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CASINO ROYALE
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CASINO ROYALE (2006)Directed by Martin Campbell
Starring Daniel Craig and Judi Dench
SYNOPSIS:
In his first mission, James Bond must stop Le Chiffre, a banker to the world's terrorist organizations, from winning a high-stakes poker tournament at Casino Royale in Montenegro
REVIEW:
WOW! That's really all I need to say as this could be one of the greatest action films ever made. In a revamping of the Bond franchise, director Martin Campbell gives up perhaps the greatest Bond movie ever!
The selection of Daniel Craig playing the legendary James Bond was a terrific casting choice. First off, he's a great actor able to evoke many emotions by doing very little. And he obtains the face of a seasoned man while at the same time looking like an innocent child. In the first 5 minutes of this film, our preconceived analysis of the new Bond is over and we are now ready to follow him for 2+ hours.
It was good to go back to the beginnings of a successful franchise and begin the character arc all over again. The last Bond films with Pierce Bronson playing Bond were terrible in this viewers opinion as they basically were your typical action film without really being about anything at all.
Casino Royale gives us the action with a terrific plot and a character study of who is James Bond!
This film works on a 5 act structure.
ACT 1 - Is the teaser of how Bond obtained the 007 status
ACT 2 - Is the setup of Bond's personality, antagonist conflict and full story conflict as the undercover Bond goes completely ‘over cover' as he chases a bomb expert on the verge of selling his work to a terrorist country.
ACT 3- Bond is told to go on vacation but the type-A he is, he goes on vacation to track down the case that his boss M (played brilliantly by Judi Dench) thought he screwed up. Bond shows his sexiness, smarts and overall determination as he stops a major terrorist bomb attack.
ACT 4 - The main plot as Bond is chosen to play a high skates Poker game against the main terrorist banker. He must win in order to stop the 100 plus million dollars winner take all stake going to a major terrorist group. There we meet his nemesis, co-worker and future love interest (isn't that how it always is), plays some good old-fashioned Texas Poker, kills some people and saves his own life.
ACT 5 - The setup of future Bond films as we really see what makes this man tick as he loses something very special to him.
The film's main theme is about the art and balance of using your emotions to your advantage while at the same time handling your own ego in order to do it. Bond is a maverick assassin in many ways who can be his own worst enemy. His emotions and instincts are what makes him good at his job but they can also get him into trouble.
Now as we see the future Bond films we understand who James Bond is. Casino Royale's directer Martin Campbell did an outstanding job with this film. He may or may not direct the future films but the next films will always use his template in how he decided to direct the pacing and lighting style while also setting up the new James Bond. Kind of like a TV pilot director setting up the future episodes.
Personally I was just so happy so see an action film with personality and emotion. It's been too long and this could be one of the best films of the decade so far.
