For fifteen years Daniel Craig has played one of the most iconic British characters of all time. Despite his grievances with the studio executives and repeated attempts to leave 007 behind him, it mustn’t be understated just how much a breath of fresh air Craig was to James Bond when he first appeared on screen in 2006. For decades the 007 brand’s reputation had been on the decline and fresh blood was needed to drastically shake things up in a way that had never been attempted before in the, at the time, forty-four-year-old franchise; and whilst Craig may remain a divisive choice for Bond to this day, there’s no denying that Casino Royale was exactly what people wanted out of a James Bond film.
A young and reckless Bond (Daniel Craig) has just received a promotion to 00 status, having finally earned his license to kill. His first assignment is to gain information on a terrorist organisation which leads him to Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a financier of terrorists who thanks to Bond’s intervention has recently lost MI6’s targets over one hundred million dollars. Le Chiffre sets up a high stakes poker game in Montenegro to regain the money he lost his clients, which Bond and MI6 accountant Vesper (Eva Green) plan to infiltrate and win to convince Le Chiffre to identify his clients and in return be provided protection and immunity by MI6.
A young and reckless Bond (Daniel Craig) has just received a promotion to 00 status, having finally earned his license to kill. His first assignment is to gain information on a terrorist organisation which leads him to Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a financier of terrorists who thanks to Bond’s intervention has recently lost MI6’s targets over one hundred million dollars. Le Chiffre sets up a high stakes poker game in Montenegro to regain the money he lost his clients, which Bond and MI6 accountant Vesper (Eva Green) plan to infiltrate and win to convince Le Chiffre to identify his clients and in return be provided protection and immunity by MI6.
Right from the opening scene director Martin Campbell establishes that Casino Royale marks a turning point for the franchise. It’s dark, violent, and extremely stylish; this combined with an epic electric guitar rendition of the James Bond theme performed by Chris Cornell establishes that Bond is back, bigger than ever, and he means business.
Much like the tone of the film, Craig’s Bond is broody and menacing. Unlike traditional Bond performances from the likes of Sean Connery and Roger Moore whose charm came from being suave and sophisticated, Craig is rougher around the edges.
What I really like about Bond in this film is that very little goes to plan, in fact he consistently is either one-upped by the villain or his plan doesn’t work; but what it showcases so well is his ability to assess his situation and improvise. This Bond often works better with no plan; his quick thinking, resourcefulness, and lack of concern for human life will almost always get him out of whatever situation he is in…something alluded to in previous iterations of the character, but something almost never seen.
Mads Mikkelsen is excellent as Le Chiffre. He's extremely menacing and does so much with facial expressions, for me he delivers the best performance in the film. Unfortunately though I don't feel like his character is given much depth, I guess it's to maintain the mystery surrounding the terrorist organisation he is financing, but it's a shame we couldn't have seen more of him. Eva Green is also good, but much like Le Chiffre I feel Vesper is done dirty in terms of character development. She literally is just an object of Bond's desire, and in the twenty-first century it feels a little outdated.
Casino Royale is almost always remembered as ‘the one with the poker game’. It would be hard to argue with that assessment as almost a third of the film’s runtime dedicated to one poker game, that game is ultimately the hill this film either lives or dies on. Thankfully the tension is suspended on a knife edge expertly the entire time, with glances, smooth hand motions, and subtle distractions being able to resonate as much of a reaction from the viewer as a high-speed car chase. Peppered throughout this sequence are bitesize action sequences which spice things up a little, but the real draw of Casino Royale is the incredible dialogue.
Not to say that it rests on its laurels when confronted with an action sequence, as the first act in particular is rife with high-octane car chases, explosive parkour, and thrilling shootouts.
Much like the tone of the film, Craig’s Bond is broody and menacing. Unlike traditional Bond performances from the likes of Sean Connery and Roger Moore whose charm came from being suave and sophisticated, Craig is rougher around the edges.
What I really like about Bond in this film is that very little goes to plan, in fact he consistently is either one-upped by the villain or his plan doesn’t work; but what it showcases so well is his ability to assess his situation and improvise. This Bond often works better with no plan; his quick thinking, resourcefulness, and lack of concern for human life will almost always get him out of whatever situation he is in…something alluded to in previous iterations of the character, but something almost never seen.
Mads Mikkelsen is excellent as Le Chiffre. He's extremely menacing and does so much with facial expressions, for me he delivers the best performance in the film. Unfortunately though I don't feel like his character is given much depth, I guess it's to maintain the mystery surrounding the terrorist organisation he is financing, but it's a shame we couldn't have seen more of him. Eva Green is also good, but much like Le Chiffre I feel Vesper is done dirty in terms of character development. She literally is just an object of Bond's desire, and in the twenty-first century it feels a little outdated.
Casino Royale is almost always remembered as ‘the one with the poker game’. It would be hard to argue with that assessment as almost a third of the film’s runtime dedicated to one poker game, that game is ultimately the hill this film either lives or dies on. Thankfully the tension is suspended on a knife edge expertly the entire time, with glances, smooth hand motions, and subtle distractions being able to resonate as much of a reaction from the viewer as a high-speed car chase. Peppered throughout this sequence are bitesize action sequences which spice things up a little, but the real draw of Casino Royale is the incredible dialogue.
Not to say that it rests on its laurels when confronted with an action sequence, as the first act in particular is rife with high-octane car chases, explosive parkour, and thrilling shootouts.
The only area of the film I can say is a bit of a let-down is the final twenty minutes or so. With one of the longest runtimes in the entire franchise, Casino Royale slips into a lull for the finale which is cliché and predictable for anyone who’s seen a Bond film before. It’s a weird place to put it too as it actually feels like this should have been the opening to Casino Royale’s sequel, Quantum of Solace. As a result the film feels a little on the long side and it ends without an explosive finale, which after a long period of build-up seems a tad underwhelming. It is a relatively small issue though as the finale is still enjoyable, but you won’t leave the film feeling like you’ve had that cathartic release you normally get from an action film.
Casino Royale is nothing short of spectacular. Regardless of your opinion of Daniel Craig’s performance, I feel that it’s impossible to deny the masterful craft that has gone into making Casino Royale not only a great action film with fantastic set-pieces, but also an engaging dialogue driven character study of one of cinema’s most iconic characters.
Casino Royale is nothing short of spectacular. Regardless of your opinion of Daniel Craig’s performance, I feel that it’s impossible to deny the masterful craft that has gone into making Casino Royale not only a great action film with fantastic set-pieces, but also an engaging dialogue driven character study of one of cinema’s most iconic characters.