For What It’s Worth: My Opinion of Casino Royale
C December 29, 2006

Many, myself included, have asked why Peirce Brosnan was dismissed at the end of the last movie. As much as I liked his posturing, I have to say I've come around.

One only has to re-watch The World Is Not Enough to see why. This film, number 19, has James Bond complaining of a shoulder injury through half the movie and Die Another Day isn't much better. This one begins with Bond's capture and subsequent year long torture session, after which he is dismissed from service. While there may be some lip-service to his reinstatement at the end of the movie, I think the audience can agree that James Bond has gotten old over the course of 20 movies, and it's time for him to retire.

Yes, Die Another Day was the last James Bond movie...

Now you see what this new actor accomplishes. Casino Royale, number 21 by standard measurement, seeks to reintroduce James Bond. To put it cynically, the franchise was in trouble and the only way to compete with Ethan Hunt and Jason Bourne, the "new breed of spy," was to reinvent him completely.

Casino Royale succeeds. I have to admit, I was curious how they were going to pull this one off, since Casino Royale was the first Bond novel, written back in 1953, when the Russians were still evil. The movie has been understandably updated with cell phones and modern alliances, but nevertheless manages to be a good ride.

It also seeks to sever all continuity the old storyline held, which was negligible anyway. James Bond is a new agent that M fears she has promoted too early, and the script goes to great lengths to reveal his background. Moneypenny has yet to be introduced, as does Q, but an old face last seen in the movie License to Kill is reintroduced. Felix Leiter, Bond's best friend from the American CIA becomes a important part of the plot for what is passed off as the first time, only now he's a different race, which I think is all the better.

The only returning actor is Judi Dench, and if that doesn't fit with the rest of my theories, I think that is more a testament to Dench's skill as an actor than anything else.

There are thrills aplenty, from the first major chase scene up and down a skyscraper construction site during which the participants never seem to get tired. There's a crazy, machete wielding Nigerian, who somehow manages to seem realistic, a poisoned martini and a not-too elaborate torture chamber.

My only complaint is that the movie spends a bit too long following Bond and Vesper Lynd after he vows to leave the service for her. As soon as he utters "You've stripped my armor from me," you know she's going to die, or turn evil (or both, as it turns out), yet she spends another twenty minutes walking around, waiting to die.

But what impresses me more than anything is the sinister undercurrent which barely gets a mention until the very end. Le Chiffre, the movie's bad guy, is in fact no more than a trumped-up banker for some super evil organization. They aren't even named in the movie, but one gets the distinct impression it's about to be a major player in the next one.

For those who can remember back to Diamond's Are Forever, it's obvious. SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) is back. Though they were dismissed a long time ago in favor of hating Russia more, the movie-market has shifted back to super evil conspiracies. By the way, I thank our president for that.

The new SPECTRE is even move evil than the first. While the first spent most of their time trying to kill Bond, this one doesn't even appear to see him yet, and it's more secretive and intelligent than ever before.

Which leaves one question: which will be the next Bond movie? This new direction suggests there is going to be a serious continuity, and I also expect it is going to be based on a book. Unfortunately, all the original Ian Flemming novels have already been made into movies. Still, the second book Live and Let Die, is so out of date I would not complain to see it redone.

The first Gardner novel, License Renewed, deals with the rebirth of SPECTRE after Bond kills them the first time, so I don't see how it could be adapted. On the other hand, none of the other Bond novels have been made into movies yet, and many of them could be made to involve SPECTRE. My vote is for Icebreaker.

Whatever happens, it's good to know that Bond is back, and coming in strong. He isn't going to find it any easier through the second 20.