Casino Royale

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Ah. A new James Bond film. Feels like it was only yesterday that we saw a man from Scotland who donned a white dinner jacket and confronted a Dr. No. Yet this film is a restart of the franchise, like Batman Begins was. Known as Casino Royale, it's based on Iam Fleming's first Bond adventure of the same name. This reboot will stray away from the CGI laden films of the Brosnan era. It will do it's stunts "the old fashioned way" and I like it like that. It's gives it a new life into this old franchise despite it's popularity.

This film also marks the entrance of a new and blonder Bond played by Daniel Craig of Layer Cake film. He plays a more grittier Bond which was surrounded with controversy over the studio's choice. But I believe he pulled of this rold perfectly and made it his own. We also get the return Judi Dench's M, sadly no Money Penny (though a reference is made) or Q. I quite like this Bond, he relies more on skill like Timothy Dalton's films rather than Gadgets like Roger Moore's films which saw Bond in space.

Also in the cast is Eva Green as Bond girl Vesper Lynd and Caterina Murino as Solange another Bond girl who sadly meets a grizzly fate with a hammock. This film also marks the return of Felix Leiter as played by Jeffrey Wright. We last saw Felix in Licence to Kill being fed to sharks. And as Le Chiffre the main villain is Mads Mikkelsen who I never heard of. It's an action packed film worthy of the James Bond character and it won't disappoint with a somewhat humorous torture scene at the hands of the villain. With twists in the plot added to the mixture I give this movie a solid A. See it, you'll be glad you spent about 8 bucks.