Casino Royale

Casino Royale

The Actor. Let me start with Daniel Craig. I remember when he was picked to be the next James Bond, a lot of people were complaining about him. I heard someone say that he was too old for the part of Bond. Well, he is younger than other Bond actors when they started, so that argument doesn’t stand. I have also heard that some people didn’t like him because he was blonde. That means nothing. Roger Moore was dark blonde and I don’t know why a person’s hair color defines a role. You think it would be something more like his “acting”. Daniel Craig pulled off the role of James Bond very well. Sure, he’s no Sean Connery, but he is a lot better than Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan. Let’s not even mention George Lazenby. He was just plain awful.

The Movie. Casino Royale is about James Bond when he is first initiated as a “00”. The movie starts with him getting the two kills he needs to obtain his “00” status. Later we see James tracking down a bomber in Madagascar and he stumbles upon a plot to destroy a prototype airplane. After he foils the plot and kills some guys, Bond figures out that a man called Le Chiffre is holding a high stakes poker game in the Casino Royale hotel in Montenegro. James enters into the game to try and best Le Chiffre.

Considering how different this movie is from other Bond films it is a great film. Some people complain about how he didn’t use gadgets in the movie, or about how James seemed to be too amateur or rusty about things. Well, this is a movie about his first mission so he wouldn’t be as suave about things as the other Bonds. You can’t expect him to be perfect about things when he is just starting out as a government agent. Other than that the movie goes along really well. The way it was filmed makes Bond seem more realistic and human. You can see through this movie that it doesn’t have to be gadgets and smooth talk; you actually need to get gritty and dirty to get things done sometimes. Casino Royale blends the right amount of action and story together to become a enjoyable film. All in all, it is worth watching. Overall I give Casino Royale 4 out of 5.

Content Advisory

Sex/Nudity

Bond is kissing a woman on the floor, but leaves before anything is done.

He is shown in the bed with another woman a few times but the movie cuts away before anything happens.

There is a scene of Nudity where Bond is being tortured; See Violence & Gore for more details.

Violence & Gore

There is a lot of violence in this movie and it is very realistic. Some of it might be disturbing to some people.

A man is beaten and drowned in a sink.

Several people are shot.

Probably the most disturbing part of the movie is the torture seen. Bond is stripped naked and tied to a chair. He is then beaten in the genital with a knotted rope for several minutes.

Profanity

Mild language, not very much at all

Frightening/Intense scenes

The torture scene can be very frightening and intense.

There is also a scene where a man holds out a woman’s arm and threatens to cut it off with a machete. This scene is very quick, but still can be frightening for some viewers.