"Casino Royale" Deals a Straight Flush

Rating: 9/10 (5 January 2007)

My wife and I just returned from seeing "Casino Royale", and I give this film my wholehearted approval.
For the EON franchise, it's back to basics, the gadgets are no more sophisticated than cell phones and laptops, which just goes to show how much gadgetry has permeated every facet of our society, and instead the story is front and center, as it should be. To be short, this film is right in line with Fleming's cold war spy story "From Russia with Love", and that's a great thing, because many of us are tired of formulaic plots with action supplacing story. The twists and turns consistently support the story rather than reaching implausible dead ends that leave the viewer thinking, "What was that?" Not everything is neatly tied at the end, but one realizes that the outcome will be moot.
There are surprises, and one of the surprises is not that Craig fits the shoes of his character, but the fact that a character is developing here. Not since "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" have we seen Bond more vulnerable or accessible. This Bond is human, and while Craig's emotional display mirrors that of Timothy Dalton's performances, Craig's range goes farther. This is exactly what this series has needed for decades, and for once we're not getting a comic book hero with lots of popcorn-spilling chase scenes that pad the running time.
Dame Judi Dench gets some of the best lines, and my only regret is she'll get too old for the part for many more movies. She is a wonderful counterpart to Craig and occupies Bernard Lee's desk proudly.
One wonders, though, if this good combination will last. Obviously, this is the last Fleming novel to be filmed reasonably faithfully, and stories will be left to copycats, so those writers will have large shoes to fill indeed. I hope that no one is considering remaking any of the Connery era films to bring continuity to a nearly 50 year-old series. That would be a most grievous mistake.
"Casino Royale" is a most welcome return to form.
Cheers: Nice update, story, serious tone, realistic, sparer production, suspense, strategy, character studies with wider emotional range, appropriate violence, soundtrack, sensible plot twists, well-placed jokes, casting, direction, set design, film locations.
Caveats: Craig physically villainous, missing familiar series' elements, the last Fleming novel to be filmed.