Give me the movie under another name and I would love it

Rating: 6/10 (11 December 2006)

This is not a Bond movie. Is it a bad movie? Not very. Is it a great movie? Again, not very much. It is a decent movie with a decent plot, just not Bond material. I couldn't see what so many people liked about it.
Maybe I am up against many but Goldeneye was to me a great movie. Both in plot and in action. I have seen the old Bond movies, though I am not a very big fan of the old franchise.
You can watch Casino Royale if you want a grittier Bond, but for me there is a serious lack of that charismatic persona which Connery and Brosnan carries. Craig can pack a hard punch but can't carry out a witty one liner for all the money in the world.
Many have said that the Bond movies of the last decade were lost in gimmicks and gadgets. Bond movies come once in four years and once every four years I would like to see such gadgets. Reality, I can see anywhere. The only electronics you get in Casion Royale is advertisement for Sony (Ericcson, Viao,......). I can see them in any retail outlet, thank you. Oh and I forgot about the defibrillator. The medical kit is the most sophisticated thing you will find in the movie. No rockets, no remote controlled cars, no exploding pens, no satellites. I came to the hall to watch Q in action and instead I got a doctor.
And after a spectacular chase sequence 10 minutes into the movie, and a decent airport scene, the movie starts sagging. For the first time ever, Bond leaves guns and takes cards, playing Texas Hold'em for 40 minutes. And for the first time you get to see Bond falling in love, to the point of resigning his job as 007. And the ending just drops leaving you unsatisfied in spite of a fallen building. Apparently it is to be continued in a sequel BOND-22 (I hope they haven't taken the title from Catch 22). I don't care if this was the story Ian Fleming wrote, I want the Bond I grew up with. This one doesn't get out of any situation without help.
Moving on from the plot, the Bond girl, Vesper Lynd (played by Eva Green) was a twist from the usual, this time for the better, with brains along with looks.
The villain, Le Chiffre (played by Mads Mikkelsen) as the asthmatic gambler was just so-so.
So on the whole the movie is just OK, for me to give a 6.