Review of "Casino Royale"

Rating: 10/10 (3 July 2011)

"Casino Royale" is the story of ,MI6 agent, James Bond's (Daniel Craig) first mission. Fresh off of receiving the coveted "00" status, Bond begins the long and elaborate task of bankrupting the world's top terrorist financier, Le Chiffre (Mikkelson). Now, I am, proudly, a James Bond fan myself and when I had heard that they were going to reboot the franchise ala "Batman Begins"; I was elated. Because honestly the last few Bond films have been something off a showcase of silliness. After watching "Casino Royale" I can safely say that this film effectively restores the Bond film series, as well as the James Bond name, to everything that author Ian Fleming had originally intended. This film features one of the most dynamic portrayals of the character I've ever seen on film. Sure, everything from the previous films is there (the charm, wit, etc.), but Actor Daniel Craig brings some aspects to the character I've never seen before. He does a really profound job at accentuating just how much of a cold bastard 007 really is. Though he also does a good job at depicting the more loving side of Bond -like I said. . .dynamic. With all these different shades of Bond in tow, Craig creates, quite possibly, my favorite representation of the character. Eva Green does a fine job in her role as the beguiling treasury agent, Vesper Lynd. Green and Craig construct a deep kind of chemistry that I have yet to see any other "Bond and Bond-girl" develop on film. Also, cheers to Mads Mikkelson for playing one of the creepiest Bond-villains I've ever seen. In terms of technicalities, The camera-work is very clean, and editing is logical and accurate. The soundtrack utilizes the classic Bond Theme, but it also employs some extra nuances that I found to be quite suitable for the overall tone of the film. The screenplay is very well written, giving Bond some of the funniest lines I've ever heard his character say. The action is there too, as this movie features some of the coolest and most intimidating set pieces I've seen on film. I mean like some real "Uncharted 2" stuff happens in this movie- pretty awesome. Anyways, I sincerely enjoyed "Casino Royale", for it re-establishes the James Bond franchise in a place that I feel is very fresh and provocative. Awesometacular.