Review: Casino Royale

Posted by: Tom Milroy  •  November 17, 2006 @ 11:59am

Filed under: Reviews

Movie-goers should know, this version of Casino Royale has nothing to do with the one made in 1967. Any movie that credits five directors is not going to work. It was horrible.

The 2006 version stars Daniel Craig as a new, leaner and meaner James Bond. He doesn't have a great sense of humour, but that'll come in future Bond films. It seems as if the producers are trying to inject new life into the franchise and they need to. It was getting a little stale.

This is a very good movie and my only complaint: there's no gadget guy. I wanted to see Bond's new shoe-phone and all the tricks his new Aston Martin could do. By the way, that car makes an early exit. Nonetheless, Daniel Craig handles himself very well, looks great in a tuxedo, and is still the ladies' man.

I'm not sure what the plot is. Something to do with 007 having to beat the bad guy (Mads Mikkelson) at poker, so the world will be saved. Eva Green plays Vesper Lynd, one of Bond's co-workers and eventually girlfriend and then, well, I shouldn't say anything more.

To show you just how much the filmmakers want you to forget the old Bond, a bartender asks our hero if he wants his martini shaken or stirred and Bond basically says, "What difference does that make?".

Casino Royale is directed by Martin Campbell, whose credits include those two Zorro movies and GoldenEye, the first Bond movie to star Pierce Brosnan in 1995.

All in all, a very good entry in the franchise, but we still need a gadget guy!