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The James Bond franchise is the most successful series of films in cinema
history. So, when it was announced that Barbara Broccoli
and Michael G. Wilson were looking to revamp the franchise
there were some areas of concern. The biggest shocker to
hit the film industry was that Pierce Brosnan was out and
that it was time for a new Bond. Rumors began circling like
crazy. Actors like Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, and a dozen
more were rumored to be the next actor to fill the role.
When Daniel Craig was announced as the official Bond a roar
of opposition came from fans all over. There was even a
"Craig Is Not Bond" website that started a petition to get
the producers to change their minds. It was a sad and humiliating
exhibition on the part of the fans, to make judgements based
solely on the actor's previous works and different looks
from the other Bonds. I mean honestly, who thought Tobey
McGuire was going to be Spider-Man, that Christian Bale
was going to be the new Batman, and a bunch of other iconic
roles. The fact here is that Daniel Craig makes an excellent
Bond. * * *
Casino Royale was the first book written by Ian Fleming,
and it introduced the world to James Bond. After a decade
of inconsistent and so-so Bond films it was decided that
character needed to return to his roots, back to the basics.
Bond films started to become nothing but mere parodies of
themselves. Die Another Day was the biggest sign that a
few changes needed to be made. The last great Bond film
was GoldenEye so it was logical to call back director Martin
Campbell to direct Casino Royale. Another big thing to note
about this film is that Paul Haggis was brought on board
to do some rewrites, to solidify the script and fully develop
the characters. Past Bond films had such laughably bad dialogue
that the witty puns the series made famous became poorly
executed and just shameful. The plots got so over the top
even for Bond films. Die Another Day featured a giant laser,
an ice palace, a bi-racial bad guy, and some thug with diamonds
in his face. With Casino Royale we go back to the basics
of Bond yet we still retain the class and themes that make
Bond what he is. * * *
The film's opening sequence is the shortest of all the
films (not counting Dr. No since it did not have one). We
see that James Bond has just been promoted to double-0 status,
we then cut directly into the amazing main titles. Chris
Cornell delivers a very Bondesque song with David Arnold
arranging the classy orchestral sound mixed in with Cornell's
style. The title song is called "You Know My Name", and
the titles are highly stylized animatics that use the poker
theme of the film. The plot is simple, a terrorist banker
decides to raise money to fund a terrorist cell by winning
a high stakes poker game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro.
Bond is assigned to win the game thus crippling Le Chiffre
and the cell. Things go wrong mostly from the mistakes that
Bond makes, which is brilliant. This is Bond as a beginner,
so he makes plenty of bad choices. In the first action scene,
a thrilling foot chase through a construction site, we see
Bond stumbling and struggling to catch up with the fugitive.
The scene is absolutely amazing and is really the most amazing
foot chase I have ever seen on film. Other amazing action
sequences include a rundown at the Miami Airport, a staircase
fight with a machete wielding crime lord, a shootout in
a collapsing building, and just as tense are the poker scenes.
I was reluctant of the choice to drop the game of Baccarat
and replace it with Texas Hold 'Em, but it was an appropriate
choice considering that times have changed. Poker definitely
worked and the games are incredibly tense. * * *
Another aspect of this installment is that it is notably
more violent than the other Bond films. We also see more
blood than we have scene in Bond films before this. In the
novel there is a really graphic torture scene and I was
wondering how they were going to handle it. They toned it
down, but it still will make the men in the theater cringe
and thanks to Paul Haggis' touch-ups he inserted the film's
funniest line in the torture scene, which worked perfectly.
The violence adds an intensity that really elevates the
film and makes it a worthy adaptation since the novel itself
was really dark. * * *
While the film has its questionable changes they are
all for the better. For one, Judi Dench is M even though
Bernard Lee plays the role in the original films up till
GoldenEye. There is also talk of "post 9/11" even though
the original films stay in their time period of when they
were made. If the next Bond film attempts to continue the
idea of this new Bond then it will be a big mistake. The
next film has to return hitting the ground running as if
it were the same old Bond. Even so, this is an incredible
action film and an incredible Bond film. Casino Royale is
an amazing and is equal to the quality of the Connery days.
It is also one of the best action films ever made in my
opinion. * * *
Daniel Craig is a brilliant Bond and that is all there
is to it. The character is quiet as he comes to terms with
his environment, we feel that he is out of his element and
is slowly molding into the James Bond that we have come
to love and know over the past 45 years. Daniel Craig molds
the perfect Bond to show guts and arrogance that end up
teaching him lessons about how to handle the profession.
James Bond doesn't become Bond until the very end of the
film and that is enhanced by David Arnold's score. He uses
the theme that was established in the main title song, but
not once do we hear the James Bond theme. We only hear the
theme at the very end when James becomes Bond. Any doubts
that Craig was a poor choice should be thrown out, and people
who doubted him before with such a passion should bite their
tongue and take the shame of being horribly wrong. In terms
of supporting roles we have Eva Green, Madds Mikkelson as
the villain, and Jeffrey Wright as Felix. Eva Green is the
perfect female lead in the film, and you really can't call
her a "Bond Girl". She has a presence you can respect and
she is not just there as eye candy and a toy for Bond. Madds
Mikkelson makes the perfect Le Chiffre, a Bond villain that
of course has a some sort of physical distinction like every
Bond villain should have. The roles are well written and
for the first time we see some real pathos in the Bond franchise.
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