Casino Royale

Directed by: Martin Campbell
Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench
Running Time: 2h 24min

Let me come right out by saying that I would consider myself a casual Bond fan. I'm not a die hard, "have to own the latest special edition box set" kind of fan, but i must admit that i have seen all the films in the franchise. In fact, i'm geeky enough to admit to having rented all the films during a Bond binge, mind you, the rentals were free at the time, so the marathon was a no brainer.

That being said, i must also admit that my favourite Bond films are the seventies/early eighties Roger Moore cheeky stunt spectacles, quite possibly because they are the ones i grew up on, and happen to have secretly watched while i was pretending to sleep when my parents took us to see a drive-in triple header of Clash of the Titans, Superman 2, and For Your Eyes Only, if my memory serves me correctly. This is not to say that Moore is my favourite portrayal of Bond, but i have a certain soft spot for the films he was in.

Now, imagine my surprise when seeing Casino Royale open without the huge ridiculous opening stunt i've come to expect. Rather, in its place is a black and white, gritty, origin piece showing us Bond's first kill on his way to 00 agent status. This is not your typical Bond! And thankfully so.

The franchise had already gone through a cycle or two of self parody and re imagining, so it is very refreshing to see the character return to his roots. This updated version fits in nicely with some other recent, play it straight, spy capers like The Bourne Identity. The consequences seem very real, Bond's emotions rise to the surface, and his love, pain, anger, and fear all fill the screen in a way no amount of explosions could.

Daniel Craig is receiving tremendous accolades and is deserving of them. He makes you forget about his predecessors, only because this take seems so different and down to earth (or at least as down to earth as a British super spy can be). He has a wonderful supporting cast, with Eva Green taking "Bond girl" status to new heights, far beyond the simple eye candy we've come to expect.

The film is exceedingly long, but does have some fine set pieces and tense moments that it can be forgiven for its indulgence. Fans and non-fans should enjoy this film, as it requires little background of the character in order to enjoy, though followers will chuckle at some of the tweaking of the conventions. I did miss Q, however, but trust that his presence would have hindered the new direction they've taken.

Grade: A-