Casino Royale

Publisher: MGM	Running Time: 2 Hours 24 Minutes
Release Date: November 17, 2006	Format: DVD

Ever since MGM kicked Pierce Brosnan out the door, James Bond fans have waited in anticipation to see what the new James Bond would be like. A tall, dark haired and handsome Bond was replaced with a blond, untested and widely unknown upstart. As the British would say, what the bloody hell is going on? As much as I admire Pierce for his efforts over the past decade, not even his stature as Bond could save the poorly scripted films that he was a part of. What do you do when storylines become overly convoluted and over-the-top? You go back to the basics, which is what Casino Royale does.

A banker for the world's terrorists loses money betting against the stock market in a bid to crash a company stock. He has to regain it or risk losing his life. Casino Royale is the story of a high stakes poker game. It's the job of James Bond, played by Daniel Craig, to prevent Le Chiffre from obtaining the over hundred million dollar winnings. Texas Hold 'Em is the name of the game and Le Chiffre is a mathematical genius. You'll have to watch the movie though to see what's in the cards for James Bond.

In terms of acting, Daniel Craig is the “anti-Pierce” Bond that MGM was looking for. The well-cut, charming and handsome Bond of the Brosnan years has been replaced with a grisly, cold and even at times seemingly blood thirsty creature. Perhaps one prism to look at the dramatic change in actors is to imagine the times we live in compared to the 90s when Pierce was at the helm. Daniel Craig represents the darker side of Bond, fitting for a country that is, in the kindest words possible, going through a rough period in history.

It was obvious that a change in the franchise was needed. After the best modern James Bond was released in GoldenEye, every consecutive Brosnan movie got worse with Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough and Die Another Die until it became almost intolerably stupid. From plastic surgery that made a Korean look British, to satellites in outer-space that reflect the sun's light and an ice palace, Die Another Day's lunacy forced a radical change in direction. Casino Royale succeeds and for that alone it deserves recognition.

Final:	9.5
Written by Kyle	Review Guide

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