Review of Casino Royale (1954) by Gerald B — 01 Oct 2013

This film has become my gold standard by which all other Bond films are measured. It sounds ridiculous because Casino Royale does not follow any of the patterns from the Bond films of the past. Famous lines are never uttered, not one nifty gadget is ever used, and heaven forbid he's blonde! But seriously, this reboot has a very different feel from any prior Bond movie. Daniel Craig's portrayal of Bond is so far removed from Brosnan's that it's almost silly to hear them both called by the same name. Seldom in the history of the franchise has Bond been more human than he is in Casino Royale. Sure he is still amazingly agile, intelligent, and brave but somehow we can identify with him. A big part of that is the fact that he experiences real emotions. Love and heartbreak actually exist in his world. Perhaps the most remarkable difference between this Bond and the Bond of the past is that he makes mistakes. Fallibility helps us connect with characters and empathize with their struggles. This Bond actually gets hurt, frequently, which also makes him feel real. I could just go on and on, but I'll spare you the gushing, suffice it to say Craig was a great casting decision.

Speaking of great casting decisions, Eva Green is perfect. She is prickly and terse at the beginning, but you can feel her slowly succumbing to her emotions and falling for Bond. I loved the little surprise reveal of Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, because I never saw it coming when I first saw the film, and it was nice to have a beloved character from the Bond novels back in action. The cast of villains are all delightfully evil, and it's easy to hate them. It's pretty remarkable how they managed to make Le Chiffre so unlikeable that I felt no sympathy when his life was threatened by some of his clients. Finally the entertaining Giancarlo Giannini gives us an old, grizzled veteran to play a nice counterpoint to the new Bond. He's left with the difficulty of plot exposition frequently, and even explaining the game of Texas Hold 'Em a couple times, but he does it in a way that you hardly notice that's what he's doing. Overall a great cast that impresses me every time I watch the film.

Oh, I'm not done singing the praises of Casino Royale. We also have some of the greatest action sequences in Bond history. The parkouring chase scene looks amazing. The fight on the airport runway is so good. Even something as simple as a Bond's first kill is gritty and intense. But what makes this film unique isn't the action, it is the love story, something that almost feels out of place in a Bond film. We're so used to Bond being a user of women, remaining emotionally detached. Perhaps that is what gives this relationship that added heart-breaking power, because we see a man who always remained distant suddenly allowing his barriers to come down. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the only other Bond film I can remember with that kind of emotion. Although Casino Royale is quite different from what viewers have come to expect in James Bond films, I find it to be a refreshing change and the best movie in the franchise. If I were to admit any fault it would be that the film is perhaps a little long, but since I enjoy it so much I relish every minute of it's 2.5 hour runtime.