Casino Royale: Bond Begins

In 2002, Paramount Pictures attempted to reinvent the film franchise based on Tom Clancy's series of Jack Ryan novels with the release of The Sum of All Fears. Ben Affleck was cast as a young Jack Ryan beginning his CIA career as an analyst. But a horrible script and lackluster performances from many of the film's cast members made The Sum of All Fears an abysmal failure.

Fast forward to 2006, as MGM, Columbia Pictures and Eon Productions attempt to reinvent the James Bond franchise based on author Ian Fleming's 007 novels with the release of Casino Royale. Daniel Craig was cast in the role of Bond, following in the footsteps of Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan, with actress Eva Green cast as Vesper Lynd. Bond film veteran Judi Dench is the only 007 alum to return as she steps into the role of MI6 chief "M" once again. Martin Campbell, who directed Brosnan's debut, GoldenEye, returns to the director's chair for the twenty-first Bond film.

In Casino Royale, Daniel Craig portrays a younger, blonder James Bond early in his MI6 career. The film opens with Bond obtaining his first two kills, an event that elevates him to double-0 status as he gains his license to kill. The music score keeps the use of the traditional 007 theme to a minimum, but that's a good thing in this movie. This film is the story of how Bond becomes Bond.

Craig plays 007 with great confidence and proves himself a worthy successor to the role. While Dalton brought acting credibility to the part, he never seemed fully comfortable in the role. Roger Moore was Ian Fleming's original choice prior to Connery's landing the part. But when Moore did assume the role, he came off more as parody than a regular Bond. Brosnan was acceptable as 007, but his physique (or lack thereof) made it difficult for fans to believe that he was capable of engaging in the fights and other physical scenes constantly shown in Bond films. Sean Connery has always been my favorite Bond, but Daniel Craig has already established himself as a very close second.

For the first time since 1987's The Living Daylights, we have a Bond film that is actually based on one of Ian Fleming's books. Mads Mikkelsen makes a great villain as Le Chiffre, a banker to many of the world's terrorist organizations. "M" wants to put Le Chiffre under great financial pressure, forcing him to turn to MI6 for amnesty. This leads to Montenegro where he hosts a high stakes poker tournament, seeking to recoup his recent losses to cover the investments of his clients. Bond enters the tournament on a mission to clean out Le Chiffre. 007 having been set up with a $10 million stake by the British government. Vesper Lynd is a British treasury agent assigned to watch over Bond and the government's money.

Many elements of past Bond films are missing from Casino Royale--no "Q," no Miss Moneypenny-and many of the tongue-in-cheek one-liners are now gone as well. This movie gets back to the beginning of Bond, as we see a reckless 007 who has not yet become confident in his skills and abilities. The over-the-top action sequences of many previous Bond films have been replaced with a much darker tone. And the tragic relationship between Bond and Vesper gives us insight into why he traditionally does not allow women to get close to him.

This two-disc DVD set contains several bonus features of note, including two original featurettes: "Becoming Bond," which examines how Daniel Craig became the sixth Bond; and "James Bond: For Real," which provides an inside look at the movie's action sequences and stunts. Also included is an updated version of "Bond Girls are Forever," hosted by Maryam d'Abo (Kara Milovny in The Living Daylights) plus the obligatory music video for Chris Cornell's theme song "You Know My Name."

With such superb work from the cast and crew of this movie, Casino Royale seems to have breathed new life into the James Bond franchise. This could very well be the best 007 movie since 1965's Thunderball. Daniel Craig has done an excellent job in his first outing as Bond, outshining four of his five predecessors. Provided that the writing and direction continue to be this good, I look forward to watching Craig in future 007 films over the next few years.