Casino Royale ups the ante

Rating: 8/10 (14 October 2007)

"Casino Royale" represents a fundamental shift in the James Bond series. After the mediocrity of "Die Another Day" (2002) the producers of this film decided that the series needed an overhaul. I've enjoyed other Bond films, and I liked Pierce Brosnan's portrayal of Bond, but after "Die Another Day" I welcome the changes to the series.
Daniel Craig is the new James Bond. He still injects some of the conventional Bond humor into the role, but overall plays him with a harder edge. Craig gives a solid performance and successfully reinvents the character. The film tends to linger a little too long on Craig's shirtless body at points, but that's a minor complaint. Eva Green plays Bond's female companion Vesper Lynd. She creates an interesting, sassy and intelligent character. I only wish she would take off some of that eye makeup. Admittedly I was always ambivalent about Judi Dench's semi-antagonistic style as M, but she gets better as the film progresses. Unfortunately Mads Mikkelsen is not compelling as Bond's rival Le Chiffre. His acting is fine, but the character never amounts to more than a generic villain.
At first I was disconcerted by the fact that this film blatantly contradicts the timeline established by other Bond films, but I accepted that this film has a new timeline for a new Bond. Many of the conventions of Bond films are missing: there is no Moneypenny, no special gadgets and no cars with missiles. While these elements were effective in Bond films of the past, I didn't miss them here.
There are still plenty of action sequences, and they were well-done even if the first one is overlong. The film's poker scenes were staged with enough tension that they didn't become boring. A welcome change in this film is that the plot is more rigorous. The series' answer to the tedious story of "Die Another Day" is more ambiguity and plot twists than the usual Bond fare. There have been more interesting Bond stories, but it's a good answer none the less, and I look forward to seeing future installments in this new Bond timeline.