Casino Royale(2006)- User Reviews

Let me begin by saying this movie has saved the James Bond franchise. After a decade of the indestructible yet oh-so-suave pretty boy Pierce Brosnan, it is more than a breath of fresh air to return to a Bond where laser beams, supped up cars and madmen bent on destroying the world no longer comprise the plot. There are no gadgets, no X-ray glasses or rappel watches. There are no amazing escapes that leave everything, including Bond’s perfect haircut (I’m looking at you, Brosnan), unruffled. No, Daniel Craig’s Bond is real, harder, tougher, colder. He gets hurt, beat-up; a super-hero, no more. Craig’s impressive physique also brings to light another aspect of Bond ignored since the days of Connery: that if Bond is to throw people off of buildings and trade blows with neck-less henchmen, he should be in impressive physical form. The plot is much better than previous movies; there are no designs by psychotic newspaper tycoons or ticked-off Korean weapons smugglers to take over the world. Rather, the movie focuses around an organization that provides various commodities for criminals; after all, when you’re a third world freedom fighter, it’s hard to find good banking rates. And instead of the grand finale taking place on a stealth boat or in space (gosh, that was an awful movie), it takes place inside of a rundown Venice building. Simple. Believable. But entertaining. As for Craig, he is not the charming, witty Bond that Connery embodied and Brosnan ruined. He is much more ruthless (fitting for a man who kills for a living). The movie is, of course, much grittier than previous films, including the most painful torture scene imaginable, at least for guys (I did not approve of this part). And in good measure, Judy Dench is back, and does an excellent job reprising the role of M. And while the classic Bond score isn't played until the end credits, the new scores give a fresh and pleasing style to Craig's new bond. All in all, viewers get to see how Bond became Bond, how he learned the trade of becoming a double-o agent and why the franchise should be given another chance.