The Moose Hole - Bond Begins
Written: Dec 18 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, opening song, realistic storyline
Cons: a bit too long
The Bottom Line: Casino Royale, in the same vein as Batman Begins, revolutionizes the James Bond franchise like never before
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| mickeymoose15's Full Review: Casino Royale |
The feature film franchise based on the world renowned fictional British secret agent James Bond has in the last few years undergone a dramatic facelift, one far critical then it has ever seen in its entire cinematic history but one which proven all the more vital to its continued success. In 1999, Sony Pictures settled out of court with legendary Hollywood studio MGM Studios, Inc., paying them five-million dollars to resolve a forty-million dollar lawsuit MGM brought on Sony in their foiled attempt to bring Casino Royale, the first in the James Bond book series the film franchise was based on, to the silver screen. The case put to rest once and for all the issue of who owned the exclusive rights to the British secret agent canon and the use of the character itself. It was almost satirical therefore when six years later on April 8th, 2005 Sony Pictures Entertainment purchased MGM including its classic film library, Gone with the Wind and the James Bond series among them, for five-billion dollars when the celebrated feature film production studio put itself on the auction block. A little over a year later, the final James Bond feature-length motion picture to be based on a novel by Ian Fleming, Casino Royale, was released into theaters in the hope of re-energizing the secret agent film series.
The story for Casino Royale, based on the 1953 tome of the same name, the very first novel in the now classic spy book series by British author Ian Fleming, is a refreshing look back at the formative years and early beginnings of the infamous 007 agent, James Bond. It would have been just as interesting or possibly more so to have seen what adventures garnered him double-O status in the first place in greater detail, it is briefly alluded to in the opening minutes of the movie, but this is just as good. Movie-goers unfamiliar with the inner-workings of the Bond universe or those simply impartial to the franchise altogether will appreciate the change in presentation and style which has been long overdue. Hardcore Bond fans however may need a little time to properly adjust to these alterations simply for the fact that Daniel Craig’s younger James Bond, while charming in his own right, is more roguish and far less classy then his predecessors presented in earlier films. Comparisons will and should be made with Batman Begins, director Christopher Nolan’s 2005 reinvention of the Batman film franchise. Casino Royale, like Batman Begins, is based more, though certainly not solely, within the realm of reality, making the story and its characters are the more intense and captivating for audiences. It’s a dark and gritty atmosphere audiences have not seen in a James Bond film since Sean Connery first took on the role. Bond’s first assassination in the opening minutes of the pictures and all others to follow will be a harsh reminder to even the most loyal Bond fan that 007 is as much a covert British secret agent as he is a trained and skilled assassin.
Pierce Brosnan was probably one of the better actors to play the character of James Bond, at least the best one since the heyday of Sean Connery. And even though the market for the Bond film franchise was still quite eminent, Die Another Day grossed nearly one-hundred and seventy million dollars domestically after all, the material used for the film series was growing stall, repetitive, and melancholy and critics were taking notice. The last Bond installment, Die Another Day, garnered a dismal fifty-nine percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes which sadly was only slightly better then the reception for The World is Not Enough or even Tomorrow Never Dies years earlier. True, cliché may be 007’s middle name but a change in scenery, or in this case a change in actors, now and then is necessary to help shake things up for a franchise slowly starting to show its age. Besides, as the choice of Bond girls skewed younger (and their outfits became skimpier), Pierce’s bed frolicking with these said girls was becoming more and more perverted. No offense to Pierce Brosnan, for fifty-three he doesn’t look that bad and for women ages thirty or older that’s fine but let’s try and keep his onscreen hook-ups within that age range. Regardless, the time was right for a fresh start and a younger actor to don the signature tuxedo, cleverly introduced in an exchange between Daniel Craig and Eva Green in the hotel room. This can be a dangerous undertaking however as there is a risk of alienating core fans as the outcry immediately following the announcement of Daniel Craig as the new James Bond clearly showed. But if handled properly as the movie itself was it can reap the benefits down the road.
Daniel Craig who rose to fame on the cult success of the 2004 crime-drama Layer Cake portrays James Bond in a way few if any other actor before him has done – realistically. Bond still has his charm and wit about him as always but they are still in a raw, primitive, and immature state which leaves the 007 agent susceptible to mistakes and his own arrogance. It just goes to show the audience that even the famous British secret agent had to learn the ropes of his profession just like anyone else. Bond can also be hurt emotionally as much as he can physically. Two scenes in particular show this off extremely well. Immediately after he kills a man in the hotel stairwell Bond is shown looking in the mirror bleeding and beaten up but all the same starring himself down to move on from what he has just done (he is a trained killer after all) and continue his job. The other is difficult to describe without giving away too much information but what can be said is that it occurs near the end of the movie. Casino Royale provides reason and logic to explain Bond’s shallow relationships with women (never wanting to fall in love again) and his philosophy of never trusting anyone in his line of work.
Casino Royale unquestionably is one of the more realistic James Bond movies in the last three decades of its existence but there remains at least one scene in particular which feels a bit out of place. The chase scene between Daniel Craig’s James Bond and Sebastien Foucan’s Mollaka, the bomb maker, early on in the movie while exhilarating is a bit perturbing nonetheless. This is an easily forgiven offense as Mollaka is the only one making such spectacular jumps while Bond is shown having a far more difficult time getting through the construction site. Nonetheless this is still irritating. If both men were doing the same thing then it would be a different story. You want to hold out hope that Mollaka’s monkey-like acrobatic abilities will have further explanation in the movie, but this ultimately doesn’t come about. What is this guy then, a bomb maker by day and Spider-Man by night?
Overall, Casino Royale, in the same vein as Batman Begins, revolutionizes the James Bond franchise like never before. Director Martin Campbell who directed Pierce Brosnan in 1995’s GoldenEye should be credited for once again reinvigorating the classic spy series. Its dark overtones and basis in reality make the character more applicable to a wider ranger of movie-goers then ever before. The screenplay from Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis discards some of the more well-known, and often more irritating, elements of the Bond franchise, namely the ever increasingly unrealistic gadgets and gizmos presented to the British secret agent by Q and the improbable death-trap scenarios created by the film’s villain as was parodied so often in the Austin Powers series (for example, the sharks with freakin’ laser beams attached to their heads) which ultimately distracted audiences from the story and character development. True, Casino Royale still follows the good/bad guy story arc, choosing not to get into specifics in regards to international politics, but it is based more in reality this time. The plot, for example, to sell stock in an airline industry before the unveiling of a pro-type British airliner which the villain plans to blow up in an effort to send stock prices plummeting thus making him millions of dollars was based on a finding by the 9/11 Commission. And yes, the double-entendres are still prevalent, though to a far lesser degree then in previous Bond pictures, particularly those of the Pierce Brosnan-era. The best example is where Vesper Lynd is visiting James as he is recovering. There is too much dialogue in this scene delivering far more wink-wink nods towards the audience then is necessary. We get it! You two want to screw each other’s brains out, just get it over with. That scene aside however Eva Green and Daniel Craig have dazzling chemistry together, relying on verbal flirting and playful exchanges rather then shoddy pick-up lines that were embarrassing to hear even coming from James Bond. The scene following the fight in the stairwell in which Bond comforts Vesper who is seen in shock, sitting in the fetal position as the shower water is running is very touching and one of the most humane scenes in a Bond movie. Rest assured that Casino Royale is chockfull of adrenalin-fueled action sequences, the most exciting of which is the fuel-truck sequence about midway through the picture. The second half of the movie slows down considerably however which in this case is hardly a bad thing as the film evolves into more of an espionage thriller, a genre which has eluded the Bond franchise since its inception. All and all, it may be a bit of stretch, as Bond purists are sure to attend, to say Casino Royale is the best Bond film ever but it is without a doubt one of the most original and realistic adaptations of Ian Fleming’s novels. If you have ever lacked the time or the desire to delve into the world of James Bond, Casino Royale is a fresh start worth seeing in theaters.
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Action Movie
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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Epinions.com ID:
mickeymoose15
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Location: Milwaukee, WI
Reviews written: 226
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About Me:
The Moose likes movies and likes reviewing them. Nuff said.
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