Post by Li Tun-ye on Nov 28, 2006 16:35:57 GMT -5
So one of the highlightes of my Thanksgiving break (aside from realizing I have 4 REALLY hot girls that technically aren't related to me...) was the chance to catch Casino Royale. Now Bix, I know you're going to say something akin to how much you hate James Bond; so here's a movie review of perhaps the only Bond film you'd enjoy too.
Casino Royale is a Bond film with a lot of "First's". It is the first bond film to debue Daniel Craig as the blonde haired, blue eyed, puckered lip James Bond. This film is also the first to exclude Moneypenny, M's secretary and source of sexual tension for Bond (the only chick he aparently can't get). Q is also absent from the film (though not a first, this will come into play later). But perhaps the most defining "first" is that Casino Royale portrays the first serious mission Bond is assigned upon being upgraded to 007 (a number that aparently few are awarded, despite all double 0's have a short life expectancy and only so many number combinations before you start calling people 0032 or something silly like that.)
As this is considered Bond's first main adventure since being awarded his title and Licence to Kill, you can expect a slightly different bond than in the previous incarnations. This fledgling 007 is arrogant, letting his ego and pride cloud his judgement. His brutish response to situations does solve the problem, but we see Bond's technique and overall approach to being an agent develope over the course of the film.
As with any Bond film, the action makes up a good portion of the appeal. The ten minute parkour chase scene in the films beginning is a solid display of the force that doesn't back down throughout the film. The fights this fledgling agent engages in are tough and brutal (dare I say, this is the first film that has bond bleed as much as his opponents), which adds a sense of realism to his kills that was all but lost in the days of the aging sean connery dispatching dozens of nameless henchmen with a karate chop.
Adding to the realism is a shocking lack of crazy gadgets coutesy of Q branch. Like any super spy on a governement salary, Bond does have a few handy dandy numbers to help him out. However, we can bid a fond farewell to the invisible BMW Brosnan drove (Die Another Day) and say hello to the Aston Martin DBS, complete with secret compartments that house everything from his silenced PPK to a defibrilator (I'm not kidding).
The plot twists of Casino Royale and the unique characters make this film one to keep you on your toes. Sadly, I report that there were no overtly seductive women with a blatant innuendo for a name (what has gotten into parent's lately...); nor was there an incredibly quirky mastermind of a villian. Instead, we are treated to Le Chiffre (french for "the number") a mathematical genius and banker to the world's terrorist (a lucrative job market I never gave much thought to until now). Yeah, no dude with metal teeth or a bionic hand, or even a voodoo preist. Just a math dude who is an exceptional poker player and has an injured eye.
Aside from his use of an inhaler loaded with amphetamines, Le Chifre's unique characteristics come out in the second scene which involves him playing a friendly game of poker with two "friends". The camera focuses on his injured eye complete with cataract and a scar. Around the point where my inner monologue was about to say "So what." I learned of his other party trick. A "corruption of the tear duct" in said eye causes the eye to cry blood once in a while. That and the dramatically parted hair, pale features, and black suit have managed to complete the transisition from Bond villain to My Chemical Romance's Lead singer.
www.iamfan.com/image/my-chemical-romance.jpg
static.flickr.com/56/138519212_b51b7300ba_o.jpg
Overall, the film pays it's respects to the essence of James Bond and his adventures with MI-6. This novice 007 is slowly forming into the James Bond that is solidified in movie fans; from his scene where he first orders his vodka martini (and was rather particular about it) to the flashbacks surrounding Bond's very first kill ever (Trust me, the second one is always easier.). This is a departure from the over-the-top elements of James Bond, stripped down to an almost too realistic adventure (Bond strangles a man to death in an endeavor that took almost a minute and a half of struggling that'll ensure I never sleep a full night again). Still, a very satisfied feeling overwhelms you at the end as you see Bond stand tall with a gun in his hand, finally the agent of legends we all know and love. Daniel Craig had my doubts at first but his portrayal of Bond made sense in the context of the film and one can expect his transition to 'seasoned operative' will be just as flawless and Bond's. Oh, and the face does grow on you after a while.... trust me.
newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42313000/jpg/_42313306_bond11_203.jpg
Defining Moment: (Light Spoilers Ahead)
*Bond is being tortured/interrogated by Le Chiffre. He is stripped naked and tied to a chair that conveniently has the seat removed. Le Chiffre is armed with a rope tied at a heavy not at one end. He swing the rope and smacks the underside of the chair, and along with it: Bond's testicles. This goes on for about three swings, with bond screaming something awful. Le Chiffe asks him again for the information he wants.*
Bond: *between stammers and trying to regain his composure* I've...got an itch...down there.... Do you mind?
*WHACK*
Bond: NO! NO! AGH! NO! A LITTLE MORE TO THE RIGHT!
Casino Royale is a Bond film with a lot of "First's". It is the first bond film to debue Daniel Craig as the blonde haired, blue eyed, puckered lip James Bond. This film is also the first to exclude Moneypenny, M's secretary and source of sexual tension for Bond (the only chick he aparently can't get). Q is also absent from the film (though not a first, this will come into play later). But perhaps the most defining "first" is that Casino Royale portrays the first serious mission Bond is assigned upon being upgraded to 007 (a number that aparently few are awarded, despite all double 0's have a short life expectancy and only so many number combinations before you start calling people 0032 or something silly like that.)
As this is considered Bond's first main adventure since being awarded his title and Licence to Kill, you can expect a slightly different bond than in the previous incarnations. This fledgling 007 is arrogant, letting his ego and pride cloud his judgement. His brutish response to situations does solve the problem, but we see Bond's technique and overall approach to being an agent develope over the course of the film.
As with any Bond film, the action makes up a good portion of the appeal. The ten minute parkour chase scene in the films beginning is a solid display of the force that doesn't back down throughout the film. The fights this fledgling agent engages in are tough and brutal (dare I say, this is the first film that has bond bleed as much as his opponents), which adds a sense of realism to his kills that was all but lost in the days of the aging sean connery dispatching dozens of nameless henchmen with a karate chop.
Adding to the realism is a shocking lack of crazy gadgets coutesy of Q branch. Like any super spy on a governement salary, Bond does have a few handy dandy numbers to help him out. However, we can bid a fond farewell to the invisible BMW Brosnan drove (Die Another Day) and say hello to the Aston Martin DBS, complete with secret compartments that house everything from his silenced PPK to a defibrilator (I'm not kidding).
The plot twists of Casino Royale and the unique characters make this film one to keep you on your toes. Sadly, I report that there were no overtly seductive women with a blatant innuendo for a name (what has gotten into parent's lately...); nor was there an incredibly quirky mastermind of a villian. Instead, we are treated to Le Chiffre (french for "the number") a mathematical genius and banker to the world's terrorist (a lucrative job market I never gave much thought to until now). Yeah, no dude with metal teeth or a bionic hand, or even a voodoo preist. Just a math dude who is an exceptional poker player and has an injured eye.
Aside from his use of an inhaler loaded with amphetamines, Le Chifre's unique characteristics come out in the second scene which involves him playing a friendly game of poker with two "friends". The camera focuses on his injured eye complete with cataract and a scar. Around the point where my inner monologue was about to say "So what." I learned of his other party trick. A "corruption of the tear duct" in said eye causes the eye to cry blood once in a while. That and the dramatically parted hair, pale features, and black suit have managed to complete the transisition from Bond villain to My Chemical Romance's Lead singer.
www.iamfan.com/image/my-chemical-romance.jpg
static.flickr.com/56/138519212_b51b7300ba_o.jpg
Overall, the film pays it's respects to the essence of James Bond and his adventures with MI-6. This novice 007 is slowly forming into the James Bond that is solidified in movie fans; from his scene where he first orders his vodka martini (and was rather particular about it) to the flashbacks surrounding Bond's very first kill ever (Trust me, the second one is always easier.). This is a departure from the over-the-top elements of James Bond, stripped down to an almost too realistic adventure (Bond strangles a man to death in an endeavor that took almost a minute and a half of struggling that'll ensure I never sleep a full night again). Still, a very satisfied feeling overwhelms you at the end as you see Bond stand tall with a gun in his hand, finally the agent of legends we all know and love. Daniel Craig had my doubts at first but his portrayal of Bond made sense in the context of the film and one can expect his transition to 'seasoned operative' will be just as flawless and Bond's. Oh, and the face does grow on you after a while.... trust me.
newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42313000/jpg/_42313306_bond11_203.jpg
Defining Moment: (Light Spoilers Ahead)
*Bond is being tortured/interrogated by Le Chiffre. He is stripped naked and tied to a chair that conveniently has the seat removed. Le Chiffre is armed with a rope tied at a heavy not at one end. He swing the rope and smacks the underside of the chair, and along with it: Bond's testicles. This goes on for about three swings, with bond screaming something awful. Le Chiffe asks him again for the information he wants.*
Bond: *between stammers and trying to regain his composure* I've...got an itch...down there.... Do you mind?
*WHACK*
Bond: NO! NO! AGH! NO! A LITTLE MORE TO THE RIGHT!