By Everyone has a hero. The nature of a hero is to save the day but sometimes saving the day might mean one must save himself.
In “Casino Royale,” the 21st edition in the James Bond series, Daniel Craig emerges in a superb performance as Agent 007 in the best portrayal of the character since Sean Connery.
Based on the first novel in the literary series, created by Ian Fleming, the film does something unconventional for a Bond film. It focuses on the character’s internal struggles more than the plot.
The point of this film wasn’t to give us a tongue-in-cheek ’60s version or its modern equivalent in recent years, but to totally re-imagine it as it should have been: a character study of one of the most complex and dangerous characters ever created.
At the start of the film we are introduced to a different Bond than we are used to. He is cold, calculating and casually dressed preparing to rid the world of a fellow MI6 agent (British Intelligence) who is selling secrets to the enemy. We are quickly informed that Bond needs two kills to become a double-O agent, which is remedied soon enough.
The plot centers on the ego and hot-headedness of Bond as a rookie double-O agent and his ultimate decision on whether he truly wants to be a cold-blooded killer for the rest of his life.
The main obstacle for Bond is to compete in a high stakes Texas hold ’em poker game against Le Chiffre and eight other gamblers, with a $10 million buy-in and $5 million re-buy.
Bond is helped by the films’ heroine, Vesper Lynn, played by Eva Green. Bond’s hot-headedness is proven after returning from a dangerous mission in Africa in which he causes more damage than the country wants to take credit for. Bond is criticized by his boss and head of MI6, ‘M,’ wonderfully played by Dame Judi Dench, and is told he will be in hot water with his superiors over the incident and can possibly lose his status as a double-O before he truly gets to use it.
Aside from a few slow moments, the film holds together impressively well by using a connecting theme. Bond is forced to face himself and decides who he can trust now that he is playing with the big dogs. Trust becomes the underlying theme, which ‘M’ warns him about early in the film. In the end, Bond must come face-to-face with one of his decisions, which has fatal consequences.
Paul Haggis, writer/director and producer, who has made such films as “Crash” and “Million Dollar Baby,” had a hand in writing this script, along with two previous Bond writers Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.
Filled with tons of high-action moments, suspenseful card playing scenes and the same style that made Bond a household name to begin with, this film doesn’t disappoint. If heroes are too abundant in cinema these days with the likes of Batman, Superman and others, do yourself a favor and check out a hero who doesn’t need special effects to make your mouth drop.
