Movie Review - Casino Royale

Casino Royale (2006)

Starring Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelson, Jeffrey Wright, and Judi Dench

Directed by Martin Campbell

I've gone thirty-two years without seeing a James Bond film and having now watched Casino Royale I have to ask myself why I waited so long.  Granted, one look at this long-lasting series of flicks may not be indicative of the franchise's overarching quality, but Casino Royale proved to be one of the best action movies I've seen in a long time.

I won't get into plots here -- the movie's been out for six years now -- except to give the briefest overview that as this flick starts Mr. Bond (Daniel Craig) is just beginning his British intelligence career.  With the need to prove himself to his boss, M (Judi Dench), he sets out on a mission to stop the criminal mastermind known as Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelson) from providing funds to terrorists around the world.

Two things elevate this movie to the higher echelon of action flicks.  First, Daniel Craig gives a suave, debonair, yet no nonsense performance as the superspy.  He makes both his mellower and action-packed scenes completely plausible despite seemingly impossible moments.  Second, director Martin Campbell has crafted some of the best action scenes I've seen in ages.  Nowadays, cuts and edits make many action sequences completely incomprehensible, but I found Campbell's work here to be fluid and amazingly coherent.  Even amidst what may very well be the most unlikeliest of scenarios, I was always aware of what was going on in the rapidly paced scenes and that's a huge credit to the director and a gigantic positive for the film.

Here's hoping any future Bond endeavors can live up to this experience.

The RyMickey Rating: A-