Casino Royale is quite simply the best Bond movie ever made. And that in itself is saying a lot. After the likes of the two best Bond's(in my opinion) : Sean Connery, and Pierce Brosnan, do we have the best Bond yet.. ?Pierce Brosnan, who portrayed 007 with unmistakeable charm and arrogance was brilliant. But the Bond movies he acted in were quite pathetic when it comes to storyline(with the exception of Golden Eye).
The Bond Girls during his time were also quite pathetic. Teri Hatcher(Desperate Housewives anyone?), Famke Janssen(The X-Girl), Halle Berry(No, thank you), and quite outrageously, Michelle Yeoh(Haiyya!).
As for Sean Connery, oh let's not talk of him. He is flawless in whatever he does. Whether it be as Bond, or as the over-aged thief standing side by side with Catherine Zeta Jones in Entrapment. Trying to judge Sean Connery would be murder. His portrayal of Bond in Dr.No deserves special mention. Hats off, Mr Connery.
After Brosnan, came up names like Hugh Jackman(Mr.Wolverine), Clive Owen(King Arthur), and even Jude Law(Future Captain of the World). After all of that, they come up with Daniel Craig?? Blue eyed, blonde haired, chiseled faced, blabla blabla??
Oh stop the speculation, people!! He's brilliant, hands down!! In my opinion, the Best 007 yet.
Right from the opening 5mins of the movie, Daniel Craig captivates. A certain screen presence which Connery had, he has too. Perhaps even a little more. Two simple words in the opening sequence make him stand out.
"Yes, considerably," he says, after shooting a man.
As for the Bond Girl. Eva Green is captivating. She has a screen presence quite similar to Craig. The screen time she shares with Craig is worth watching. And she isn't a Bond girl who plays just the damsel in distress. She is one, but with high complications. Her first appearance too, makes her stand out.
"I'm the money," she says, seating herself across the table from Bond.
"Every penny of it," says Bond, with a smile.
Beginning with a smash-bang 15min action sequence(without CGI or crappy gadgets), Casino Royale soars, keeps soaring, and flies out of sight. Le Chiffre played by Mads Mikkellsen(Eye-bleeding super villain who is Banker to the World's biggest Terrorist groups), is slithering, and scary. Every dialogue he delivers has a certain amount of villainy in it.
"Welcome, Mr.Beach. Or is that Bond? Ah, I'm a little confused," unmistakeably sarcastic, Le Chiffre holds out his hand.
"Oh we wouldn't want that, would we?" says Bond, shaking it.
The only flaw in the plan of Casino Royale is that it pays a little too much attention to Bond's weakness, which results in 10 to 15mins of drolling. The movie, at 2hrs and 20mins is a tad too long thanks to that. For the remaining 2hrs, the movie proves it's worth.
Gadgets are thankfully given minimal attention in this movie. The audience isn't even allowed a good-clean look at Bond's Aston Martin. The action is brutally physical unlike other Bond movies. Sex is surprisingly kept at it's minimum too. Acting is brilliant. The new Bond is more of a man than some guy with gadgets coming out of his toes.
Watch out for the torture sequence. It is painful, yet humourous. The title song, You know my name by Chris Cornell plays throughout the film, and the opening credits are amazing. The Bond theme and the main Bond dialogue is kept on a hold till the very end.
Watch this Bond film for it's sheer guts, brutality, brains, and reality.
Casino Royale ain't any other Bond film.
It's Daniel Craig's party!
Straight A.
