When Daniel Craig was first announced, I'll admit that I wasn't behind him 100%, but I certainly reserved my judgment and remained hopeful. After witnessing such a performance, I know that I was wrong to doubt the producers. They certainly know what they're doing! Craig has great screen presence and exudes the charm and class that were the hallmarks of Connery and Moore's Bonds. Craig also has the ruthlessness that is recognized and associated with Dalton. And when he displays true emotion, I notice bits of Lazenby (refer to the post-recovery exchange between Bond and Vesper on the beach). Craig, like Brosnan, took the stand-out traits of his predecessors and molded them into a single character. I think that Craig is very much the same only the effects are amplified greatly and the result is chilling.
The fact that the producers were going back to Fleming already proved to be a plus for me (and I was greatly pleased to show Fleming get a nod with a story credit), and the transition from the Cold War to the War on Terror was smooth and quite effective. The love story was terrifically adapted. It was very believable and still crushing at the end. No matter how many times I've witnessed Bond getting emotionally destroyed at the finale (of the book, mark you), I still manage to feel the blow. As it has been mentioned here before, I agree that in humanizing Bond and making him vulnerable to deception, in pulling away that curtain of infallibility that has shrouded Bond's character for so many years, we are drawn closer to his character. We, as men, are supposed to want to be Bond and now we are more akin to him than we can ever imagine because we can relate to him.
The supporting cast was full of excellent players, each of them a relatively fresh face that wouldn't overshadow Craig's performance, but instead enhance it. The chemistry between Bond and his allies is excellent; the initial tension between Vesper and Bond and the subsequent breaking of barriers between them; the friendly and always resourceful Mathis (mark you, with a disliked twist to his character); Felix Leiter, the man we're always happy to see, but I felt that his return should have been used more as I felt he was too much of a sideliner. I think the producers found a great villain in Mads Mikkelson; his portrayal of Le Chiffre was bone-chilling. He may not have been hell-bent on world domination and wielded a giant laser, he may have been rather small when compared to other, maybe 'grander' villains, but he made up for all this with his attitude. He brought true menace and ruthlessness to the Bond villain that hasn't been properly executed in quite some time. The weeping of blood was a nice touch of physical defect that always makes a Bond villain appear more villainous. The metal hands of Dr. No or the pain immunities of Renard are small peanuts when compared to tears of blood, something I feel to be more gruesome and thus, adds to the creepy factor and the menace of the man.
The music was certainly a change -- and a welcome one at that -- from the past few Bond scores contributed by David Arnold. He loses the 'techno' elements and sends the music in a more orchestral direction. The music matches with the scenes and adds a lot more to them. I smiled at the hints of You Know My Name and the James Bond Theme sprinkled throughout the score and I was absolutely ecstatic when the Bond theme came on in full at the end. This rendition was superb; the twang of the guitar, the blasts of the horns and the ever-rising and falling strings -- all were excellent together and really lifted me up.
Martin Campbell's direction was fantastic; I really would love to see him return for Bond 22 or even a few more films down the road. He is showing that he knows Bond. He has the material to become one of the hallmark cinematic Bond directors like Terence Young or John Glen. His direction of the action scenes was very gripping and he was able to flesh out the love scenes, but his true strength was in the poker scenes. The poker scenes were particularly suspenseful what with highlighting the player's eyes and not their cards like Bond says how poker is about the player's ability to read the player across from them. Watching Casino Royale got my heart racing, and my body sweating.
All in all, Casino Royale was an excellent installment in the Bond franchise. It brought back a much welcome dose of Fleming to the series and the character alike. The cast was inspired and the story was brilliantly adapted. The Powers That Be have certainly found James Bond in Daniel Craig and they have showed us that they can make a 'real' Bond movie without Cubby holding their hands. I walked out of the theatre with a spring in my step and a smile stretched across my face. Despite its terribly minor flaws, Casino Royale is a gem of excellent quality with exceptional hardness and a brilliant lustre.
Edited by Monsieur B, 18 November 2006 - 05:44 AM.
