A worthy addition to the Bond collection

Rating: 7/10 (16 November 2006)

After months of anticipation, 'Casino Royale' was revealed to be, at least for me, a rather enjoyable thriller. Perhaps it wasn't the best Bond but it was a worthy addition to the collection.
Based upon the first of Ian Flemming's novels, 'Casino Royale' sees Bond newly promoted to '00' status meaning he now has a license to kill and this is a license he intends to put to very good use. His assignment as 007 first leads him to a terrorist cell then to LeChiffre, who is raising his funds in a high-powered poker game that he can't afford to lose.
This was a darker, more aggressive Bond and Daniel Craig definitely captured that essence to the character, a man who's not afraid to kill or to put his life on the line because he's still young enough not to care. This Bond was also more human in that he can feel pain and can be injured even if he does endured it all with military prowess. I did feel Craig was a shade too old for the role, however, as the arrogance and ego of this younger Bond would have suited a man who looked no older than his mid-thirties and was still relishing the novelty of his new '00' status. He might be in his late thirties but he looks a good decade older. That said, now this 'origins' storyline is over, I think he will be better suited as an older, veteran Bond in subsequent films (although had they cast a younger Bond, he would have been able to do more films than Craig is surely destined to do). Judi Dench was excellent as always though as she reprised her role as the cool, self-assured 'M' but this time it seemed fitting there was almost a touch of concern in her tone towards Bond, who is meant to be still quite fresh-faced in his duties.
The actual plot-line was very involving, shifting between multiple villains in the tradition of the novel. I imagine some folk might find the poker scenes a bit tiring, especially if they are unfamiliar with the game, but the action and fight scenes more than make up for that as Bond proves that he didn't spend his training days learning how to sip martinis and wear a tux. The violence is raw and all necessary in comparison with other action films where it's added because it looks good or will make a nice scene in the video game. Also, the whole set up of M16 reflects on a post September 11th era where intelligence services are both under pressure to produce results and under surveillance by the press to ensure they don't abuse their powers and this works well to compliment the moodier tone of the film and Bond.
Yet there were a number of flaws I found with 'Casino Royale'. The first was the length; a good twenty minutes towards the end could have been shaved down. Secondly, the villains, including LeChiffre, lacked substance. Not enough effort was made to give them personality and make them more three-dimensional. The result was, it was hard to care one way or the other what happened to them compared with other villains in previous Bond films that either left the audience admiring their audacity or eager to see them die. Also, Vesper-- the Bond girl-- was a another character who lacked depth and it was hard to understand how Bond suddenly fell for her when there was little chemistry between them nor were there any scenes to suggest they felt a romantic connection. Product placement of Sony and Ford was a major annoyance in the film to the point where I've been put off both after being overly-advertised to. It just cheapened the film seeing Sony products being shown off right, left and centre. That, and a better song could have been chosen for accompanying the title credits, especially since a film where a new actor is debuting as Bond deserves something more memorable.
Personally, Craig isn't the best Bond nor was this the best Bond film but 'Casino Royale' surpassed my expectations and I'm sure other Bond fans who doubted him will probably find him, at the very least, acceptable in the role and will be willing to give him a chance in another film. It will be interesting to see how he depicts the character shifting from headstrong, aggressiveness to collected maturity (yet still deadly) as Bond gains more experience. One last thing, this film was rated a 12A but, parents, do think twice about bringing your younger, more sensitive children as there are some scenes which can be quite brutal.