I can't remember ever looking forward this much to a Bond movie before. In fact, the last time I looked this forward to any movie it was The Return of the King, and I can hardly be blamed for that now can I? Yes, to me, the burden of expectation upon the latest reincarnation of James Bond was enormous. So enormous in fact that I could surely be nothing but disappointed. No mere Bond film could deliver to the degree I was hoping. The best anyone could expect was some flash cars, an attractive woman or two and a neat little gadget from Q.
Well bollocks to that. The new Bond is better than anything that has come before it. Forget Connery, forget Moore, forget Lazenby and Dalton (if you haven't already), even Brosnan's recent outings (which got steadily worse after the excellent GoldenEye), this is the real deal. Edgy, dark, comfortable both during the action scenes and the more sedate plot-stirrers, this is how you make a thinking man's action film. Craig is superb in every respect, performing his fight scenes with stylish aplomb (far superior to Brosnan's often-sedate comic-book stuff) and generally being the dark, unemotional yet charming and brilliant superman we've all come to expect from James Bond. And the man is buff, astonishingly so.
Casino Royale is a retconned Bond, meaning this is supposed to be his first ever mission as 007, but is clearly set during the last few years. Though some people have had a hard time grasping this concept it's the only way a film series like this can survive, especially after 44 years. With it comes a degree of doubt about Bond's abilities, showcased in the opening scene. He's young and raw and it comes across throughout the film, lessening slowly as the movie flies towards its climax. If you ever wanted to see how Bond really became an unstoppable MI6 agent then Casino Royale showcases it in spectacular style.
So far my review has come off as more of a drooling fanboy appraisal than as serious critique, but I can't help it: it really is that good. I was on the edge of my seat with my mouth open as Craig and freerunner Sebastien Foucan ran, jumped and dodged around a building site in Madagascar in the movies stand-out scene, and was equally intrigued by the plot's delicately intricate web of bad guys and their lust for money. Though one criticism could be made of the weak baddies (Le Chiffre and his cohorts are certainly not as tough, powerful or vicious as in previous outings) the lack of a power-crazed madman with his finger on the insane button was strangely refreshing.
Craig, as I have already pointed out, is perfectly cast (there's nothing wrong with a blond-haired, blue-eyed Bond dammit!), and he has above-average support from Green, Mikkelsen, Giannini and, of course, Dench. While I'm not a huge fan of Green, and her English accent, she performed admirably in a role which normally demands nothing but to look pretty. Lynd, like most of the characters, is fully-realised and not your standard 2-D Bond stock part. The progress of Vesper Lynd, from regular Treasury department officer to worldy, murder-witnessing accomplice was a delightful surprise.
The only real complaint I have about the film, and the one which knocks it from being a 4 and a half or even 5 star film to just a 4 is the diffident ending. Le Chiffre's demise was rather unengaging for a main baddie, and the final confrontation was also something of a disappointment. Not in terms of excitement, as it was another delight, but in terms of what it meant on the grand scale of Bond victories. You'll see what I mean when you watch it, and you WILL watch it, won't you? |
