britesparc
Posts: 1967
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: Manchester
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Casino Royale begins in tremendously exciting fashion and, for at least the next two hours, doesn’t let up. It is, simply put, a roller coaster ride; and frankly that is what a good Bond film should be. Even when the plots were ropy, the least you could say about Brosnan’s stint in the tux was that his movies were exciting. Well, Casino Royale is about double-oh-seven times more exciting than pretty much any Bond film ever, certainly any in the last few years. From a suave yet brutal opening documenting Bond’s first kills, it hooks you from the get go with its combination of noir-ish sensibilities and brutal action. But it’s when Bond starts free-running around a building site, chasing his suspect up cranes across scaffold, that the movie transcends its spy-yarn origins, and becomes something more. This is a blinding, brilliant piece of action cinema, easily the best scene this year; in fact, it’s difficult to think of a more surprising, refreshing, and alarming action movie of recent years apart from the Bourne Identity, which this superficially resembles in style if not in plot. Even when the action takes a back seat to the poker, the film remains tense and thrilling, without resorting to standard Western poker-match clichés. What’s even more surprising is that it’s not only exciting and action packed, but it gets under your skin, too – and most of the credit for that is down to Daniel Craig. His is a Bond like no other – suave and quick-witted, sure, and a fine action hero, but he’s also a crafty, bitter little bugger, and his fights are taught, brutal affairs where the audience feels every punch, kick and fall. It’s a very visceral experience, and one you’re not likely to forget. However, Craig goes deeper, much deeper, in fact than any Bond before him: for this is as much a psychological experience as a physical one. The roots of Bond’s cool exterior, as well as his penchant for misogyny, are explored; we also get to see a little inside his head, feel what he feels after he’s just killed a man with his bare hands. Like many of the characters in the film, Bond constantly wears a mask; his is a poker face, protecting his psyche from the world. He layers up his armour, disguising himself as a brutal field agent, until Vesper comes along to take it all away, make him vulnerable and human again. It’s a terrific performance, and one which bodes well for the future of the franchise. Overall, these elements combine to produce a truly terrific film; unfortunately, it’s all let down somewhat by an ending that goes on far too long, after the meat of the narrative has been seen, after the plot has, for the most part, climaxed. It’s a pity it couldn’t have been a tidier, neater, quicker ending, because the film isn’t too long, as such – it’s just a wee bit messy around the tail end. It doesn’t make the film any less great in the long run, it just denies it that extra star, puts a dent in its glossy finish. But make no mistakes – not only is Bond back, but he’s looking sprightlier and more exciting than he has since, ooh, the early sixties.
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