CS Weekly Archive > DVD of the Day > 03/16/07

Pretty Sharp for a Blunt Instrument

by jason davis

James Bond returns—or rather, debuts—in Casino Royale, a symphony of dichotomies that brings the super spy back to reality with an emotional depth hitherto ignored in favor of the franchise's devotion to spectacle.

Screenplay by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Paul Haggis
Based on the novel by Ian Fleming

Completing the requisite two killings required to obtain "double-oh" status, MI6 agent James Bond (Daniel Craig) is assigned to undermine the fundraising activities of Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a banker with a propensity for managing the money of terrorists. His stock manipulation scheme foiled by Bond, Le Chiffre sets up a high-stakes poker game to recoup his finances while avoiding retribution from his clients. Supervised by treasury agent Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), Bond infiltrates the match and finds himself playing for the highest stakes of his life. Illustrating Bond's evolution from gifted amateur to hardened killer while contrasting his love for Vesper with his emotionally suppressed devotion to duty, Casino Royale captures the contradictions of human nature, imbuing a larger-than-life cinematic hero with previously unplumbed depths.

Opening with an origin sequence inferred from Ian Fleming's novel, Royale juxtaposes Bond's first two murders, creating the first in a string of dichotomies that will drive the movie. While the young agent clumsily and brutally dispatches an agent (Daud Shah) in a Prague bathroom, the narrative intercuts to exhibit Bond's cool execution of MI6 traitor Dryden (Malcolm Sinclair), demonstrating a growing comfort with his bloody work. Described by his superior M (Judi Dench) as "a blunt instrument" after making a spectacle—and diplomatic incident—of himself during a mission that pits him against a Parkour-practicing bomber in the foot chase to end all foot chases, Bond nevertheless proves himself a shrewd character as he thwarts Le Chiffre's initial scheme in Florida before truly matching wits across the card table in Montenegro.

Unlike the polished agent of the other Bond films, Casino Royale offers up a novice spy with an air of bluster and self-confidence that belies his inherent insecurities. Early on, he breaks into M's home and, when he's caught, replies to his superior's scolding with bravado and innuendo despite the fact that she could have him killed with the slightest effort. Indeed, when she regrets promoting him, he notes the short life expectancy of his post and reckons she won't have long to be bothered by him. The line, delivered with perfect ambiguity by Craig, elicits something between a death wish and suppressed terror. The learning curve is further explored when Bond woos the wife (Caterina Murino) of Le Chiffre's associate, only to find her brutally murdered shortly thereafter. The cost of his actions weighs heavily upon him as he realizes the stakes of his new business.

Widely lauded for the emotional depths attributed to the previously wry and devil-may-care character, Royale accentuates Bond's feelings for Lynd by going to great lengths to illustrate how much he doesn't want to reveal them. When the two characters meet on a train, Bond sizes her up with his witty repartee, but closes down when she strikes back with a similar analysis of his own psychology. The screenplay, crafted by Bond veterans Neal Purvis and Robert Wade (The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day) along with the Oscar-winning Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby and Crash), was touted as a return to Fleming's original intent, but though the basic structure of the novel is intact, the writers have improved upon the text by making Lynd perhaps even more damaged and compelling than Bond himself. Indeed, the translation from book to screen not only adds the action required to provide the requisite spectacle, but the visceral nature of the visual medium allows the performers to add unspoken sentences between the metaphorical punctuation that is the dialogue. The result is an experience that redefines the franchise while recalling the best of both book and film.

- Becoming Bond
- James Bond: For Real
- Bond Girls Are Forever (2006)
- Chris Cornell music video
- Trailers

Lacking the deluxe treatment recently afforded the preceding 20 films in the franchise, Casino Royale arrives on DVD sans commentary, an oversight made doubly tragic by the importance of this film in re-inventing the character. While the features cover everything from the reasons behind the series' re-boot to the allure of Double-oh Seven's femme fatales, they miss what's most important about this film: the story.

Casino Royale builds a better Bond in both characterization and franchise while maintaining the time-honored ingredients of action and romance that draw audiences into the world Her Majesty's most dangerous secret agent.

Casino Royale (2006)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rated PG-13; 144 min.
$28.96

Buy it now

Jason Davis is the DVD Manager for CS Weekly , a contributing editor for Creative Screenwriting Magazine, and has written for Cinescape.com, MSN.com, and created the TV series Studio 13, which ran on Lorne Michaels' Burly TV network. He lives in the small space left over by his ever-expanding library of books, movies, and music.

Casino Royale (2006) courtesy Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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