What a disappointment!

Rating: 1/10 (24 November 2006)

Say "James Bond" and you picture a suave, sophisticated gentleman who just happens to be an incredible secret agent. The James Bond of earlier movies would never call his leading lady a "bitch" as this Bond does with the woman he claims to love. Beyond the disappointment in the way this Bond is played, is the disappointment with the movie itself. The plot line simply doesn't exist. Characters come and go, and their reason for existence seems to be little more than an excuse for another show of pyrotechnics or gunfire. To some degree you expect that with a Bond movie, but this movie seems mean-spirited, disjointed, and lacking in a basic story line. When the action settles down -- as it did in the poker scene at Casino Royale -- there is no story to keep your interest and you find yourself hoping that the movie will be over soon. The ending makes no sense and serves only as a clumsy excuse to kill off the leading lady. This movie is a waste of time -- start to finish.