Casino Royale

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Action & Adventure

Let’s get a few things out of the way first. Yes, Daniel Craig is blonde. Yes, he is ugly. Yes, “Casino Royale” is supposed to be a prequel to the entire James Bond series, so it’s weird that M is still female. And yes, there are hardly any cool gadgets in this film. Yet surprisingly, “Casino Royale” was quite an enjoyable experience.

I entered the cinema trying to keep an open mind. I’m a James Bond fan, particularly of the Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan variety. “Dr. No” and “Goldfinger” are two of my favorite films of all time. So I was one of those people who were shocked when Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson chose the non-suave, non-brunette Craig as Ian Fleming’s 007. But I had heard mostly positive things about the film so my girlfriend and I decided we’d see it to judge for ourselves.

James Bond has recently received “00” status in MI-6. Apparently M (Dame Judi Dench) wasn’t sure if it was time to elevate him, but she gives it anyway. Unfortunately, Bond quickly lands himself in hot water for his lack of panache and disregard for rules. When Bond keeps getting in the way of terrorist Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), it is suggested that the only way to nail the terrorist is during his downtime. That’s when they play some Texas Hold ‘Em in the ultra-exclusive club known as Casino Royale.

With Bond being so rough around the edges, Craig might just have been the right man for the job. He lacks all the smoothness that we’ve come to expect from Brosnan, Roger Moore, or Timothy Dalton. Connery had that roughness, particularly in the early Bonds, but he was such a handsome man that he mixed in his own flair to make Bond the coolest film character ever. As always, Judi Dench proves to be a great M. She was allowed to act a bit more in this film as she’s clearly flustered when Bond disobeys orders or generally acts like an ass. Their relationship lends some much-needed levity to the movie, particularly when one looks for Bond-favorite Q.

Q and the delightful gadgets are missing in “Casino”, as is the flirtatious Ms. Moneypenny but those aren’t so obvious while watching. The cars (a classic Aston Martin DB5, a new Aston Martin DBS, and (!) a Ford Mondeo) are still a joy to look at, and Bond returns to his weapon of choice, the Walther PPK. And yes, even the all-important order of the vodka martini is tinkered with here, but for a slightly humorous turn.

Lucky for us “the Bond Girls” remain as hot as ever. Eva Green is stunning as Treasury agent Vesper Lynd. Her performance in last year’s “Kingdom of Heaven” was amazing already, and her Ms. Lynd will surely break your heart. Unfortunately (or maybe it was fortunately), I was able to guess the gist of her plan around two-thirds in the picture. You watch enough of these films and you can almost tell where the plot is going, I guess. Caterina Murino’s Solange character didn’t have as substantial a role as Green, but her beauty was also something to behold. Leave it to 007 to leave his mark with the ladies.

This being a Bond film, there’s a healthy amount of “suspension of disbelief” involved. The previously mentioned anachronism of the “prequel” was sometimes too difficult to ignore, as was Bond’s overly agile bomber in the Nambutu scenes. Was this guy half monkey or what? So the only question that remains is: would I recommend this James Bond movie to my friends? The answer is a resounding YES.

Craig, for all his gruffness and ugliness is the right Bond for this film. Since it is considered a prequel, he’s a good pre-smooth, pre-suave 007. Director Martin Campbell jumps straight into the action from the opening scene and the fancy title sequence, hardly giving the audience time to breathe. I think that really helped in cementing Craig as bond in my mind because he was constantly on the move and getting tossed around. I didn’t have the time to examine and compare him to the previous Bonds until I had been too invested in him already.

Here’s hoping that in his next turn as Ian Fleming’s super spy, Daniel Craig can deliver the goods, just as he did in “Casino Royale”.