Hollywood reboots, they are a growing scourge these days with studios seemingly unwilling to take a chance on an original story. But sometimes, reboots work, and can breathe new life into a film franchise that had become a shell of its former self.British secret agent James Bond has just been given his license to kill and for his first assignment, he must face a mysterious villain named Le Chiffre in a high stakes game of poker. If he looses not only would the money help finance terrorists, but he could wind up dead as well.
Truth be told the James Bond franchise had been dying over the past couple of films. On the watch of former Bond Pierce Brosnan the films were wrought with lousy stories, an over-reliance on gadgets or ludicrous villains and Brosnan’s oh so smug turn as the British super spy. With Casino Royale, a new era in the 007 franchise was born, one that concentrated less on jet packs, stealth boats and vacuous quips everytime Bond did something cool and gave the audience the type of action they have come to expect from the series along with a richly developed story and fully realized characters. Speaking of which, Daniel Craig, though initially ridiculed as the choice for the new 007, just might be the best Bond since Sean Connery perfected the iconic character. His Bond was a brute when he had to be, unafraid of getting his hands dirty when it was necessary and yet human and vulnerable enough to worry about how his life as a trained killer might affect his soul. That vulnerability extended to the female agent along on his mission, Vesper. Their interplay and dialogue was among the best in the film, making the fate that befell her all the more bittersweet. I have not even gotten into the stylish black and white shot opening, the breathtaking high wire confrontation Bond had in the beginning or the collapsing building on the Italian Riviera at the climax but the action more than matched the marvelous story and made Casino Royale a film you do not want to miss.
Grade: A
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