Casino Royale

Now, I have to admit to some trepidation when I heard that Pierce Brosnan was stepping down as James Bond. I don't think that I'm alone in feeling that Brosnan was the quintessential Bond, he had the charm of Roger Moore combined with the athleticism of Sean Connery, but, as much as I liked him, I have to admit that the last couple of Brosnan Bond movies were a bit weak. So, when I heard that there was going to be a new Bond, I wasn't totally against the idea, just curious as to where they would take films oldest and most profitable franchise now. So, here comes Daniel Craig, and, while Casino Royale isn't the best Bond movie ever, it's really not the worst.



The story here is pretty simple, we see the origins of James Bond's 'double O' status and we follow him on an assignment that's more real life spy than fantasy story. Bond's assignment is to take down a bad guy who's financing terrorism around the world. Now, this leads us (naturally) on many jaunts around the globe to many different exotic locations (as in any Bond movie), the differences come with the basics of the movie. First, there are no gadgets! No laser shooting wrist watches, no flying bowler hats severing heads, all that is left behind, the only nod to the old 'gadget' days is a chip that is planted in Bond's forearm that allows the 'bosses' to keep track of him, and there's one scene in particular where the chip is used to diagnose a poison that Bond has been given that may be the only nod to the old days.

That being said, is Casino Royale a great Bond movie? Not really. Is it a horrible Bond movie? Not really. While the action scenes are amazing, and done in a believable fashion, overall the movie runs a bit long and by the end of the movie, you're ready for it to be over. Now, while I don't think Casino Royale is a great movie, I DO think it's a great re-boot of the franchise. This is the James Bond of the original books, a stone cold killer for his government. If you've ever read the original Ian Fleming novels, then you know that when Bond was sent out, it was guaranteed that someone was going to wind up dead...it's a guy thing, it's just cool!

I'm giving Casino Royale three out of four cigars,

because it's worth the rental price, but make sure that you've had plenty of rest, because long sections of Casino Royale will have you dozing in your seat if you're not careful. So, until next time, when I'll whip out my laser watch and cut apart another movie, remember that the best movies are bad movies!