-Now where the hell did the Ace I put in my sleeve go?
Summary- Having just been promoted to 00 status, James Bond has to stop Le Chiffre, a private banker to the world’s terrorists. Taking part in a poker tournament held by Le Chiffre, Bond learns about love and betrayal and discovers that some of his friends may not be as trustworthy as he has led to believe.
Review- When blonde-haired blue-eyed Daniel Craig became the new James Bond, I had my doubts. First he didn’t look as suave as Pierce Brosnan, and in a non-homosexual way, I found him less attractive. It didn’t take long to change my mind though. Somehow the trend the movie industry at the time was to reboot movie franchises. They did it with the Hulk, Batman, Superman, and our special agent was not excluded. Casino Royale literally begins before James Bond is even a 00 agent. However after killing the mandatory two people, he becomes the new 007 and I presume gains the license to kill. What few people realize is that this license must also give you the license to be a complete badass, because just a few scenes later he chases down a man- parkour style- through a construction site and ends up blowing an embassy to smithereens. Yes, this new/younger Bond is much more action oriented and breathes freshness into the series. The relationship between Vespa (the Bond girl) and Bond is also superb because it reflects the more naïve days of Bond, when he actually loves the woman he sleeps with. The plot, although can be a little convulted/confusing, is really good and the surprises are well executed. However, although I am a fan of this film and would highly recommend it, there are some gripes I have heard from others. First of all, James Bond doesn’t have much gadgets at all. Also, this movie is based around a poker tournament, so expect some slower parts where they play, you guessed it…poker. It may be dull, especially if you don’t know the rules to poker. However, although I haven’t seen many Bond movies, Casino Royale definitely ranks among the top (alongside GoldenEye). It really is interesting to see how the younger Bond develops and progresses to become the special agent we have all grown to love and watch today.
Recommendations- Recommended movies may not share similar story elements or movie techniques with the reviewed movies. They are simply personal opinions that I think will give a good indication on if you will enjoy the reviewed movie. If you want to add or want me to remove a recommendation, please reply below with the movie name and reason.
Quantum of Solace
Bourne Identity Series
GoldenEye
