Genre: Action/Thriller/Adventure
Director: Martin Campbell
Cast: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, Tobias Menzies, Ivana Milicevic, Clemens Schik, Ludger Pistor, Claudio Santamaria
RunTime: 2 hrs 25 mins
Released By: Columbia TriStar
Rating: PG

Opening Day: 16 November 2006

Book:

READ OUR REVIEW ON THE ORIGINAL IAN FLEMING'S NOVEL

JAMES BOND: THE SECRET WORLD OF 007

Soundtrack: READ OUR REVIEW ON THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

Synopsis:

Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond film adventure and stars Daniel Craig in his debut as “007”. The film is based on creature Ian Fleming’s first novel about the debonair and dangerous British secret agent.

Movie Review:

To all you cynics out there who slammed Daniel Craig for being the new James Bond: Please take back your words.

In this latest James Bond franchise, the English actor does a decent job playing the suave spy. And he does it so well, he puts today’s men to shame with his testosterone-filled performance.

Based on Ian Fleming’s first 1953 James Bond novel, this action flick retells the spy’s first important mission after he has gotten his double-O status. He is to prevent an unscrupulous baddie from winning a casino tournament where hundreds of millions of dollars may go into the wrong hands.

Ah, imagine how perilous the world would be if Mr. Bond wasn’t around to kick evil’s ass.

The movie first grabs you with its classic Hollywood studio-inspired black-and-white prologue. Just by this scene, you can tell that this Bond is definitely not your classy, prim and proper Bond. He appears to be brash and uses his brawn rather than his brain. He kills people without hesitation, and boy, is he a violent man.

And then there are the obligatory stylish opening credits, accompanied by the cool and breezy theme song “You Know My Name” by Audioslave’s Chris Cornell. Colourful, chic and elegant graphics make this one of the most effective opening credits in the franchise ever.

We are not stopping our praises there.

Then comes the opening sequence where we feel the ruggedness and manliness of the movie in full force. Set in a hot and bothered construction site in Madagascar, this chase scene will leave you exhilarated and catching your breath after seeing Bond jump from crane to crane, living life dangerously.

That, our dear readers, merely describes the first 20-odd minutes of the 144-minute movie.

The action does not stop there. The rest of the show sees our sixth Bond running, getting hurt, spilling blood, and sweating profusely. There is even an excruciating torture scene where Bond’s manhood is dangerously threatened. Craig has to be the most tired actor to play Bond ever.

So, when the movie lags in pace and becomes annoyingly predictable during its second half, you’d be forgiving enough to overlook that factor. The scenes involving games in the casino may not be that interesting to watch, but it is a fine showcase of Craig’s acting.

Before you think that we would be only going on and on giving credits to Craig, here are the other factors that make a Bond movie, a Bond movie.

Director Martin Campbell has an eye for breathtaking locations. Having previously helmed Goldeneye (1995), he takes us on a scenic movie experience to the exotic Czech Republic, the soothing Bahamas Islands, and the beautiful Italy in his latest work.

The Bond girls played by French actress Eva Green (who wears a distractingly large amount of eye shadow) and Italian newcomer Caterina Murino (who speaks in a titillating accent) are feast to the male species’ eyes. The Bond villain characterized by Mads Mikkelsen is silently cold and cruel, and we’d understand his want to inflict pain on others, because his bleeding eyes.

The modish product placement by Sony Ericsson phones, Vaio notebooks, Sony digital cameras, Omega watches and the very impressive Aston Martin DBS vehicle will make gadget geeks go agape with awe.

With everything in place, the final commending aspect that completes the picture is the classy performance by the entire cast. With Dame Judi Dench anchoring weight as M, and some lovely and cheeky bantering lines courtesy of scriptwriters Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis, this movie will enthrall you.

When the familiar Bond tune comes up during the end credits, you’d feel that there is only one spy to love. That’s Bond, James Bond.

Movie Rating:

(This Bond may be blond, and not your conventional pretty boy, but his strong presence is definitely here to stay)

Review by John Li