Grade: B
Synopsis: British spy James Bond (Daniel Craig) attempts to thwart a terrorist financier at a high-stakes poker game at Casino Royale in Montenegro.
Casino Royale is an agreeable enough reboot of the James Bond franchise that’s unfortunately about 20 minutes too long.
Obviously influenced by the highly successful Bourne franchise, the script by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis paints a grittier, tougher Bond, more reliant on brute force than fancy gadgets, and as such, Daniel Craig is a good choice for the lead. His physicality and arrogance harken back to the Connery days, and mark a strong departure from the suave Pierce Brosnan, who previously fronted the franchise.
Director Martin Campbell once again proves himself capable of reigniting the franchise visually, after having done it with Brosnan’s first entry, GoldenEye. Opening with a minimalist black and white sequence that perfectly sets the film’s tone, Campbell keeps things moving at a fantastic clip, shifting the action around the world while maintaining a refreshingly crisp cinematic look. All the action builds to a well-done poker sequence at the titular casino.
Unfortunately, Casino Royale doesn’t end there. Instead, it drags for another twenty minutes because the formula dictates that the film must end with a big action sequence, and not a poker game. This in itself wouldn’t be a problem if the filmmaker’s didn’t take so long to set up said action sequence. Relying on a plot twist that’s painfully evident from the outset, Casino Royale quickly becomes an exercise in patience instead of the thrill ride should be.
Bottom Line: A solid, if overlong reboot of the James Bond franchise that should please both new and old fans alike.
