Weekly Review, pt. 2 -- Royal Royale

Casino Royale (2006) -- One of the most anticipated films of 2006, Casino Royale was surrounded by controversy months before it was released. All of the production's aspects were being criticized, unfairly and in advance. Daniel Craig, who was chosen to be the new James Bond, was taking a beating from the critics long before taking a beating from the film's villains. Then one trailer was released; then another; and, this weekend, the film.

I have already mentioned on this blog how much I was looking forward to seeing Casino Royale. Every clip I saw and every trailer I watched only made me believe that Craig was the right choice. The film further confirmed my belief.

This man, ladies and gentlemen, is James Bond.

The new 007 adventure starts with Bond's inauguration into the elite 00 club. After a nearly botched mission in Africa, M (Judi Dench) gives Bond a new task. He has to win a high stakes game of poker at the Casino Royale in Montenegro against known banker and terrorist aide, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), who desperately needs the money to cover his debt to African arms dealers. To keep an eye on the funds, M sends Treasury officer Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), who strikes Bond as a nuissance at first, but who he then starts falling for, and hard. The game soon puts both Bond and Vesper in danger, with Le Chiffre resorting to various dirty tricks in order to win.

This is a stunning Bond film, with incredible action sequences and clever writing. The Madagascar scene takes your breath away and the airport scene is equally exciting. Contrary to previous Bond films, Casino Royale is big on dialogue, character psychology and relationships, rather than one-liners and action gimmicks. The scenes with Bond and Vesper are full of depth and charm, her wise-yet-innocent demeanor complimenting his cool indifference, their dialogues creating some of the best moments in Bond history. A particularly moving scene comes to mind, but I do not want to spoil it for anyone; you have to discover it for yourselves. The casino scenes show the determination shared by Bond and Le Chiffre, while distinguishing between Le Chiffre's icy ambition and Bond's unrelenting awareness of his assignment.

As for Daniel Craig, he is Bond, plain and simple. We believe his Bond can seduce a woman one moment, but also believe that he can kill a man in cold blood two minutes later. Craig's Bond is a ruthless assassin and multifaceted spy, who loses his heart and almost his life, all the while keeping his focus on the mission. Apart from having rugged good looks and charisma, Craig is one hell of an actor, having the range required to depict Bond's attitude toward his job, his cocky aloofness and his inner conflicts.

The rest of the cast is also well chosen. Green is disarming as Vesper and shares appealing chemistry with Craig. Mikkelsen's Le Chiffre is a truly threatening villain. As they say, the most dangerous man is the one who has nothing to lose, and Le Chiffre is on the edge in every way. Dench's M has some lively exchanges with Craig's often rebellious Bond. Jeffrey Wright provides reliability as Felix Leiter and I hope to see more of him in future installments. Finally, I cannot leave out Sebastien Foucan, who plays terrorist Mollaka in the film, and whose Parkour acrobatics make for the most innovative physical discipline I have seen lately.

Casino Royale is a fantastic 007 debut for Craig and a memorable re-launch of the secret agent series.

10/10