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"Casino Royale" (2006)

"Casino Royale" (2006)
By Dan Turpin ( Thursday, October 16, 2008 ) - 712 Views - 0 Comments -

Taking its cue from the also brilliant “Batman Begins,” “Casino Royale” boils 007 down to his barest form by stripping away decades of expectations and fatuitous story elements. This razor sharp reboot gets inside James Bond unlike any film before it and delivers one of the finest action films ever made.

Although this adaptation is virtually untouchable, its journey to the big screen was a long and bumpy ride.

“Casino Royale” was the only Bond property not purchased by Albert R. Broccoli and partner Harry Saltzman in the late 1950’s, but instead by competing Producer Charles Feldman.

Intent on beating his competitors with an official adaptation, a television series was sanctioned in 1958.

Fucked from birth, American actor Barry Nelson played 007 as yank, Jimmy Bond.; intended as a back-door pilot for a television series that aired as an episode of “Climax Theater” on CBS, tepid ratings scrapped any future ideas for a Bond television series.

Undaunted, Feldman tried several more times to turn the first Bond adventure into motion picture, but Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman beat him to the punch with Sean Connery as Bond in 1962’s “Dr No.”

With Bond mania at fever pitch, “Casino Royale”, was released in 1967 to terrible reviews and even worse box-office. Although the film boasted an incredible cast, it was a spoof of the Bond universe and it suffered from a chaotic and expensive production. With stars like Peter Sellers, Orson Wells, Woody Allen, David Niven, John Huston it’s hard to see how they screwed up, however watching the movie it’s easy to see why. The film quickly went away, but it took another thirty plus years for the Broccoli family to acquire the films rights, which happened in 1999.

After Brosnan’s departure in 2002, the search for a new Bond went into high gear. Many familiar names were thrown about, but none were ever considered except the one that was chosen- Daniel Craig. For some reason, his casting caused some fervor, perhaps Brosnan fans were not yet ready to let go, but the one thing they did prove was that some Bond fans can be just as douchey and retarded as the indignant “Star Wars” fanboys who act as though they should be consulted on any changes to their respective universes. Thankfully their crybaby antics were ignored as Craig is hands down the best Bond to date.

Starting fresh as promised, Bond must complete one last assignment before he can graduate to the elite level and get his 007 status. Once he does, M is hesitant about his first job, convinced he is still not ready.

She sends him anyway; his first assignment is to track down a ruthless financier of terrorists causes around the world. In typical Bond fashion, clues take him globe-hopping from North Africa, the Bahamas, then to Miami, where Bond learns the identity of his prey: Le Chiffre, played by Mads Mikkelsen, who’s about to restore his bank account in a high stakes poker game held at the Casino Royale. Loaded with plenty of money, Bond is placed under the watchful eye of Treasury Agent, Vesper Lynd, skeptical of her at first, Bond soon falls for her as both become the targets of Le Chiffre’s cruel game.

Not an exciting story on paper really, but Craig and an airtight screenplay keep things moving at lightning speed and the film’s love story is what gives it its beating heart. Director Martin Campell, who worked his magic on “Goldeneye”, does a fantastic job of keeping Bond exciting and real.

It must be said, that not only is the finest debut of an actor playing Bond, but one of, if not THE best Bonds to date. Daniel Craig is the closest ever to Ian Flemings original creation and he instantly owns the role.

Not since “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” has Bond been more human, his relationship with Lynd sets the tone as she’s more than just a fling to share Champaign with, even though in traditional Bond fashion he has a few of those. She’s a complicated, charming woman and we see why he’s instantly attracted to her and why his reaction to her fate is full of contradictions.

When the producers said this was an all new Bond, built from the ground up they weren’t lying; gone are gadget master “Q” and his longtime flirt, Moneypenny, the gravity-defying stunts and over-the-top action set pieces are missed, but would stick out like a turd in a punch bowl in this neo-realistic Bond universe.

Although I am true-blue Bond fan and love all of the predecessors for what each brought to the role, Craig’s intensity is palpable and quite refreshing. He takes a little from each of the former Bonds and merges them into a wonderful combo beginning with Sean Connery, the first badass and rogue. George Lazenby the physical one. Roger Moore, the refined gentleman, Timothy Dalton, the patriotic, serious one and Pierce Brosnan, the darker more emotional one. A risky interpretation, but he also manages to allow himself to shine through first and foremost ahead of his predecessors.

Not only does he sell the Bond as a spy angle, but most importantly Bond as the action star, a staple of the series since it’s inception, without solid action, Bond is dead. Not only do we get plenty of it, but it’s full of realism unlike the previous entries.

The film blows the mind with an incredibly simple foot chase on a construction site in Africa that involves all kinds of jumping and swinging from scaffolding that the producers swear was not computer enhanced or assisted with wires.

There’s a fantastic chase in the Miami airport to stop a bomb and the finale in a collapsing apartment building in Venice Italy has ‘traditional Bond ending’ written all over it.

However, the best parts are the fights- Bond kicks all kinds of ass and takes a few names with the fight scenes injected with a wild realism for the first time since Connery’s early melees. Bond’s fights have usually been well choreographed, but usually punctuated with a joke, not here. Craig is one brutal, dead serious bastard who gives as well as he gets and he gets beaten like a rented mule. His brawl in the stairwell is tense and bloody, but to underscore what a true bad-ass he is, his testicle thumping by Le Chiffre, which is nearly unbearable for the male audience members to sit through, only slows him down as Craig is a tough fucker who only gets pissed off.

The humor runs very much in the black, but Craig is not without a one-liner or two and knows how to deliver it. The film’s best gag is during the poker game, Le Chiffre’s henchmen try to kill Bond twice, once through poison, the other with a good ole’ fashion beating in order to get him to stop playing. He takes a swig of whiskey and comes back full of piss and vinegar looking perfect in his tux.

Besides Craig, all of the performances are outstanding. Bond’s heroism is only as good as the villainy he plays off of and Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre is oily and properly sinister. Additional support comes from Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis, the British agent based in Montenegro, and Jeffrey Wright as American agent Felix Leiter.

A breath of fresh air is the best way to sum this Bond entry up. With the exception of Judi Dench who is still onboard as boss, “M”, this is a total disconnect from all previous Bonds. Although I am not of the mindset that Bond is ONE guy, this is this particular Bond’s origin story and he gets the universe all to himself. Craig is in a very tricky position as he is given a blank slate to work with, yet must toe the line and make audiences root for a still familiar forty-plus year-old character. That’s always been the beauty of the Bond character, no matter who plays him, he is still recognizable. Kudos must be given to Craig, Director Campbell and the screenplay for keeping just enough familiarity, yet changing just enough to give him a bit of mystery and unpredictability.

Composer David Arnold returns and harkens back once again to the best moments of John Barry; employing more jazzy themes and cues with lots of trumpets and horns. The main title, “You Know My Name,” co-written and sung by rocker Chris Cornell is the best since Sheena Easton’s “For Your Eyes Only,”- love that opening cue and it makes up for the lousy tunes of the Brosnan era beginning with “Tomorrow Never Dies.”

For the first time since its debut, Bond is full of unknown possibilities. Over the years, expectations have been created and adhered to, but now the sky’s the limit and that’s an exciting feeling as I eagerly await the release of the next Bond adventure, “Quantum of Solace.”

“Casino Royale” is now my second favorite Bond film of all time, right behind “For Your Eyes Only.”