Casino Royale: Double-Ohhhh-Seven

Martin Campbell, 2006

[Since I can only see so many movies, and since she needed an outlet for her feelings, this review was written by Kelly Gerow]

I have never been interested in the Bond franchise. I’m aware of its existence and that pop culture is saturated by Bond references – “shaken, not stirred,” etc. Ho hum. From an early age, the emptiness of some action flicks has alienated me. Disposable women, impossible action sequences, and plots so convoluted that they may be improvised are fine in certain situations, but I need my camp to be accompanied by musical sequences.

Enter Daniel Craig. The choice of Craig as the new James Bond, taking over for leathery, small Pierce Brosnan, was a controversy since it was first announced. Who cared about it and why, I’m not sure, but I think it’s because he’s blond. The knotty-faced actor from such films as Sylvia, Layer Cake, and Munich is so compelling as Bond that I only want to watch the other films just to confirm how perfect he is.

Based on the first of Ian Fleming’s novels, Casino Royale opens with Bond achieving “00” status. A fantastic chase scene outlines how his first job as a 00 goes wrong. Chided for being reckless and for his big ego, Bond is sent on vacation while an embassy disaster he caused is patched up. The plot is probably easier to follow than I let it be, but I was distracted by Bond in a beach scene where he sports tiny blue swim trunks, Bond in a fitted tux, Bond in an Aston Martin. There’s no telling what his exercise regiment included since his appearance as the boorish Ted Hughes in Sylvia, but I assume it involved more than lifting books of poetry.

Moving along. The villain in this go-round is Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a math wiz who cries blood. Bond is sent to play a high-stakes poker game along with Le Chiffre, a suspect in a terrorist ring (also related to the stock market, plane explosion, and some hot chick on a horse). Bond is escorted to Casino Royale by Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), an accountant with M-16 who is sent to monitor Bond and the government’s money. I get the feeling that Vesper is a different sort of female ally for Bond, though to say why would give away too much.

Throughout the movie Craig is charming and elegant like a Bond should be, but also rough and flawed, not yet perfecting his ability to remain emotionally detached. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a treat to look at. The exchanges between Bond and Vesper lead to surprising twists and are the most enjoyable scenes in the film. This movie is clever, fun, and stylish, with something added to make it more enjoyable than a standard action flick.