Casino Royale

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Summary:
Bond's first mission as Doube-Oh Seven pits him against a very bad man that wants to win a high stakes poker game to further fund terrorist activies. Along the way, Bond must fight lots of people, find a romantic interest... and be a total BADASS!

Review:
I've never been a big fan of Bond movies. I get sick and tired of the same old schtick: an unrelatable character that always has perfect hair, never stops with the one-liners, uses women and has no need for them other than to look pretty and get fucked, with perfect gadgets that are used to their fullest, concocted by a psychic gadget-maker - he must be psychic since every single item is used in the future in ways that one cannot conceive of outside of a movie scripted action sequence.
Casino Royale is the first Bond movie I actually had an interest in seeing. I watched all the others in hopes of liking each movie more than the previous. The first 20 minutes of Die Another Day was going in a good direction, catching Bond getting tortured, growing a beard and looking scruffy, something that Bond isn't used to. Then, it turns into the same damn movie as all the others...

To my pleasant surprise, Royale fixed almost all the issues I've had with James Bond, and turned him into someone that CAN get hurt, he actually is vulnerable! Is it possible that he has feelings comparable to a human being? No fucking way! This movie's nitty and gritty, borderline cruel. I like that a lot, too. It injects more humanity into Bond and the rest of the supporting cast. He's no longer an icon, a mythical figure; he's a man. Someone that I believe in. He's not so much a poseur, an excuse for brainless action and even more brainless bimbos. I like this very, very much.
The action sequences are also at the level of any Bond film; that's the highlight of all the other movies, is the fun to be had from runnin' and gunnin' and far out gadgetry. That HAS to be the main appeal to any James Bond flick. The gadgetry is more minimalized this time around, much to my satisfaction. The coolest element to the action scenes lies in Bond's smarts. He uses anything around him that can help him get what he needs. He's chasing a building hopping acrobat through the streets of Uganda. At one point, the guy jumps through a tiny slit in a wall of a building under construction, and a few seconds later Bond comes pummeling through the drywall like the fucking Terminator. Screw all that jumping around shit, man! Yeah! Yeeeeeha! I had a great time once the action started up, and left the theater satisfied on the more primal level, which is what a Bond film should set out to do.

An even more pleasant surprise is the human element to Royale. I have never EVER felt an emotional connection to Bond, or the Bond women. They spent a good amount of time giving a gradual bond (haha) between Daniel Craig and Eva Green. They looked good together, and the more time they spent together onscreen, the more I found myself hoping that shit works out. We know it ISN'T going to work out, because it IS a Bond movie. Not only that, it's his first mission, so of COURSE he's gonna end up ditching the broad before the credits role. Knowing this doesn't do much to keep me from hoping for the best for these two, no matter their initial differences. This is what makes a great action movie turn into a great MOVIE. At this point, I found myself respecting Royale more than any other Bond movie ever made.

My main complaint lies in the runtime. At almost two and a half hours, it felt a little laggy in some parts, but I honestly don't know what should have been changed to make it quicker. Perhaps some scenes could have been played a little faster, or the editing room could have used just a touch more hyperkeneticism. I'm really glad that it wasn't a Bay-fest, or one of Tony Scott's newest epilepsy fits. I prefer the slower pace of Royale vice the potential of being a sad attempt at high-energy in expense of one's concentration level. I found almost any scene to be integral to the advancement of plot, and the relationship between Bond and Ms. Lynd was essential, in my opinion. Therefore, my complaint about the runtime doesn't seem to have much merit.
One other complaint is with the very end. Of course, throughout the movie, we're caught glimpses of the trademark personality traits of Bond at its' infancy. The suit, the martinis, the women, his famous way of telling his name... the problem is, the conclusion opens the road to the same-o same-o of James Bond flicks based on his personality, which is a slight disappointment.

I'd say a fan of Bond won't feel too abandoned by this fresh approach to the franchise. The real goodies are for the non-fans like myself, in which they fix almost everything that made me hate the man and his movies no matter WHO was in his shoes. The action is still there, but now there's heart as well. That raises the bar on so many levels...

GRADE: A-

Reviewed: 12/11/06