13 replies to this topic

[sharpshooter]

Re: Previous doubters of Casino Royale and Daniel Craig, Bond has an uncanny ability to frequently cheat death. Casino Royale emerges as one of the best of the Bond series. It shocks, thrills and entertains in equal measure.

The film opens in black and white with James Bond, not yet a Double O agent, on a mission to kill another British agent who had sold British secrets. The black and white show his life before 007, to make it stand out as significant and important as a scene, and it silently lets the audience know this isn't going to be the same ride as before.

Bond makes his first two kills to qualify for Double O status. The first, the British agent's associate, in a brutal fist fight in a bathroom. The scene is shown in quick rapid fire bursts involving shattering porcelain tiles, as Bond struggles to overcome his first victim in cold hearted execution. Bond coldly manages to drown the contact in a wash basin, and is visibly emotionally shocked by his grim glance afterward.

The traitorous agent is killed with one shot and with 'considerably' more ease. The killing of the associate merges into the gunbarrel sequence, a modern and realistic clean artillery piece with faster falling, vertical 3D blood that leads into the opening titles.

The opening strains of the song You Know My Name begin, performed by Chris Cornell. The song accompanies the title sequence. The lyrics do not contain the words

[Loomis]

Excellent stuff, sharpshooter. Very well-written, and very, very true. The only thing I'd quibble with is your assertion that CASINO ROYALE "emerges as one of the best of the Bond series" - I'd say it's the best. And you've done a splendid job of explaining why.

[sharpshooter]

Cheers

[solace]

Absolutely Spot on Sharpshooter. Well written. Their isnt a line in this I disagree with.

[Conlazmoodalbrocra]

Fantastic review, a really professional job. I totally agree with pretty much every word!

[HH007]

[Trident]

A very fine piece of work! In many ways what I myself thought of the film. Splendidly well-written review.

[sharpshooter]

Thank you all for the kind compliments. Nice to know that the time and effort is appreciated.

[00Twelve]

Fantastic review and recap, sharpshooter. I'm with Loomis-- THE best. Just a whole different level of maturity. By the way, was Le Chiffre's blood-weeping eye a glass eye? If that's been understood and I've missed it the whole time, I'll feel like a horse's patoot.

The animated Bond resembles the literary Bond. At the end of the opening credits, when the animated Bond is walking towards the camera and turns into Craig, the change from the"literary Bond image to Craig's Bond symbolises the fact that the true literary Bond has been brought to screen.

I've never explicitly said this before, but I felt the exact same way about that.

[Bondian]

Brilliant review, sharpshooter.

[DamnCoffee]

A Brilliant Review SharpShooter ... you have just made be wanna watch Casino Royale all over again.

[ImTheMoneypenny]

Excellent review!

I've never run out and bought a soundtrack to a film before until Casino Royale. It's gorgeous, lush in places and absolutely sexy in others.

Le Chiffre's weeping blood reminded me of a class mate of my sister's back in school. The girl bled through both eyes like the rest of us would have a nose bleed.

I have to say though I love FRWL and LALD I could watch Casino Royale again and again!

[dodge]

I can't believe this didn't have a spoiler alert! How'm I supposed to see, and enjoy, the bloody film now?

[HH007]

As I stated earlier, for your review. However, if I may offer one critique... unless I missed it, you don't mention Vesper once in the entire piece.

She was a pretty important part of the movie, afterall.