We’ll get it out of the way right off the top: Daniel Craig is a very worthy James Bond. All the bemoaners still stuck in the days of Connery (and even Brosnan, for that matter) can just shut up already. Craig is fine.
That being said, the blonde Brit certainly makes the role his own. Say goodbye to the Bond of your parents’ generation, because Craig has just kicked his ass out the window.
In “Casino Royale,” the world’s most famous spy gets a complete character makeover. He’s grittier than ever, with subtle complexities added to the classic Bond portrayal (he’s still suave and deadly, but now carries a big chip on his shoulder).
Keeping with the franchise’s tradition of tenuous links between films, “Casino” tells the story of Bond’s first mission as a double-0. He’s out to bankrupt Le Chiffre (played by Danish star Mads Mikkelsen), a terrorist banker with a bit of an eye problem. Along the way, of course, he runs into some rather unsavoury characters, the standard crop of beautiful women (Eva Green of “The Dreamers” makes a fantastic Bond girl), and, in keeping with modern cultural trends, even a high-stakes poker game (though there are no under-table cameras here).
However, some of the classic Bond elements are indeed missing. Most disappointing is the fact that there is little attention paid to gadgets. However, this is also to the filmmakers’ credit; John Cleese did a respectable job as gadget-master Q in 2002’s “Die Another Day,” but no one could match Desmond Llewelyn (who’d been part of the Bond franchise since 1963, but died tragically in a car accident in 1999). With a new Bond, it feels like the right time to move on.
Even without gadgets, “Casino” doesn’t fail to thrill and entertain with incredible action and special effects. The fast-paced post-credits opening sequence features a truly awesome parkour-style chase, while a later scene has a Venitian building imploding into the water. The $150,000,000 budget was, obviously, very well spent.
This is clearly a Bond film for a new generation — one more interested in eye-popping action than martinis and womanizing. Craig has already been confirmed to play Bond in the next installment, and I hope his contract is extended; he was doubted and rejected by many in the beginning, but “Casino” proves that he’s single-handedly reinvigorated the Bond franchise.
Rating: 8
