Strap on your popcorn ‘ it’s a brand new Bond. And boy is it fun! Casino Royale charts the origins of Bond’s 007 rating, his brief wallow in the arms of true love, and transistion to besuited and suave uber-agent. Dark and brooding, action packed (well – just well packed really) ‘ David Craig is for the most part pretty sensational in this role – delivering the most masculine, charismatic Bond since Connery.
Possibly partly because Eva Green is far too beautiful to be remotely convincing as a human being, Craig does manage to bungle romance delivering a sadly tepid and unconvincing enthusiasm for Bond amorata Vesper Lynd.
Much more fun is the relationship between Bond and arch villain and banker to the world’s terrorists Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelson). Homoeroticism ain’t far from the surface and the relationship culminates in an enjoyable flirtation over a memorable spot of torture ‘ all the women were certainly laughing their boxes off. I did notice a strange silence from the lower laughter registers and I guess if the boys in the audience hadn’t been hiding under their chairs protecting their assets, I’m sure they would have been shrieking the house down too.
Plot? Well it does seem to jump around a bit, but the core of it is Bond betting Le Chiffre a whole pile of the English Treasury’s funds over the poker table at Casino Royale. Guess who wins? But then, really honestly if you are going to a Bond flick for a good plot you should take a long time choosing what flavour choc bomb you want at the Candy bar ‘ maybe there’ll be a good trailer on by the time you finish.
Worth a mention is the stunning revamped opening sequence. In a shift away from the slick piles of chicks, UK based Framestore CFC has created what has to be one of the most stunning opening title sequences I’ve seen. Playing cards, fractals, roulette wheels and gun toting vectors create a visual treat that’s far to retro to be anything other than so very now.
A strapping Bond, big guns, delectable women, divine locations, Judi Dench. What’s not to like?
