This movie is new from the start. This might be your
first Bond film you have seen. Actually, it was the first Bond. It was Ian
Fleming’s first James Bond book, and he was still trying to find out who the
character was. Ebert noted, “The longtime Saltzman-Broccoli producing team
could never get their hands on the rights until now, despite earlier misadventures
by others using the same title, and maybe it's just as well, because it
provides a fresh starting place. And it returns to the family fold; with her
father's passing, Barbara Broccoli is producer.”
Yes, Daniel Craig makes
an awesome Bond: Slimmer, more silent, less women-obsessed, and able to be hurt
inside and out, not caring if his martini is shaken or stirred. Ebert admitted,
“That doesn't make him the "best" Bond, because I've long since given
up playing that pointless ranking game; Sean Connery was first to plant the
flag, and that's that.” However, Daniel Craig kills it as Bond, in a movie that
makes a new world for the character.
Every time a new Bond
film was released, it was like seeing a ritual. There was the opening stunt
scene that didn’t do anything for the story, except to dissolve into the
titles, the title song, Miss Moneypenny, M with a mission of life-threatening
to the country, Q with some new gadgets, an antagonist, a series of hot women,
some damsels, some evil, all frequently in areas of scantily clad, the
villain’s devious plan, Bond’s near death, and a lot of chases. It could be
great, it could be usual, but you always knew about where you were in the
stages.
Ebert said, “With
"Casino Royale," we get to the obligatory concluding lovey-dovey on
the tropical sands, and then the movie pulls a screeching U-turn and starts up
again with the most sensational scene I have ever seen set in Venice, or most
other places.” It’s a movie that keeps on giving.
This time, no Moneypenny,
no Q, and Judi Dench is back as M, given a larger role, and allowed to look
really hard and disapprove to the dangerous Bond. Ebert noted, “This time, no
dream of world domination, but just a bleeding-eyed rat who channels money to
terrorists. This time a poker game that is interrupted by the weirdest trip to
the parking lot I've ever seen. This time, no laser beam inching up on Bond's
netherlands, but a nasty knotted rope actually whacking his hopes of heirs.”
Ebert went on to say, “And
this time, no Monte Carlo, but Montenegro, a fictional casino resort, where
Bond checks into the "Hotel Splendid," which is in fact, yes, the
very same Grand Hotel Pupp in Karlovy Vary where Queen Latifah had her culinary
vacation in "Last Holiday." That gives me another opportunity to
display my expertise on the Czech Republic by informing you that
"Pupp" is pronounced "poop," so no wonder it's the
Splendid.”
Ebert continues, “I never
thought I would see a Bond movie where I cared, actually cared, about the
people. But I care about Bond, and about Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), even though I
know that (here it comes) a Martini Vesper is shaken, not stirred. Vesper Lynd,
however, is definitely stirring, as she was in Bertolucci's wonderful "The
Dreamers." Sometimes shaken, too.” Vesper and Bond have a shower scene
that finally answers why nobody in a Bond movie ever looks like they have any
real emotions.
Ebert said, “A review
should not be a list. So I should not enumerate all the scenes I liked. But I
learn from IMDb that the special credit for the "free running" scenes
of Sabastian Foucan refers to the sensational opening Madagascar foot chase in
which Foucan practices parkour, or the ability to run at walls and angles and
bounce off them to climb or change direction; Jackie Chan could do similar
feats.”
Which brings us to
another point. Most of the chases and stunts in “Casino Royale” take place in
something unclearly guessing real space and time. Ebert said, “Of course I know
they use doubles and deceptive camera angles and edits to cover impossibilities,
but the point is: They try to make it look real.” Recently, with the start of
portable cameras and CGI editing, action movies have replaced visual disaster
for visual beauty.
Ebert mentioned, “I think
the public is getting tired of action sequences that are created in
post-production. I've been swamped with letters complaining about "The
Bourne Ultimatum." One guy said, "Why don't critics admit they're
tired of it?" Actually, we're tired of writing about how tired of it we
are.”
The plot focuses on a
series of high-stakes poker game, where Bond will try to remove le Chiffre,
played by Mad Mikkelsen, of 10 million or more pounds that would go to finance
terrorism. Le Chiffre (“The Cypher”) has problems on his own, because he owes
so much money to the people who give him what he needs. Director Martin
Campbell builds suspense in the extended poker game by really focusing a lot
for long periods of times on the eyes of the two people, which is very much
effective because Le Chiffre’s left eye has tears of blood, queuing a classic
Bond line. Bond not being at the poker table is more than ordinary interest.
This is the second Bond
film that Campbell directed, after “Goldeneye,” but he makes it into his own
and everyone else’s usual. He’s helped by Craig, who gives the idea of a tough
guy, damaged by life and his job, who actually does care about people and right
and wrong. To some extent, the earlier Bonds were shameless experts. With this
one, since he has a huge scene involving a merchant’s house in Venice, we can
give ourselves a pass for knowing that if you hit him, he bleeds.
As the first Bond film
that the great Daniel Craig played 007, he really killed it in here. In my
opinion, he is on par with Connery as the best Bond. I can’t decide which one
is better because they are both good in their own ways. On top of that,
everything in this movie is just edge-of-your-seat excitement that will keep
you engaged from beginning to end. If you want to start off with Craig’s 007
films, it’s a great place to start. This is another 007 movie that is a must
see because this could be the best Bond movie ever, but that’s debatable.
LazerDude99 and Jeremy Jahns both said this is their favorite Bond, which I can
understand.
Seeing how Craig made a
great debut as Bond, check in tomorrow to see if the next one will be good or
bad in “James Bond Month.”
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