Casino Royale

DVD, Casino Royale (2006) film

Like the monochrome opening sequence, this film is in hard and stark contrast to what’s gone before. If your idea of Bond is a sit-round-at-Christmas family experience, then you’re in for a rude awakening. Bond is no longer ‘cuddly’ and safe, he’s now more edgy, with less of the classic one-liners and more of the pugilist put-downs. Mind you, after all the rigours he gets put through here you can allow him some degree of grumpiness. And to be fair, he does portray the humour and charm we’re more used to but in a quieter way, letting his fists do the talking...

He’s never found true happiness and he’s probably not going to do so this time. In fact we find out the reason he’s so hard to know in the later stories, with a more vulnerable Bond than has been seen before. Ian Fleming’s original novel’s influence, the first story about the English spy, is felt heavily and apparently stayed close to the story, right down to the famous card game. One criticism that has been levelled at the film is that sequence which is a large part of the story, and perhaps loses some of the momentum unless you are familiar with the intricacies of the game, though some interesting events occur during the recess: Bond’s return to the game is more heroic than you’d expect...

Bond’s first mission is more about the physical rigours of an agent than more familiar elements of guns, gadgets and girls - indeed, there are a lot of changes for long-term viewers, but also a few nods to the past. While the well worn theme tune is practically nonexistent, the soundtrack is buoyed by the stirring ‘You Know My Name’ which is as good as any before it, particularly striking up during the action sequences. The opening credits sequence is worth mentioning too as it goes back to the classic 60’s designs, with less of the psychedelic and more art nouveau animation, and makes for an impressive opener, especially with that rousing theme. There are knowing uses of the traditional elements of Bond (including a fancy car, which was destroyed during the rolling sequence and actually broke the world record for barrel rolls!), and a chance to see Bond’s first meeting with recurring character Felix Leiter, CIA. Dialogue is only cringe-inducing during the forced product placement when characters blatantly draw attention to brands; it mars the rare scenes it occur in.

I felt more detached from the character because of the unusual vulnerability and lack of charm of this ogre of a gorilla, which seemed to lessen the character a bit, where the previous, Brosnan Bond, gained a lot of sympathy through his witty words and sharp suits. Perhaps he’s more a working man’s Bond and Daniel Craig certainly works hard to show the reality in the painful situations he faces, and proves a fine action hero. It was just the subtleties and humour I missed, but perhaps they are even more subtle this time?

The villain Le Chiffre was okay, but skill on the card table isn’t one of the most evil machinations I can recall, and he lacked a strong presence, with events occasionally out of his control, thus lessening his threat status and diminishing Bond’s heroic, though he does have plenty of villains to deal with. (And he didn’t have a vast underground lair, but that’s just a quibble).

Realism of settings and events is much higher compared with the sometimes cartoony, borderline sci-fi of recent films - no room for invisible cars here, which perhaps is a shame, but does give an excuse to put Bond through the wringer with less reliance on gadgets and “no cavalry coming over the hill” as one character puts it. This is assisted by the lack of CGI effects to overshadow the story as many modern films end up using them to their detriment. Here they’re used sparingly, with Craig in there doing the stunts in most cases, making for a much more involved experience for the audience, not being taken out of the action by a hokey computer shot. However, as seems to have become common in recent years, fight scenes, while fairly brutal, tend to be too juddery on the camera moves and less about the graceful hairsbreadth escapes than in the past, though this style suits one scene well: as Bond fights a machete-wielding assassin on a stairwell, tumbling, leaping and defending himself and his girl. Bond is as always best when dealing with nefarious types, and my favourite moment was probably the desperate fight in the driving seat of a petrol tanker on course for a plane (look out for the director who made a cameo as the guy who gets killed filling up the tanker).

The film justifies it’s 12A rating with the infamous torture scene, that manages to keep on the right side of acceptability by Bond’s gallows humour, but it doesn’t hold back on his suffering. And suffer he does in this film, he’s put through all kinds of pain, from crashing through walls, to a constant pummelling from the baddies. The most impressive being the ‘free running’ sequence an unstoppable race after a villain - every few moments smacking into something or leaping to the ground, relentless despite injury: beaten, bruised and bludgeoned, poisoned, punched and pleased to get a holiday by the end, no doubt. Called a blunt instrument by M, with whom he shares an interesting association, much like the Brosnan-era of not doing things the way she’d like. M seems a harsher character, and after being unsure whether he should have been promoted to ‘00’ status, only at the end does she tell him he finally understands the position.

Bond has always been a bit grey in the morals department and this is lightly skimmed over in the film, but after the closing credits he’s definitely become a different man, his ‘armour’ forever up to everyone, making for a downbeat ending. However the threads that run through of a mysterious organisation called Ellipsis make you want to see the next one soon to find out what it’s all about. It's just a shame the sequel 'Quantum of Solace' took a lot of backward steps while also, like every action film since the mid-noughties, trying to be Bourne, but making it an editorial jumble. It doesn't tarnish this film's quality, but when you know the annoying way they tied up the story, it doesn't have that anticipation that we were left with before the sequel came out.

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