Many fans of the James Bond series were angered by the casting of Daniel Craig to portray the iconic secret agent in the latest installment, Casino Royale. Websites appeared soon afterward, asking fans to boycott the film. I myself was skeptical of Craig’s ability to portray Bond, especially because I felt he didn’t have the right look for the part. However, I was pleased to discover that Craig’s Bond is very real and very believable. I left the theatre feeling that the part is in good hands.
With Casino Royale (based on the very first Bond novel by Ian Fleming), producers go back to the original vision the infamous author had for his leading character. Bond has just been promoted to double-O status by the MI-6 head, and so the audience sees a different side of Bond. Is he suave? Yes. Cool? Of course. Perfect? No. We watch as Bond makes bad mistakes and poor calls in judgment. We watch as he learns how to control his emotions and his ego and become a more efficient agent. This character study on Bond is something that really hasn’t been explored in the 20 previous films, and so we learn a lot about how Bond becomes so calloused and cynical to the world around him. Mistrust leads to betrayal, which leads Bond to seek redemption for his rookie mistakes. The plot of the film is secondary when compared to Bond’s character.
But don’t think for a moment that the plot carries no substance. In fact, Casino Royale boasts one of the most realistic and complicated plots in the entire ‘Bond’ franchise. Threats change, enemies evolve, and betrayal is constant. Trail after trail leads Bond into a much larger world of terrorism and espionage. And of course, Bond has all the gadgets and technical equipment to see him through the mission. Wrong again. The technical whiz Q makes no appearance in the film and Bond has no incredible “toys” to help him. He must rely solely on his wits and physical prowess, which is exactly the way the Bond character was first envisioned. In fact, it’s been reported that Sean Connery (during his stint as Bond) became frustrated with the way filmmakers drifted away from Fleming’s character by introducing more and more gadgets for him to lean on during times of crisis.
One criticism I do have of the film is that at times, Bond is too realistic. I understand that if someone is in a fight for his life, he will emerge beaten, bruised, and bloody. And so, in Royale, Bond gets hurt. He gets bloody, cut, sweaty, and bruised. However, in my opinion there is something romantic about the more “untouchable” Bond. You know, the Bond who can engage in a ferocious fist fight in a tailored suit, emerge unscathed, straighten the neck tie, and simply move on. I appreciate the producers for their realism, but to me it isn’t truly Bond unless he comes out cool and collected.
Casino Royale is a refreshing reinvention of the Bond character, with an intelligent plot, great characterization, and realistic enemies. Producers have done an excellent job in adapting Bond to the current political and socialogical world scene, which makes for a timely film and not a rehashing of the same old “enemy steals nuclear warhead and threatens to take over the world” storyline.
Bottom Line: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
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