Page 54 - Phonebox Magazine January 2007

FILM REVIEW
Casino Royale
y Jake Cochrane
ver since Sean Connery stamped his ersona on the role of Bond in “Dr No” in 962, this charmingly handsome yet angerous spy with a license to kill has een thrilling cinema audiences worldwide.
Casino Royale”, however, is not just
nother Bond movie and its not only about ow good the movie is, it’s very much about ow good the new Bond is. The answer is ery good indeed.
Casino Royale” is the most entertaining ond film since “Goldfinger,” simply
ecause its what Bond movies are all about:
iolence, charm, wit, big fights, chases, cool
cars and beautiful women who have their arms (and hearts) wrapped around the hero. This is not a gadget movie; this is back to a real spy story. In fact, this is the first Bond film since "The Living Daylights" to be based upon an Ian Fleming book.
In the opening scene, Bond is seen getting rough in a black-and-white prologue that fantastically opens up the atmosphere of the film. It harkens back to cold war stylishness and cold-blooded action. We know from the outset that this is a ruthless man as he calmly dispatches some traitorous elements of HM Government’s employ with typical Bond panache.
Daniel Craig isn’t the happiest or corniest Bond we have ever seen. He’s a quite
vicious and fairly selfish Bond with a temper that easily surfaces. He plays a rather naïve Bond at the beginning of his career and the film tells the story of how Bond's legacy and legendary charm was born, taking us through the early stages of the making of the man. Craig also delivers a brilliant one liner while ordering a drink during a break in the film’s fascinating poker game sequence that puts paid to any doubts over his abilities to make the role his own.
54 Phonebox Magazine
Judy Dench plays ‘M’ again and the relationship between her and Bond is one that will develop with the future films. But the strongest relationship in the movie is the one between Bond and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), a neurotic yet beautiful dame who immediately seduces Bond and, like most of the stories; Bond does the same to her. She’s dangerous, but she’d do almost anything for Bond’s life, as we see when he almost has a cardiac arrest.
Bond’s one-liners will always be remembered, along with Groucho Marx’s, Woody Allen’s and possibly even some of the Star Wars quotes. The film’s style is perfect. If I were asked to say with certainty which movies will be widely- known a century or two from now, I would list “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Star Wars” and “The Wizard of Oz,” and Keaton and Chaplin, and Astaire and Rodgers, and probably “Casablanca”... and the Bond movies for sure. n
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