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| Casino Royale (2006)
 
Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey WrightDirector: Martin Campbell Rating: PG-13 Category: Action/Adventure  |
It’s common knowledge that James Bond is dashingly proficient in dodging the bullets of his outlandish nemeses, but the question that everyone is dying to know is whether or not he’ll be just as good at dodging those from the looming rogue’s gallery of internet film critics. A shimmering media target ever since being cast as the new man behind Ian Fleming’s iconic MI-6 super agent, Daniel Craig has been charged with the task of breathing new life into the longest-running franchise in the history of film. Unfortunately, while Craig’s past performances have proven him more than capable of taking on such a physically demanding role, he’s simply no James Bond. Down and dirty government agent, perhaps, but a legitimate 007 he is not.
Taking place in a pre-Q world – where the fanciest gadget that Bond possesses isn’t an invisible car, but a cellular phone – “Casino Royale” follows the newly-appointed 007 on his very first License to Kill mission. After blowing up an African embassy while chasing down an alleged gun-for-hire (Sebastien Foucan, co-founder of the extreme sport, parkour), Bond is sent to Montenegro where a high-stakes poker game is being hosted by Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), an Albanian banker with ties to the terrorist network. In order to stop him from furthering terrorist attacks, Bond is entered into the tournament where he must defeat the notorious card shark at his own game.
Much like this summer’s “Superman Returns” and last year’s “Batman Begins,” “Casino Royale” can be viewed as a sort of reboot for the careworn franchise. Instead of clogging the film with complex storylines and villains who are too eccentric for their own good, it instead thrives as a character-driven piece where the audience can learn more about what kind of person James Bond really is. The key to this behind-the-scenes exposé is Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) – the first (and seemingly last) woman to ever win Bond's love – whose relationship with 007 offers a deeper understanding of why Bond is the way he is around women.
Regrettably, this romantic set-up takes the film in a direction that most fans won’t be too pleased to see develop. One in which action sequences are sparse, and the threat of world domination dissipates. And while I’d be the first one to blame the slow demise of the franchise on the mounting ridiculousness of the past few installments, it would seem that when the character is grounded in reality, his world around him only looks that much more fantastical. Granted, it’s nice to see Bond fighting dirty and being subjected to torture (some of the most painful onscreen torture I’ve ever seen, in fact), but when are the studios going to stop trying to emulate the success of shows like “24” and just make a movie like it was originally meant to be made? Bond shouldn’t be fighting terrorists just because it’s the 21st century; he should be battling insane villains while riding around in jetpacks and supped-up automobiles.
It’s a shame that director Martin Campbell (who also helmed the debut of Pierce Brosnan in “Goldeneye” – highly considered to be the last good Bond flick) let this film wriggle away from his control, because it could have been really good. Instead, the film opens with a bang, only to flatline thirty minutes later. And while Bond may have managed to bring himself back to life after nearly being killed midway through, “Casino Royale” isn’t quite as lucky to receive that treatment. This may not be the end for Bond, but it sure as hell ain’t the start of a new beginning, either.
DVD Features:
Considering that this is a two-disc affair, the DVD release of “Casino Royale” is a major disappointment. With only three production featurettes (including “Becoming Bond,” “James Bond: For Real” and “Bond Girls Are Forever”) and a Chris Cornell music video to speak of, a more special feature-friendly edition will likely be in stores by Christmas.
~Jason Zingale
jzingale@bullz-eye.com