[Film Only] James Bond has returned. (Casino Royale [2006] (DVD))

Member Name: The Duke

Product:	Casino Royale [2006] (DVD)
Date:	19/11/06 (352 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: All the usual James Bond gubbins with an edgier feel to it.

Disadvantages: 'M' anachronism and the main villain is a bit light.

There's always a great deal of interest in the media and from fans and probably a little bit of apprehension as well, when Eon Productions is choosing a new actor to play Bond. After all, when a new actor dons the tuxedo and Walther PPK, it's not only an unfamiliar face we have to get accustomed to, but usually a change in tone and direction of the films.

Connery's Bond was rough around the edges, more likely to use his fists than his wits. Moore's Bond was more reliant on his very English charm and Q's gadgets, plus his adversaries were on a larger scale. Dalton's Bond was more of a cross between Connery and Moore with plenty of English charm in there, though a little rough around the edges and never pulled out of a fight. Brosnan's Bond tended towards more wit, with a slight cold edge and definitely more intelligence, though still reliant on Q's gadgets.

How Daniel Craig would adapt the role (and the role to him) and if Bond could still offer anything on his 21st outing were the main questions that Casino Royale would have to answer. Daniel Craig was always on a hiding to nothing with his casting, as following a popular Bond such as Pierce Brosnan was always going to mean that he was not really given a fair chance from the fans, if not the media.

Right from the start, in the black and white pre-credits sequence where we learn how Bond attained his Double-O licence, the pace is fast and unrelenting. Both the 'traditional' Bond-down-the-barrel-of-a-gun pose and credits sequence are present as you might expect, but also, with Bond 21 taking a different approach with its back to basics and inexperienced agent storyline, these are slightly different to what Bond fans might expect.

Alongside the fact that we're with Bond on his very first proper case as a Double-O agent, the film has a more realistic aspect to it. Don't expect any of the completely over-the-top antics from Moore-era Bond with trips to space stations or huge underwater lairs but equally, don't expect Bond to simply shrug off a slug to the jaw. This is typified later in the film when, after a particularly harrowing few hours for Bond, he does require extensive recuperation. It doesn't mean that the action is anything less than you would expect from a Bond flick. For instance, the first set piece of the film is a chase between Bond and bomber-terrorist Mollaka which is an amazing, high-tempo free running chase through a building site and into a foreign embassy complete with trail of destruction commonplace in a Bond film.

Having started off with such an exciting sequence, you'd be forgiven if you then expected things to drop off. This is not the case and the tension and pace is maintained throughout, although not always both at the same time. We see the mistakes that Bond makes early on in his Double-O career as well as the friction between himself and M, mainly due to Bond's own arrogance. At the same time, it's quite easy to spot that, with continued guidance from M (Judi Dench's finest M performance to date) and a little more experience under his belt, this Bond will become the character we're more familiar with.

The action doesn't cease after one chase though after a brief lull, we're soon whisked off from Nassau to Miami for another amazing action sequence (and look out for the very brief appearance by Richard Branson at the airport) where Bond manages to stop a terrorist attack and, at the same time, cost the main villain, Le Chiffre, $100 million dollars. As banker to a lot of the world's terrorists and freedom fighters, Le Chiffre cannot afford to lose his clients' money and has to resort to more desperate methods, and his skill at cards, to offset these losses before his clients decide to kill him for his failure.

Now that Bond has identified the main villain, the pace slows somewhat as we're taken to Casino Royale in Montenegro where the high stakes game of cards is to be played and Bond is introduced to Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), a beautiful, intelligent and sexy Treasury worker who has to keep her eye "on our government's money; and off your perfectly formed arse" as the H. M. Treasury is financing Bond's $10 million entrance into the game. Intriguingly, it's a few throwaway comments and actions from Vesper that does influence the future Bond.

Once at Casino Royale, the tension stays high as mind games are not restricted to the card table and not everyone is what they first appear. The typical Bond humour becomes more apparent and is a good relief for what is really an edgy section of the film.

There are a few minor annoyances, though. Through no fault of her own, Judi Dench's M was an anachronism that could have been avoided. In Goldeneye, Judi Dench was introduced as the previous M's successor, suggesting that she was not around during Bond's first case as she is during Casino Royale. While I've already mentioned that her performance as M is excellent, perhaps having a different M might have worked better. Similarly, Mads Mikkelsen is excellent as Le Chiffre, but the actual character of Le Chiffre seems quite light as a Bond villain. Given the focus of the story towards Bond, this is perhaps less of an issue than it might be. Still, it's also refreshing to see that Eva Green's character takes a while to thaw to Bond's charms and while you know she will eventually, the flirting and chemistry between them is entertaining to watch.

I suppose the main question that needs answered is 'Is Daniel Craig any good as James Bond?' While I've not seen any of his other work, I think the answer is 'Yes'. While I still can't quite get my head round the fact he's physically different from previous Bonds (the fair hair, piercing blue eyes and not as obviously attractive as any of the previous actors), his performance does suit the story and tone of the film extremely well. It's interesting (and funny at times) to see the thug (and let's not kid ourselves, at the start of Casino Royale he is just that) be introduced to what will eventually become his trademarks such as the Vodka Martinis, the Aston Martins, the expensive suits etc. although some of Bond's character traits are already in place: the womanising, the drinking and the cards. I think it might be better holding off any real judgement until further Bond adventures are released to see if he's capable of being a warmer, more recognisable Bond that we're more accustomed to. The cold, arrogant Bond may well work for this film, but whether it can continue in further adventures is another matter. With respect to Casino Royale it seems to me that even Craig's harshest critics would have to admit he's done a good job here.

Despite the fact that a big deal has been made of re-inventing Bond for this film, it's still possible to tick off all the aspects of Bond that we all expect and love. The glamorous locations are present, the cars are fantastic, the women are beautiful and sexy, there are gadgets, there are bad guys with peculiar physical traits, there's a trip to the casino, Bond's in a tuxedo and the film still climaxes with a lot of destruction as the series always has done. Daniel Craig even gets to say the infamous "Bond. James Bond" line and though you'll be waiting a while for it, the timing is simply exquisite.

Is Casino Royale the best Bond film ever? I don't know if there's a definitive answer to that. I'm a huge Bond fan and like different films for different reasons, and think of all of the variables in the previous twenty Bond films that you could consider. Even with the rather long 144 minute running time, my interest didn't drop once and I was entertained through. My viewing companion, who's also a Bond fan, was quite sceptical about Casino Royale, but even he came out raving about it. The one thing I can say for certain is that it's a worthy addition to the series and you'd be hard pushed to find a better action movie this year.

James Bond will return.

Summary: James Bond's first case. Well worth seeing.