After the hype...

Rating: 7/10 (27 November 2006)

Now that everyone's calmed down a bit perhaps we can find some perspective on this film. Casino Royale is not a particularly good Bond film that will not play well on television and in years to come will be regarded as one of the most pedestrian of the series. First, the good points. Daniel Craig. He can clearly act, looks muscular, has a nice line in economical humour and is to the point, often ruthlessly so. Some of the dialogue is snappy and crisp, particularly the male/female exchanges - you could almost smell the Haggis. But that's only SOME of the dialogue - a lot of it, and there is a lot of it, is dry. (Great last line, though.) The trouble with the movie is that it is deliberately joyless. Much of what made the Bond universe such fun - the over the top villains, the ludicrous gadgets, the massive set pieces - have been jettisoned. With the exception of the initial chase and the Miami Airport scene, there's little memorable action going on. A film that has as its central scene a game of cards, for that's what it is, has a problem. The game just isn't cinematic, and no matter how simplified the rules are for us, it's not 100% clear what's going on. Cards with a banker. What thrills. Very long, often slow, rarely electrifying, Casino Royale will sell a lot of tickets and give Richard Branson a little giggle, but won't go down as a great Bond film, or even a great film.