New Bond, New Martini, A New High

Rating: 10/10 (29 November 2006)

Bond is most definitely back!!! Finally a Bond movie that develops character instead of story. I was getting tired of the same thing over and over again. A new villain that's going to take over the world. More gadgets that don't exist. And more of the same thing over and over again. They were touching into the genre of sci-fi/fantasy more than drama/action. Nothing was real.
This is the only film franchise created that didn't need any originality, which is the whole point to making films.
Martin Campbell wanted to give Bond a new flavor and new twist. There was no point in doing another Bond film if it wouldn't be different. I believe he made excellent choices.
Casino Royale is the first Bond story. His first assignment as 007. And casting a tough, rugged, and very sexy Daniel Craig was the first step.
Daniel Craig is hands down the NEW James Bond!!! Both he and Campbell were the first to tell the world who Bond is as a man. Something that we as the audience have never really been given before. It was wonderful to personally get to know everyone's favorite spy.
He was still learning to the ropes to being an international spy. He was but good, but he was also arrogant, reckless, and had a huge ego. He was rugged and tough, and had this irresistible charm and humor that I couldn't resist. He was learning how to become suave like the Bond we know.
I fell in love with Daniel Craig as Bond very quickly. It was the first scene between James and M. I couldn't help but think his attitude and arrogance attractive.
And I thought Bond genuinely falling in love was good for the story. Eva Green was fantastic as Vesper Lynd and has become my favorite Bond Girl. Vesper and James' continual bashing of each other was great. I loved the scene on the train where they met for the first time. Sizing each other up. Fantastic. And soon after that in the car while going over the last details of their covers. The chemistry between these two is the one of the best as James and Bond Girl.
One of my favorite scenes in the film is when they are getting dressed for the first night of the game. James gives her a dress to wear and she gives him a suit to wear. As he finishes putting this suit on and glances at himself in the mirror, we get our first glimpse of the Bond he will soon become and the Bond we all know. There are little shots like this placed all through the movie, which is great.
I loved the scene where he creates a new martini. And eventually he calls it a Vesper. I'm sure that drink will be served and asked for a bars all over the world soon enough. He has such an adorable sense of humor in this film that he has never had before. It really makes him a bad boy good guy that you can't help to fall in love with.
And the scene after the first part of the poker game, after James kills those two guys and finds Vesper in the shower afterward, still in her dress. It shows the vulnerability of both Vesper and James. It's rare we get to see that from Bond and the Girl.
This story was all about character. Before this film, the James Bond franchise was the same thing over and over again. The only reason it was 20 films long was because people would go and watch the films just because they were Bond. There was nothing original about them. It was getting ridiculous. Casino Royale is the savior of the James Bond franchise.
Something else that was very different was the villain Le Chiffre, played by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen. He was fantastic. I had seen some of his films before, and he has been one of my fav actors for a while. But I have never seen him play a villain before, and was so excited to see him in this one. For once there was no villain trying to take over the world, which was a relief. I enjoyed the fact that Le Chiffre was just a financier for terrorist, which I'm sure there are people like him around today. He was a sophisticated and intelligent, more than our hero, which is great story. James was an underdog, which has not happened very often if at all. He was so intimidating. The scar on his eye. the crying blood. The chip flip thing he does during thegames. And I think he is blind in one eye. You never quite know what he is thinking, which is very intimidating. Everything about him was intimidating. That was his character. He intimidated me as an audience member. It was fantastic acting by Mads'.
This brings me to the poker game. I can understand how difficult it had been to make a poker game very intense and climatic. And it was accomplished very well. The scene where James believes Le Chiffre to be bluffing, and he is really not. We and our characters realize that Le Chiffre is more intelligent than we believed him to be. And this is the point where James becomes to underdog. Also a great moment where James is poisoned and should be dead, but comes back to the game. Very good and entertaining reaction from Le Chiffre. Even though their was no action, these scenes were very intense because of the shot angles and acting, which is quite an accomplishment.
This film was a fresh of breath air for the franchise. For once, it was different and original and very real on every aspect. The story was real, the characters, the villain, the action.