001. The story
In his twenty-first – and paradoxically, his first – mission, James Bond (Daniel Craig) earns his 007 spurs by playing cards, inventing a new cocktail, having his bollocks flayed in a metal dungeon and flouting M’s instructions with an assured bolshiness that would make Timothy Dalton proud.
002. The villains
The movie’s one major failing is in its bad guys. Neither Mads Mikkelsen nor Jesper Christensen (as Le Chiffre and Mr White respectively) conveys anything like the requisite level of menace necessary for a Bond villain.
Rene Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) is an excellent character but – as Quantum of Solace proves – not a baddie at all, which leaves ‘slimy bugger’ Alex Demetrios (Simon Abkharian) as the only vaguely convincing wrongdoer – and even he’s dead by the second reel.
003. The girls
Eva Green is stunning in every sense as the haunted, magnificent Vesper Lynd. In a tribute to the range of emotions with which the actress imbues her, Vesper’s most memorable scenes are opposite extremes: when she’s crying in a hotel shower after witnessing some bloody violence and much later, near the end of the movie, when she seems genuinely happy and carefree and in love with Bond.
Of course, things aren’t what they seem, and the rookie double-oh is about to have his iron heart broken by ‘The Money’.
004. Best moments
The high-octane sequence at Miami Airport and the spectacular car crash on a dark Montenegrin road have rightly been praised as superb, while the physicality of the building site chase is likewise highly-regarded.
However, the jaunty, throwaway destructiveness of Bond’s vengeance against the snotty tourist who mistakes him for a valet – ‘Certainly sir ... sorry sir’ – always stands out as a highlight – particularly as an example to shove in the faces of those who decry Daniel Craig’s interpretation of the character as humourless.
005. Trivia
» Amelie star Audrey Tautou was originally set to play the part of Vesper.
» The scene at the Body Worlds exhibit means Casino Royale is the first Bond film in which actual corpses are seen on screen.
» Casino Royale marks the third time that Bond has resigned from MI6, the previous occasions being in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Licence To Kill.
» Based on Ian Fleming’s first novel, Casino Royale had previously been adapted as a big screen spoof of the spy genre in 1967, starring David Niven, Peter Sellers and Woody Allen as characters named ‘James Bond’.
» Born in 1968, Daniel Craig is the first actor to play James Bond who is younger than the series itself (launched in 1962).
006. Best quotes.
» Oddly, given the circumstances, Bond spends most of the scene in which Le Chiffre tortures him in fits of laughter. ‘Now the whole world’s going to know that you died scratching my balls!’ he guffaws.
» ‘I’m Mr Arlington Beech, professional gambler, and you’re Miss Stephanie Broadchest ...’
» ‘Christ, I miss the Cold War,’ moans M.
» ‘As charming as you are, Mr Bond,’ Vesper lies, ‘I will be keeping my eye on our government’s money and off your perfectly-formed arse.’
» The only line of Fleming’s to make it from the page to the screen is unforgettable: ‘The job’s done and the bitch is dead.’
007. The verdict
Some have dismissed Casino Royale as too much of a reaction to the Bourne series which all but usurped the 007 franchise in the hiatus after Die Another Day: a great action movie, but lacking the unique charm that characterises the best of the Bonds.
While this is true to an extent (Craig has an exceptional physical presence and brooding menace, but his moments of wry wit will never be enough for those who hanker for the sparkling entendre of classic Roger Moore), it’s also inevitable, as the alchemy of sex, swagger and sadism that made the series a success in the ‘60s and ’70s simply can’t be recreated in the enlightened modern age. Thankfully, there are enough classic elements to make this film recognisably Bondian and a fantastic action flick to boot.
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