Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Casino Royale


If you ever get the chance, do go and watch the new James Bond film.





After having heard much controversy over the selection of Daniel Craig as the latest super spy, I was surprised that he suited the role very well. There was that incident where he arrived at a premiere, over sea on a speedboat wearing a life jacket. That had apparently upset many fans and was regarded as lame.

Daniel Craig is stylish, arrogant and brutal as the new agent 007. This suits the overall tone of the film, where Bond is very much more of the sadist. A cold-hearted killer with very little sense of empathy and Craig, with his piercing eyes, portrays the role very well. You would not want to be caught in a dark alley with him. He's charming and funny when required and totally convincing in the action sequences.

The movie plays on an updated premise where the dates are in 2006 and not on Cold War paranoia. Craig embarks on James Bond's first mission, where he must stop a banker from winning a casino tournament and using the prize money to fund terrorist activities. This time round, the he story is just much more engaging than previous Bond films. The script is not going to win awards but it's consistently more inventive and intriguing.

The violence is less cartoon~ish and flippant, with every punch, kick and shooting looking like they really hurt. Bond does get bruised and bleeds when hit, even screams when tortured. The film has enough of it's fair share of action, the emphasis is equally on character and storyline and less on gadgets and sheer implausibility. The poker game at the Casino Royale, the film's longest set-piece, is (in my opinion) more gripping and entertaining than any of the car-chases and shoot-outs.

I really liked what the director and screenplay team did with the Bond franchise. They revitalized the series much like what Christopher Nolan did with Batman Begins; giving the character more depth and humanity.



The name's Bond... James Bond.



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