Casino Royale (Special Edition) (DVD)

...welcome to my review of Casino Royale. Well after seeing this again on Christmas Day on Sky and getting it as a Christmas present, I just couldn't resist reviewing the film itself.

As an avid Bond fan since being little, it was with some excitement that when I heard that Daniel Craig had been given the part of the legendary agent that I knew straight away that we were heading in a different direction with the franchise. That is not ...
...Fleming that was left was Casino Royale. Now for the purists out there the 1967 film starring David Niven and Peter Sellers was not an official film as that was done by someone else other than EON Productions, so it doesn't count as a proper Bond film, and besides that was done as a comedy co-starring Woody Allen. Casino Royale was the first of the Fleming novels and was first issued in 1952, thankfully the film stays loyal to the novel in characters ... more

Happy New Year and welcome to my review of Casino Royale. Well after seeing this again on Christmas Day on Sky and getting it as a Christmas present, I just couldn't resist reviewing the film itself.

As an avid Bond fan since being little, it was with some excitement that when I heard that Daniel Craig had been given the part of the legendary agent that I knew straight away that we were heading in a different direction with the franchise. That is not to say that Pierce Brosnan was not a good Bond, he was. Unfortunately he was let down by the scripts and the insanity of gadgets that kept snowballing to the extent of the invisible car in Die Another Day.

To survive, the next Bond film had to be different, in fact it had to be completely different to anything that had come before it and it is on the level of reality that thiS Bond film works. A similar approach had been done with Batman as well, in fact Batman Begins stripped away the comic book invulnerability of the main character and added a healthy dose of reality into the story in such a way that it was truly believable. Also with the Jason Bourne trilogy of films that were competing against Bond it was necessary to bring the story back down to Earth and effectively reboot the franchise.

The one remaining novel by Fleming that was left was Casino Royale. Now for the purists out there the 1967 film starring David Niven and Peter Sellers was not an official film as that was done by someone else other than EON Productions, so it doesn't count as a proper Bond film, and besides that was done as a comedy co-starring Woody Allen. Casino Royale was the first of the Fleming novels and was first issued in 1952, thankfully the film stays loyal to the novel in characters as well as story and plot.

At the beginning of the film, you notice some slight changes that make you wonder if you are actually watching a Bond film. There is no gun barrel sequence at all. Why? Simple, Bond has not truly become 007 yet as he has not performed two assassinations. Also there is no colour at all till the opening titles; everything is in black and white. A bold move indeed, but also one that does genuinely add to the suspense of the pre-title sequence,where Bond is sent to kill an informer within MI6, the scene is interlaced with Bond fighting the insider's contact in a public lavatory. This is a very vicious and savage fight and manages to show off Craig well in his first scenes as Bond. By the end he has his two kills and is given promotion to Double O status. Throughout the film you get to see Bond not quite being the usual sharpest tool that we have seen him in the past, that is not to say he shows a level of thickness that cannot be believed but shows an amateur side and an ineptness that we have never seen before. After all this is his first assignment that he is given from M so it is kind of refreshing to see him learning the ropes of the trade and also making mistakes. This not only adds to the film but also causes a number of situations that we see Bond in that can truly be considered out of character. For example breaking into M's apartment is just one.

Acting wise this film is a true tour de force, Craig plays Bond as he should be and as an actor hasn't played him since the late 80's in Licence to Kill. He is rough and hard edged but also has enough bad attitude to get the job done. A lot of his acting is done with his eyes at moments of tension and this really does send a chill down the spine, especially when he looks straight into camera. Looks wise Craig was initially thought to be a million miles away from the Bond person as he has blond hair, but by the end of the film that is totally swept aside as you accept him in the role and wonder why this step wasn't taken before, as he does rejuvenate the character and brings a human side which has long been missed. Craig actually beefed up for the role and this has paid off dividends, he looks fit and you can believe that he holds the rank of Commander in the Royal Navy.

Co-starring with him is the upcoming star Eva Green who plays Vesper Lynd of the Treasury , she sponsors Bond for the money he plays with at Casino Royale. I had never seen her before the film and was quite shocked by how well she played the part. I won't go into too much detail about things as I don't wish to give away any spoilers but there is a scene in the film when she walks into the playing room at the Casino and all heads turn in her direction, I suspect that this was the reason as to why she got the part as she plays Vesper with a gutsy and fiery mood to start with but kind of mellows as the film proceeds. An absolute stunning lady to look at on screen who delivers the part as her own. Hopefully this type of Bond girl will not be a one-off occurance.

With the film effectively being a reboot of the franchise, it's strange to see Dame Judi Dench still portraying M as she was part of the Pierce Brosnan era and first met Bond when she became the new M in Goldeneye. However she plays M in this as more of a politician as you hear her swear and also put Bond down. Her scope in this film has been opened up completely as there is no Moneypenny and no Q present, which I think is a great move considering that this is why M has more screen time, this not only gives a greater focus on what is happening but also means that the Bond formula can be successfully changed or moved away from without any major impact. When Dench is on screen you get the impression that she is relishing the part she plays commands presence and the character seems to enjoy standing up to Bond, by the end she does show some maternal emotions towards Bond and they have built mutual respect for each other.

The villain in the film is called Le Chiffre, French for 'The Chief'. Again loyal to the novel, he is a Banker and an expert card player who uses gambling as a front to finance terrorism and also his lifestyle. He is played by Mads Mikkelsen, a Danish actor who appeared in the 2000 release of King Arthur. Having read the novel, I liked how he played the character, basically as a straight but brutal business man with such a high level of intelligence that he's able to count the cards and work out the odds of receiving the correct cards in his head. Although menacing and somewhat disturbing to look at, as he has a scar across his left eye and cries blood, he is a business man with a lot of problems as he has a cash crisis and so must ensure that he wins at any cost at Casino Royale. A crisis that was actually caused by Bond in the first place.

The rest of the cast are actors from various countries, for example you have American Jeffrey Wright who plays Felix Leiter. Although his screen time is limited you do kind of hope that you see him again in Bond 22 as he works well with Craig's Bond on screen. Bond's other colleague is Rene Mathis played by Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini. He is a smooth talking character who becomes Bond's fix it man. He brings a sinister side to the film as you are unsure if he can be trusted and it does raise a lot of questions about his loyalty with this being Bond's first assignment.

The set pieces are freshly executed and unlike a lot of other films didn't wholly rely on computer graphics to be made to show the impossible being done as all the stunts were done in real time and not computer time. The premier sequence has to be on the building site after in the way that it is executed and done. It is believable and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout and this was just the first 20 minutes!!! The main reason for this is the chase involves a practice called Parkour that is basically a method of jumping on, over and sometimes through objects in such a manner that no momentum is lost. An original idea and one that is bought in at the right time and by the right means. You'll see. Be warned there is a lot of blood in this film, and it is quite interesting to see Craig get bloodied in a fight when he is up against a man trying to kill him with a machete. Although I think that the amount of claret you see is justified at the time of the incident, it is a bit strange to see Craig having no scars 5 minutes later when he rejoins the table. But overall that is minor, as it is what happens to Bond that is unexpected, but with a twist. The finale is something that hasn't been seen on film before and is quite breathtaking to watch. Enough said.

Of course Bond wouldn't be Bond without his favourite choice of car, and in Casino Royale we have two to choose from. A 1964 DB5 Aston Martin and a brand new 2006 DBS. The DBS being a company car (!!!) and the DB5 being one of Bond's perks that he wins in the early part of the film. The DBS has no modification by Q branch with the exception of the glove box which has a finger print reader to unlock it with a secure compartment containing medical equipment that Bond needs. Oh and he also drives a brand new Ford Mondeo, so new in fact that it is only just going on sale.

The locations used are absolutely stunning, Italy, Madagascar, London, Venice, Bahamas and Guildford! Yes Guildford, it was used as a double for Miami Airport. It was actually Dunsfold airstrip just outside of Guildford where Top Gear is filmed that was used to double Miami Airport and it works well as the editing was sharp.

The music, by David Arnold, is also different as you don't hear anything of the Bond theme towards the latter stages of the film. The reason for that being is that this is Bond with L plates. Most of the instrumental music is loud and does amplify the situation accordingly so that there are moments of genuine tension being created, especially where you see Bond in a predicament that could have been avoided.

Martin Campbell who funnily enough directed Brosnan's first outing as Bond has really raised the bar with this film as he has not only given us a down to earth adventure that has eliminated any fiction and over the top gadgets, but has made a thriller that is not only enjoyable but also gives a high level of suspense that engrosses you while you watch it. To give some idea, I went to see this at the Cinema on an Orange 2-4-1 Wednesday. Out of the audience of 300, over half were women. At the end when we were leaving the women were well happy seeing Bond, as you did in one scene, in the buff. They were talking on the way out saying how different it was not to have the usual snobbery and glib comments that are usually used when Bond does something dramatic and wins as a verbal two fingers to the person who just lost.

Extras wise there is really nothing to write home about at all, which is a shame as the DVD transfer of the print looks great, but unfortunately there isn't that much to back it up with on the second disc. There is a documentary called 'Becoming Bond' that charts Craig from the London Press conference about Casino Royale, through the making of the film and what steps he took for the role. An informative 30 minutes that was recently shown on ITV, and is readily available on You Tube. Other documentaries include 'James Bond for Real' and 'Death in Venice' as well as 'Bond Girls are Forever' which is a 50 edit of the two hour documentary. There are also 5 news wraps about the film and the Chris Cornell's music video of 'You Know My Name' which was the opening title song. Forgive me but I wont say too much about the middle two documentaries as they are both 30 minutes long and to discuss them would give away some of the story, so Mum's the word on these.

To call this a Special Edition is a bit of a rip off as there is no trailer or anything, really this could have been crammed onto one disc. So this is really where the disc fails. The Menu's are also a bit of a let down as they aren't in the same manner as the Ultimate Editions that were recently released

If I was to be brutally honest, if this was the direction that Bond 22 was going to take then I would seriously think about throwing out all previous film before Casino Royale. Not only is this reboot just what the Doctor ordered but also ultimately refreshingly positive to think that you pay your £8 at the cinema or £10 for the DVD and get 2 and quarter hours of pure escapism that is a joy to watch. The DVD is out at the moment from all good sellers, but with this being the silly season for sales and alike, you should be able to pick this up on-line for as little £7 for a single disc edition and £12 for the double disc. I paid £10 and still didn't feel as if I was being ripped off as I got it in sale at HMV. But beware there will be a super special edition coming out in the near future of this film that will contain a whole lot more than we have here on this release. Yes it is a shame but what we do get is probably the best Bond film in the last 10 years, and that makes this worth buying, especially as this is potentially the first in a series of three films that are linked together by the story, which again is a new tangent for Bond, which will hopefully open up the character even more. Welcome back James. You could say this would be a sort of A Lord Of the Spies Trilogy.

Until next time, thanks for reading and take care. Tim 

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