Movie Review - Casino Royale

I really enjoyed the new James Bond movie, Casino Royale, the last to be based on Ian Fleming's writings (EON Productions have now adapted all of Fleming's Bond novels). I've been so excited to see this movie and report on it that I'm glad my anticipation didn't go to waste.

There's so much to like and so little to dislike about this retcon of the Bond series.

The movie begins with Bond's first two kills, which enable him to get "double-O" status. It's in black & white, and footage from the first kill is inter cut with the second. It didn't feel like a flashback to me. The man from the first kill reaches for his gun, and then we get the traditional "gun barrel" opening into the opening credits.

I really enjoyed the opening credits sequence and song. "You Know My Name", vocals by Chris Cornell. The artwork in the opening credits does a lot of fancy stuff with card symbols and a great color-block fight sequence.

I'm surprised the movie has a PG-13 rating. The scene that should have given the movie an R rating was faithful to the book, with added witty remarks. Let's say that if you really want to take a 13-year-old to the movie, make sure they can handle large doses of violence. In my industry I think we would call that "scope creep", or even "product substitution". The politics of Hollywood, I guess.

A lot of reviews I've read comment on the grittier nature of the movie, which I would have to agree with except to say that I think the more appropriate term is "honest". Spying and killing people for a living is not necessarily the most glamorous way to earn a living, and the movie adaptations have turned Bond into a pretty boy with girls, gadgets, and guns. Maybe that's all a fellow needs, who knows?

As far as the girls go, Solange is an active seducee, to the point you're wondering who is more excited about the tryst. Vesper is disappointing. At best her character is moody (not to mention homely - I thought all Bond girls were supposed to be drop-dead gorgeous). She is abrasive to start with, then weepy with shock when she sees Bond kill some thugs close-up, back to abrasive, etc. It's irritating and makes me wonder what Bond sees in the girl. After all, this is supposed to be the woman he falls in love with. Surely he can do better. (Note: Vesper's character in the book is described as "emotionally turbulent" by Wikipedia, so maybe the movie's result is the script-writers' interpretation of the character. I still view her as flimsy.)

Gadgets in this movie are limited to cell phones, various medical liquids in syringes and a single-use portable defibrillator installed in Bond's Aston Martin. I might add the defibrillator was definitely made by the lowest bidder.

I thought Bond's character was really polished on. Among other things, he breaks into an embassy, uses a "hostage" as a human shield, breaks & enters M's apartment, and steals M's login data for MI6's website. Very few scruples, if any. Whatever it means to him, I give Daniel Craig a thumbs up for his performance in the role.

I need to mention my new theory regarding Bond's character after reading two Fleming novels. I think Bond's chauvinism is misunderstood. In most of the movies he is without a doubt a sexist pig. But I think the character's chauvinistic actions are motivated by the ugly work he does. I think he spends so much time dealing with ugly characters and doing ugly deeds in the name of Queen and country that he wants to separate the women of the world from the world he deals with. I think this is why he says (in the books) that spying is "men's work" and insists that women don't make suitable spies. I also think this is what is at the root of his sexist attitudes regarding how women should look, dress, and act. This really isn't a well-developed theory yet, but I think this theory explains why so many women (including myself) are attracted to a cold-hearted chauvinist.

Mads Mikkelsen was great as Le Chiffre (i.e. creepy), who has a weird physical trait (weeping blood). Weird physical traits have become cliched for Bond villains but I didn't think this was too over-the-top.

I've read some reviews that criticize the lack of humor in the movie. I thought the movie was very witty, although much drier than in other Bond movies. Maybe you just have to get your mind dragged through the gutter (Engineering School does wonders for this). The only tasteless witty remarks (in my opinion) are in the should-have-made-the-movie-R-rated scene. This doesn't mean I didn't laugh, however. I just feel it took away from the climax of the confrontation between Le Chiffre and Bond.

The movie's score was fantastic, holding off the famous theme until the end of the film. The score is very cohesive; music-wise you feel very much in the middle of a James Bond film and the score doesn't sound inappropriate next to the Bond theme. The theme isn't jazzed up (technoed up?) or altered, and it feels very appropriate as well.

I'd like to think the plot was very tight, and much more complex than the plot in the book. For the most part I approve the major plot changes/updates. While I would like to think that Baccarat Chemin de Fer is more "high class" than Texas Hold'em, poker is much more accessible a game to movie-goers and there are many high stakes poker tournaments publicized these days.

To summarize, I recommend seeing this movie in the theater. It's a great action film, with lots of interesting (if sometimes unbelievable) stunt sequences and explosions. There's a little of something for both men and women here, although I would be wary of taking younger teens to this. I would say sixteen and older should be able to see it; younger viewers will probably have a hard time with the scene I've been referring to throughout this review.