Thursday, January 14, 2010

243. Casino Royale

Casino Royale (2006)

Starring: Daniel Craig
Eva Green
Mads Mikkelsen

IMDB Rating: 7.9
My Rating: 7.5

"I'm sorry. That last hand nearly killed me."








James Bond (Daniel Craig) has just been promoted to "00" status. His first assignment is in Montenegro. His mission is to enter the high stakes poker game set up by Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). Le Chiffre, a known investor of terrorist money, has set up the poker game to win back a large sum of the terrorists' money that he lost. James' goal, with the aide of Treasury agent Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), is to win the poker game. The British government is hoping that if Le Chiffre loses, he will have no choice but the aid them in ending terrorist activity.

This reboot of the James Bond franchise is excellent from start to finish. I am not usually a fan of Bond films. Past installments have been full of nothing but explosions and action movie cliches. Casino Royale is something completely different. Academy Award winning writer Paul Haggis, gives this film the darkness and intellect that the Bond franchise desperately needed. Also, the addition of a blond-hair, blue eyed Bond is a refreshing twist. Daniel Craig adds a sense of mystery to a character, who before, might have been seen as just a playboy with cool toys.

The locations of the film are incredible. The white sand beaches of Nassau and the canals of Venice serve as some of the most beautiful backdrops I have seen in film. The views never seem too distracting from what is going on with the story. The special effects and stunts are all very well put together. There is an amazing chase scene in the beginning through a construction site. Also the building sinking into the waters of Venice was an amazing image.

I can easily say that Casino Royale is my favorite Bond film. It feels much more like a spy thriller, than an over budgeted action film. It still has it's moments of edge of your seat action though. The villains are not stereotypical. The role of James Bond is played with the edge that previous actors lacked. If you have already seen Casino Royale, and are looking for a comparable film, the French thriller Tell No One should be to your liking.


2 comments:

  1. I love this movie too. I can watch it over and over. My favorite part is when he has the heart attack in his car!

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  2. Ha I was about to comment about how much I loved this movie, and realized that I have already done so. 2 months is a lot of time in forgetful old-person years.

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