs up a 50-foot crane and leaps off beams suspended scores of stories high. He pulls nails out of his back and, in true Bond fashion, drinks a martini minutes after evading full cardiac arrest.
But, unlike Bonds of the past, Craig portrays the emotional cost of the agent's superhuman actions,
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exhibiting a realism that smacks you in the face. After a difficult run-in with two terrorists, 007 downs a stiff drink, searching his own image in the mirror as if looking for his game face.
Bond's new depth is accompanied by steadfast series devices that flicker through the film like old friends who've had a makeover. Yes, he drives an Aston Martin and is surrounded by impossibly sexy women, but the car stays parked most of the time and he stiffs the lady to chase down her husband for information. Cool cat Jeffrey Wright makes a cameo as CIA agent Felix Leiter, backing Bond after they both lose a round of poker to Le Chiffre.
Although
Royale
employs a creepy villain in Le Chiffre (he has one eye that drips tears of blood), the film avoids cheap Bond trappings like excessive gadgetry and crazy car chases, focusing instead on man-to-man action. The effect is a sophisticated, high-octane adventure. Lest we forget, he's James Bond, after all.
