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- 10/11/2006 9:04:58 PM

Emiwee

Posts: 13
Joined: 16/12/2005

I've not seen it yet but if they've kept the last line in - I'm sure they can't disappoint me. I can't wait to see it, I thought Daniel Craig would make a good Bond after hearing he got the part. He's not the first actor I would've considered but he is the right actor to play Ian Fleming's James Bond. People have odd ideas about Bond based on the films, this will hopefully be the film to sort that out.

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Post #: 31

RE: Casino Royale - 13/11/2006 9:36:12 PM

leroythemasochist

Posts: 767
Joined: 1/9/2006
From: The Point

I was sooooo pleased to see that Daniel Craig has finally been given the credit as 007 he deserves. Thank God for Eon, Mr Haggis, some very clever casting people and the decision NOT to carry on with Mr Brosnan. Pierce had his day a long time ago and really, he never looked hard enough.
Craig IS Bond. Those muppets who spent so long writing all that crap on the internet about how awful he is and how he was going to ruin Bond will now have to sit at home and not go to the pictures and see what is, by all acounts, one of THE best Bonds ever.
I am almost pissing myself with excitement for this weekend.
Go on Danny boy! Show that grinning goon Cruise what being a REAL movie secret agent is all about!
Jason Bourne? Who's that then?
In other news, my wife is somewhat excited about viewing those tiny blue swimming togs on the big screen.
And all this before I've even seen the bloody thing!

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Post #: 32

Brilliant! - 15/11/2006 10:00:16 AM

Jim Bob

Posts: 177
Joined: 8/10/2005
From: Rotherham

How wrong i was - Craig is a wonderful choice as Bond and this is one of the best Bond films since the 60's. I'll take my humble pie with a huge helping of custard please.

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Post #: 33

Best Bond Film so far - 15/11/2006 11:42:39 AM

yellow_lemon

Posts: 1
Joined: 13/11/2006

watched it at a staff preview last night at the orion. and i have to say although its a different bond its still absolutly amazing and packed with action. and i would say its the best bond fil so far.u have to go see it! when it comes out

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Post #: 34

Casino Royale - 15/11/2006 2:50:23 PM

amw250

Posts: 1
Joined: 1/5/2006

Saw it last night at the premiere, the reception was great, the script was sharp and witty, but it didn't go over the top. Very nice work indeed, go and see it!!

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Post #: 35

James Bond has returned! We've been expecting him... fo... - 15/11/2006 10:33:35 PM

moche_1

Posts: 2
Joined: 15/11/2006

James Bond is ultra cool again at last. He's arguably not been this cool since Goldfinger. The whole cast are excellent, but Daniel Craig is outstanding. He even manages to make Pierce Brosnan seem faintly preposterous and I was a fan of Brosnan. Craig is aided by some cracking dialogue that capture just the right level of sardonic wit - but without the cheese! My big worry is that without a decent director, Higgis on script polishing and no Flemming book to work from Bond 22 will be a much lesser affair. But that's another story. Casino Royale is alot better than I expected and leaps directly into my top five Bond films, maybe even top three.

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Post #: 36

RE: James Bond has returned! We've been expecting him..... - 16/11/2006 12:05:55 AM

the_advoc8

Posts: 16
Joined: 8/10/2005

Awesome film! I would post an in depth review, but I am tired and have work tomorrow...(boo). Suffice it to say, Daniel Craig IS Bond - case closed! The franchise is in GREAT hands!

< Message edited by the_advoc8 -- 16/11/2006 12:07:47 AM >

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Post #: 37

Casino Royale! - 16/11/2006 12:16:33 AM

JamesHare

Posts: 52
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: UK

Just got back from the Hampshire Autistic Society charity premiere of Casino Royale! And what a night! Drinks reception with free champagne, raffle prizes and money being raised for the charity! Everyone was in a good mood and ready for an evening of guns, girls and martini's.
The atmosphere was one of excitement and anticipation of Daniel Craig’s debut as James Bond 007, and he didn’t disappoint. A film noir pre-title sequence introduces Bond and how he gains his 007 rank before the familiar gun barrel sequence and opening theme song. From here the film goes back to old school Bond, relying more on his wits and judgements rather than gadgets and a cheesy one liner to get him through the mission, we see Bond make mistakes, and it costs him dearly but he also learns and develops as a character.
The former half of the film deals with the post 9/11 world, and carefully introduces Bond to the terrorist threat, moving ever away from the cold war feel of previous missions. It has plenty of action including a spectacular chase sequence which has Bond chasing down a suspected bomb maker across scaffolding and cranes. The latter half steers towards its novel source in which Ian Fleming’s original story Casino Royale sees Bond face off against Le Chiffre in a deadly game of cards. In the original novel the game played is Baccarat but is changed in this film to Texas hold ‘em poker.
This film takes the character of James Bond back to his roots, where the focus is on character and plot rather than high-tech gadgets and visual effects, the action and stunts are spectacular and exciting and you can tell how much hard work have gone into them. The Bond girls are as beautiful as ever as are the locations. It has everything a Bond film needs. Judi Dench’s M fits nicely into this new era of Bond and although there is an absence of characters such as Moneypenny and Q the film carries on well without them.
Daniel Craig plays the part well but seldo

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Post #: 38

RE: Casino Royale - 16/11/2006 2:25:11 AM

Evil.Groovy.Ash

Posts: 39
Joined: 13/9/2006

just got back from checking the print and have to say that this is best bond in a long long time. daniel craig is brilliant as bond (not the best bond though, still think with the right script dalton would have been the one). he plays him like flemings bond, tortured (literally), tough as old boots, and an aspiring alcoholic (like every real man should be). and the bond girls, eva green

has just flown to the top of my chart for the best bond girl ever, even without her makeup she is stunning. the baddie, well he's danish (so if you hate bacon your laughing), good bad guy, lot more to him then your usually villian. action is top notch, none of that computer generated crap, this is back to the good old days when if you need a stunt you threw a man of a cliff for real. and of course that ball busting scene

, during it i had to laugh, not because it's funny but because if i didn't i would have cryed. as for the song, when i first heard it i thought it was terrible, and it still is, but it does actually kind of work in the opening titles. so if you,re a fleming fan you will love this film, if you're a die another day (firstly you should be ashamed of yourself) you will probably hate, or totally hate, actually if your a brosnon fan (again, be ashamed) you might hate it because it is totally different from any of his films. so to finish, see this movie its good

, very good, and thanks to daniel craig we know that james bond

will return, roll on part 2.

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Post #: 39

RE: Casino Royale - 16/11/2006 10:52:28 AM

Dr Lenera

Posts: 3450
Joined: 19/10/2005

I'll admit something first up. I enjoyed Die Another Day. Yes,the Madonna song and CGI were awful,but as a ramped-up,escapist action movie I thought it did the job. However,Casino Royale is a different beast altogether. The opening sequence is in black and white and shows Bond assassinating a man,with flashbacks to his first,decidedly messy killing interspersed. Both the violence and Daniel Craig's intensity are quite shocking {in fact the 12 rating is a bit of a joke in what is easily the most violent Bond film}. After the eye-popping title sequence,cleverly based around cards,and a perhaps unusual but good title song which really grows on you,we are thrown into quite simply the most stunning action sequence done in years,as Bond chases a man up and down scaffodling,over a crane, and through an embassy. It's undoubtably over the top,but really is thrilling,and seeing Bond fall and get hurt a bit is refreshing and helps maintain,just about,believability.

It's possible that action wise the film never tops that scene,but the other three action sequences are all excellent and have superb editing that is fast,furious but still lets you see what is going on,a lesson to some of today's other action directors,in fact,it's almost a throwback to the 60s Bond style editing,just slightly quicker. There was a sense in the 80s and 90s that maybe the Bond style of action was a little outmoded,it had certainly been imitated to death. Here,Bond becomes leader of the pack again,and the other upstarts need to keep up.

Daringly,the two and a half hour running time is not devoted to more action,but chiefly two other things. The first is the lengthy poker game which certainly is long but maintains suspense even if you're not entirely sure what the rules are and is broken up every now and again anyway. The other thing is the love story,in which we see Bond fall in love. Films like The World Is Not Enough and The Living Daylights had flirted with genuine romance for Bond,but On Her Majesty's Secret Service had remained up to now the only real Bond love story. The time devoted to Bond's romance with Vesper Lynd is unusual but it needs the time allowed it to become convincing,and,eventually,moving. After all,the main thrust of this film is not Bond fighting bad guys,or even playing an important pokergame,but Bond becoming Bond,and this is brilliantly conveyed throughout.

It is in this aspect which Craig really succeeds. Yes,he is rough and ready at first but that is the character of the film. He grows and matures throughout the film,and when he first puts on the tux,he's earned it and certainly carries it off better than Timothy Dalton,whom Craig's Bond is probably closest to. Perhaps the film's villains and girls are not as memorable as one might hope for,but here it's Bond whom you go away thinking about,whom the film revolves around,and for this film that's exactly as it should be.

I have a feeling that Casino Royale might be embraced by Bond fans more than general action movie goers,what you won't get here is constant action,silly gadgets,corny laughs {although there is humour,and in exactly the right places,such as during the otherwise horrible torture scene},a climax every ten minutes. What you do get is an artistic triumph,a daring experience that almost completely pays off,that takes us closer to the character of James Bond than any other film. Roll on the next one,and definately with Craig............

< Message edited by Dr Lenera -- 16/11/2006 11:37:30 AM >

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Post #: 40

Casino Royale.....an alternative viewpoint! - 16/11/2006 1:21:36 PM

Bill Tanner

Posts: 2
Joined: 17/7/2006

OK.....where do I start?
Is it a good film?........undoubtedly.
As good as the critics would have you believe.? Probably not.
Casino Royale is a tense, action-packed and well directed thriller. It dispenses with pretty much everything that has gone before.......and therein lies the dilemma.
Is it a Bond film? It`s dark brutality does reflect much of the early novels by Ian Fleming and so it has much to appeal to many of the purists who feel the recent movies have started to lose the plot when it comes to the character and essence of Fleming`s creation. However, the films took the view from the start to add the ingredients of glamour, gadgets, witticism and, most notably, charm in the lead character. And it`s charm that is so sadly lacking in this movie.
Yes, Daniel Craig captures a new level of relentless savagery and brutal efficiency that you can`t even begin to imagine Brosnan or poor old Roger even bothering to attempt.
Yes, the opening standout sequence on the building site is one of the greatest set pieces committed to film. However, you are reminded more of John MacLean`s never - say- die bloodied and battered character from Die Hard than of the suave secret agent 007. Even his sharply written and well delivered witticisms are tinged with a sense of SAS-style "super hardness" (see Torture scene) rather than the dismissive one liners that have reminded us in the past that this is a Bond movie, and no matter how bad the situation, 007 will use his charm, gadgets,humour or initiative to get himself out of a nasty bit of bother.
There is no doubt, that the real villains of the 21st century probably do embrace the thuggish brutality that we see oozing form his counterparts in Casino Royale.
Like Licence To Kill before it (Sanchez) Bond faces adversaries that would be more at home in a Tarantino movie and there are times when you are crying out for a bald head and white cat to make an appearance just to remind you this is escapist fantasy and not

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Post #: 41

RE: Casino Royale.....an alternative viewpoint! - 16/11/2006 2:51:45 PM

felix sore foot

Posts: 322
Joined: 21/7/2006
From: Renfrewshire

Rotten opening sequence, lousy credits, awful theme song. That's where the problems stop.

Far superior to any of the Brosnan films, this totally re-establishes the franchise by making the tone darker, losing much of the cheesy humour & although the plot holes are there for all to see, the story is a lot more engrossing than expected.

Daniel Craig must be given credit for much of the change here. He brings a totally different dynamic to the role & one that is much to be applauded. The scenes between Craig & Judy Dench are excellent & very believable. Craig more than cuts the mustard as action hero & the set pieces are highly entertaining.

Maybe a little trimming on the romantic sub-plot wouldn't have gone amiss, but that's really just nit-picking.

For sheer entertainment, there's nothing better out there than this.

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Post #: 42

Casino Royale - 16/11/2006 2:56:01 PM

wrenster

Posts: 1906
Joined: 12/10/2005

The lights went down on the early 10am screening this morning. One advert advising viewers to switch off their phones (bring back the stars trying to sell dodgy scripts) and we were off. A black and white MGM and Columbia logo and I held my breath. But where was the Bond theme? The walking into shot, turn and shoot? The one thing that signals a brand new adventure of the world's greatest action hero. But this is a very different Bond altogether. This is definitely Bond Begins. And I'm happy to say it works.

So it does miss that sense of familiarity. Instead we get a black and white sequence in which Daniel Craig shows that this isn't the cool, sophisticated Bond we have all grown up and loved for so long. This is a more ruthless, clumsy creature. Once we get to see his two kills allowing him to beocme a double-O, we start entering a more familiar area. An impressive title sequence (with an air of sixties kitch and a not-too-memorable theme tune) and we get to see Bond running, jumping and fighting in a building site in Africa. And what a sequence. Just what any Bond fan wants. A heart-stopping sequence that goes on forever and yet keeps the tension going throughout. And we see that Craig is a very athletic Bond indeed (apart from the odd moment when you can see the join between him and stuntman), we are no longer in CGI territory here. We have real men risking their necks in the cause of spectacle. This is the start of the complex plot.

Within the first hour we have action sequence number two, set in an airport. Again, brreathtaking stuff (I won't spoil it), and then the plot really kicks in as hour two begins. This is what really makes this a newly defined Bond movie. There is very little action at all. The occasional flash of violent fight scenes but alot of dialogue. We finally get to know more about the man. What makes him tick. How he feels. And how emotions towards another could put him in peril. Bond has finally become a human being. He bleeds like we all do. He hurts like we all do, both physically and emotionally. This is a man who still has all the elements that us men want: he's tough, rough and cool as ice, but he also has a heart that could be his downfall.

We then head towards the home straight. A fairly cringing torture scene (with cuts!) and an amazing ending, with the final bow including what we have longed for throughout. That music and that line.

When Craig was announced as the replacement of Mr Brosnan, I have to admit I was a little unsure, but I can forget those early days. He is terrific. He has made Bond a person, no longer an entity. He acts the role, and doesn't just walk through it. His feelings towards Vesper (the stunningly beautiful Eva Green) is very reminisent of On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Bond relationship with Tanya (the only difference is that Craig can act, whereas Lazenby...)

Sure it has the girls, the locations, the car (and a lack of gadgets, but that's not such a bad thing). But what it does have is heart. It's violent, but no longer in a comic book way. The one liners are there, but not thrown into every situation. And they have managed to make a game of Texas Hold 'Em Poker seem exciting and glamourous.

It may not be every Bond fans cup of tea, and it might be accused of being too deep (probably from the Roger Moore fans) but I loved every minute of it. Bond has been re-invented and Daniel Craig is the new King. Long Live The King!

< Message edited by wrenster -- 16/11/2006 2:58:37 PM >

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Post #: 43

RE: Casino Royale - 16/11/2006 3:10:46 PM

Muddy Funster

Posts: 11
Joined: 8/11/2006
From: In my trousers.

I caught this last night, and came away extremely impressed.

This was a fantastic 'relaunch' of a franchise that had gotten overwhelmed by increasingly high-concept plots and gimmicks. Reigning in the excesses made for a far more interesting film, and one that entertained the living daylights out of me.

Craig as Bond was superb. His Bond was rough and ruthless, but also as charming as hell, and funny to boot. Daniel Craig makes you realise what the other pretenders to 007's crown lack - a well-rounded and fully engaging lead character.

The final set-piece was a little lacking, I thought, but by the time the very last scene played out and that familiar theme kicked in, I was sold on the new Bond and awaiting the next movie.

Casino Royale? Casi-YES Royale!

Huh. Sorry about that.

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Post #: 44

RE: Casino Royale - 16/11/2006 3:19:20 PM

dh_19

Posts: 607
Joined: 12/1/2006

The film was very good. Plus Eva Green looked incredible!

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Post #: 45

RE: Casino Royale - 16/11/2006 3:42:53 PM

ArtDepartmentAlbert

Posts: 109
Joined: 26/2/2006

I won't go into too much detail...

Daniel Craig should be serving his critics a massive slice of humble pie as he dominates the screen like he's been there for 43 years. He really makes it his own- Bond is for the first time, proper hard as nails.

Good, storyline which is grounded in reality (no ice palaces to be seen) and the supporting cast are amazing too. the sets, the girls, the music and the stunts are all top notch.

Go see it.

PS I also really like the titel sequence... even if the song isn't a classic

(in reply to dh_19)

Post #: 46

RE: Casino Royale - 16/11/2006 3:55:21 PM

Monkeyshaver

Posts: 4734
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: La Planete Des Singe

quote:

ORIGINAL: ArtDepartmentAlbert
he dominates the screen like he's been there for 43 years.

You mean he looks really old in it?

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Post #: 47

You were expecting someone else? - 16/11/2006 5:19:46 PM

Scruffybobby

Posts: 4026
Joined: 30/9/2005
From: My House

Okay bad stuff. Song is terrible, pacing flags at times and the structure is a bit wobbly

Enough of that

Danny Boy has played an absolute blinder. He gives Bond the physicality and headstrong ruthlessness of Jack Bauer and the arrogant charm of Connery, He's a cocky bastard, emphasis on bastard and all the better for it. Bond has always been a git, even when played by Roger Moore. Craig is the first to really capture that element (other than Connery). But bastard though he is he's a human one. This Bond is a rounded believable character rather than an icon, but he'll probably end up as one of those too.

This is an exciting, brutal, tense but still funny movie. Eva Green is one of the sexiest Bond Girls in years.

The final scene announces a highly promising new era for the series and long may it continue

< Message edited by Scruffybobby -- 16/11/2006 8:04:51 PM >

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Gentleman, please - could our crazy-ass asses leave dis thread ta gangstas wantin ta say shit bout a funky-ass bad film?

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Post #: 48

BOND IS BACK! - 16/11/2006 6:54:58 PM

CloneWarGeneral

Posts: 121
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: MI6

OMG...it was FANTASTIC!!!
I saw it twice today and still crave more.
FAR more enjoyable that I was expecting, and a real ride with a superb storyline! DANIEL CRAIG IS THE BEST BOND EVER!
I was hooked on everything, from the opening title sequence (which was super!) and the poker game which was far far far better than I was led to believe!
I hope everyone out there loved the return of 007 as much as I did, and pray for him to return soon!!!!

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Post #: 49

BOND IS BACK! - 16/11/2006 6:55:05 PM

CloneWarGeneral

Posts: 121
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: MI6

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Post #: 50

Good, Bad and Ugly - 16/11/2006 7:09:53 PM

Troubleshooter

Posts: 9
Joined: 1/8/2006

Good beginning, ace titles (reminded me a little of Hustle), great chase.

The one thing that struck me during the crane chase scene was how ungraceful Bond was, literally a bulldozer. But I guess that's the whole point - that he's not the finished article yet.

What was the point of him getting in a digger anyway? Seemed a bit random, apart from the fact it looked good.

Negative things -

- car chase: way too short
- hospital bed - not particularly romantic, especially when you had the "romantic" rain outside
- Solange - bad actress
- shame they didn't actually include that choral Bond music from the trailer - that was awesome
- I found the music a little overbearing sometimes, especially the knife in chest struggle at the Miami bodyparts museum.

Regarding the Novel -
I'm glad they kept the torture scene and the final third/fatal love story part.
But it's a shame how they lost the courtyard bomb and the hidden cheque elements of the story.
Still I guess the Bond EON Producers kept closer to the plot of the Casino Royale novel than they have on the majority of the other Bond. novels; so I shouldn't really complain.

The POSITIVE -

Branson cameo was funny. Did you spot the Michael G wilson cameo? I think he was the Chief of Police that Mathis arranged to get arrested at that cafe.

Good editing (which I always thought was one of the main things that let TWINE down)

Miami bomb switch - good twist

Stealing M's password funny

Gigantic improvement on the last film. Loved the grittiness, great action scenes, relieved they'd removed the cheese.

IN SUM-

It's hard to know how to feel bearing in mind how much I'd ruined for myself beforehand - I'm definitely going to block commanderbond.net for the next film.

I guess the question EON producers would want to ask you - did you prefer Casino Royale or the Bourne films?

Better than TND, TWINE and deffo DAD, but better than Goldeneye? Not sure.
As to whether Craig's

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Post #: 51

RE: Good, Bad and Ugly - 16/11/2006 7:43:58 PM

ArtDepartmentAlbert

Posts: 109
Joined: 26/2/2006

quote:

ORIGINAL: Troubleshooter

Good beginning, ace titles (reminded me a little of Hustle), great chase.

The one thing that struck me during the crane chase scene was how ungraceful Bond was, literally a bulldozer. But I guess that's the whole point - that he's not the finished article yet.

What was the point of him getting in a digger anyway? Seemed a bit random, apart from the fact it looked good.

Negative things -

- car chase: way too short
- hospital bed - not particularly romantic, especially when you had the "romantic" rain outside
- Solange - bad actress
- shame they didn't actually include that choral Bond music from the trailer - that was awesome
- I found the music a little overbearing sometimes, especially the knife in chest struggle at the Miami bodyparts museum.

Regarding the Novel -
I'm glad they kept the torture scene and the final third/fatal love story part.
But it's a shame how they lost the courtyard bomb and the hidden cheque elements of the story.
Still I guess the Bond EON Producers kept closer to the plot of the Casino Royale novel than they have on the majority of the other Bond. novels; so I shouldn't really complain.

The POSITIVE -

Branson cameo was funny. Did you spot the Michael G wilson cameo? I think he was the Chief of Police that Mathis arranged to get arrested at that cafe.

Good editing (which I always thought was one of the main things that let TWINE down)

Miami bomb switch - good twist

Stealing M's password funny

Gigantic improvement on the last film. Loved the grittiness, great action scenes, relieved they'd removed the cheese.

IN SUM-

It's hard to know how to feel bearing in mind how much I'd ruined for myself beforehand - I'm definitely going to block commanderbond.net for the next film.

I guess the question EON producers would want to ask you - did you prefer Casino Royale or the Bourne films?

Better than TND, TWINE and deffo DAD, but better than Goldeneye? Not sure.
As to whether Craig's

You're negative aspects are very picky things... but i suppose that's just testament to how good this film really is.

PS- i didn't think solange was bad at all- not in it long enough to make any impact.

(in reply to Troubleshooter)

Post #: 52

Bond is Back! - 16/11/2006 7:47:09 PM

JCRendle

Posts: 1328
Joined: 2/2/2006
From: One of the most violent towns in the county

Casino Royale (12A)

James Rendle

007 is back and better than ever.

When Daniel Craig, 39, was cast as the British icon James Bond in October last year people acted as if Craig was a national enemy - hate campaigns, websites and press rumours all seemed to point to a terrible casting mistake, had EON productions finally flipped?

Thankfully the answer is no, the casting of Craig, who starred in Layer Cake and Steven Spielberg's Munich, was an inspired choice and a great way to turn around a rusty, yet still successful, franchise. After 2002�s disappointing Die Another Day, which relied heavily on GCI and over the top gadgets as well as an aging Pierce Brosnan, many Bond fans wondered where the series would go next - would they carry on in the same vein or would they do something drastic?

This has been answered with the release of the 21st Bond film �Casino Royale�, based on Ian Fleming�s 1953 novel of the same name, which introduces the British secret service agent to the world. In keeping with Fleming�s novel, which showed Bond early in his career, the producers have used the opportunity to completely overhaul the series and show Bond�s first mission as a 00 agent, though set firmly in 2006.

Daniel Craig is great as Bond, showing a masculinity and strength that Brosnan often lacked, the coolness of Sean Connery and realism of Timothy Dalton. Those looking for the camp humour favoured by Roger Moore may be a little disappointed, but don�t take this as meaning the film is completely humourless.

Gone are the cheesy sexual innuendos, being replaced with witty comebacks and clever puns (For example, after Bond barely escapes with his life during a break in Tenez Les Cartes, he returns to the table to a shocked look from the films antagonist Le Chiffre, with a smile he quips �I'm sorry, that last hand... nearly killed me.�)

The action set pieces are perfect, gone is overused CGI - everything you see here is real, from a free running parkour terrorist (Sebastien Foucan who plays bomb maker Mallaka) to a car chase that set a new world record in car flips.

The casting for the film is inspired, with perfect performances all round - though special note has to go to Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, who makes Le Chiffre the best Bond villain for a long while (and no, he is not planning to take over the world), it is easy to forget that this is only Mikkelsen�s second English language film.

The direction (From a returning Martin Cambell - GoldenEye) is handled stylishly, with remembrance and style of the Bond films of the 60s as well as a film-noir Pre-Title Sequence, shot in black and white.

Look out for the 1964 Aston Marin DB5, find out how Bond�s Martini�s are really made (watch out, they�re strong) and pick out the winks to the Bond�s of old.

James Bond is back.

Warning: Some scenes may be unsuitable for younger audiences, especially one scene that involves torture.

(in reply to jimoakley666)

Post #: 53

RE: Bond is Back! - 16/11/2006 8:04:07 PM

badassmofo

Posts: 1324
Joined: 14/10/2005
From: Russian Literature

my review is on my blog, tho not nearly as articulate as many on here. www.cniema-rama.blogspot.com

loved it ill say that much, absolutly loved it

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Post #: 54

RE: Casino Royale - 16/11/2006 8:28:18 PM

leroythemasochist

Posts: 767
Joined: 1/9/2006
From: The Point

Ooooh this is just top!
I know I've already posted on this film but it is utterly awesome to see a movie get this many top notch reviews.
I am so happy for Mr Craig. He bloody deserves it. All those dipshits having a right old laugh at his expense saying he was gonna be crap.
I've actually started to feel extremely protective over him. He just always just a little bit perplexed by the whole thing. Obviously, he's not, he's a grown man and for God's sake, he's BLOODY JAMES BOND! But I just hope it goes really really well for him from now on.
He's a great actor and thank God they chose him for the part.
Right, gonna shut up now.

If you ever read of these things 007, well done sir, always knew you could do it.

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Post #: 55

RE: Casino Royale - 16/11/2006 10:14:30 PM

Indio

Posts: 7132
Joined: 3/10/2005
From: London

I thought it was a bit average to be honest, probably the best Bond film since Goldeneye but still a bit of a disappointment after all the glowing reviews I've read over the last week or so.

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Post #: 56

RE: Casino Royale - 16/11/2006 11:03:22 PM

skeletonjack

Posts: 1297
Joined: 30/9/2005

Just got back from seeing it tonight: I thought it was great, loved the opening sequence, the action, the musical score, just loved the film in general.
It's a very different Bond from earlier incarnations, little to no cheese, just a hard edgy thriller with no invisible cars in sight, (not that they would be mind, being invisible and all

)

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Post #: 57

RE: Casino Royale - 16/11/2006 11:29:15 PM

Axel Foley

Posts: 731
Joined: 15/10/2005

Bond�s return in Casino Royale is meaner, dirtier and more vicious than his screen history to date. Villains are dispatched in messy fights (the opening features a stylised scrap in the gents, while a later stairwell clash features a fair amount of claret). The seeds of this change can be found in 2002, which was a significant year for the spy genre. Britain�s finest was going head to head with a loud American pretender and the bets were on Vin Diesel�s xXx to become the future, cool face of espionage. However, though Bond eventually came out on top at the box office with Die Another Day, it was considered a dud by many fans, with the plot entering sci-fi territory and traditional stunts at one point replaced by deformed CGI. The future of the genre was instead defined by two other agents: Jason Bourne�s raw verisimilitude; and television�s Jack Bauer and his tough tactics. Hence, Bond�s return in Casino Royale has taken on board many of their characteristics. Like Bourne he is more emotional and inward looking and like Bauer he doesn�t take any shit.

The snag is that this is a Bond film and no matter what current trends are Bond has to run to some measure of formula: i.e. get it on with the women and play a part in a major stunt sequence. The post titles parcour inspired chase is a case in point. It is a fun chase, but it sits at odds with the tone laid out by the opening and does cross towards the sort of things Schwarzenegger did in the 80s. It is also true that the scene is quite irrelevant beyond providing some merriment (Bond ends up with a mobile phone, which provides an easy way for the writers to advance the plot - a technique they repeat a few times more than should be tolerable).
The film continues along this jarring path, with moments of icy cool or passionate character growth punctuated by action. You want to cheer when Bond battles to divert a terrorist bomb from detonating in an airport. It is a fine sequence, but like the others in Casino Royale nothing special (this year alone has provided at least three better set-pieces in spy films: the Vatican infiltration; Chesapeake Bridge shoot-out; and catapault jump; all from M:I-3).
Craig plays it well. Easily assaying physical and sensitive personas he inhabits the character in a way that is quite different to anything seen before. He does, however, lack the wit that made the likes of Connery such charming killers. Lines are delivered straight without a hint of irony and the effect is a bit numbing. Without it the sense of fun also seems to be missing (for the most part at least). He is ably supported by Eva Green, though good as she is one wonders why an English actress couldn�t have been found, as she struggles during her first scene on the train (which is filled with dialogue so precise and pointed it feels quite artificial - the natural repartee between Connery and Blackman or indeed Brosnan and Jansen is not in evidence). The romantic elements work better at least, poignantly scored by David Arnold.
Ultimately the re-invention doesn�t quite work, the realism of the Bond character sitting awkwardly in the fantastical world he inhabits. While Jason Bourne spent two movies outwitting and outrunning shadowy figures hellbent on killing him, Bond is tasked with winning a high stakes poker game to stop a terrorist fund. It also doesn�t generate adrenalin the way that series has so far managed: the action just doesn�t zip along or sting to the same extent. The shame of it is that Casino Royale is by no means a bad film, it's just that times have changed and where once Bond set the benchmark, not only for spy films but the action-thriller genre as a whole, there�s nothing much about this world anymore to set it apart from the competition. There are flashes of dark humour and the coolness surfaces for a brief moment at the end, but it isn't enough. Bond may be back, but he no longer does it better.

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Post #: 58

RE: Casino Royale - 16/11/2006 11:39:06 PM

monkeyinmyhead

Posts: 2114
Joined: 16/8/2006
From: Gotham

Just got back from seeing it, absolutely loved it. Daniel Craig was brilliant, made the role is own and gave it such a brutal, hard edged nature that it desperately needed. Eva Green was too hot, and the free running sequence was amazing, the intensity of Bond displayed so perfectly by Craig. To all those haters out there, how wrong you were. Amazing. Brutal.

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Post #: 59

RE: Casino Royale - 16/11/2006 11:48:21 PM

Axel Foley

Posts: 731
Joined: 15/10/2005

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dr Lenera

I have a feeling that Casino Royale might be embraced by Bond fans more than general action movie goers,what you won't get here is constant action,silly gadgets,corny laughs {although there is humour,and in exactly the right places,such as during the otherwise horrible torture scene},a climax every ten minutes. What you do get is an artistic triumph,a daring experience that almost completely pays off,that takes us closer to the character of James Bond than any other film. Roll on the next one,and definately with Craig............

It depends how you define "the character of Bond". The screen Bond is defined by Connery. His charm, wit, movement and machismo made it as loved as it was in the 60s and turned him into the biggest star in the cinema.

As for Casino Royale, I think too many are getting carried away by how "realistic" it is. There is some fairly demented action, which sits awkwardly with the serious moments. At least you knew where you stood with movies like Moonraker or The World is Not Enough.

And there's no way that there is any set piece in Casino Royale that betters the competition (the Bourne Supremacy was suspenseful from beginning to end and far smarter to boot). Campbell should've made the whole film in the same tone to the opening if he wanted it to stand out (at least cut out the information by mobile phone to set up yet another chase fallback ). Undoubtedly Craig has presence and makes a decent Bond (don't think he can be judged fully after one film), but I really don't see where he can take this.

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Post #: 60