Casino Royale (2006)

Rating:

Early negativism and questioning reactions to starring Daniel Craig as the new Bond started to proliferate even before it was announced. Displeasure and disapproval to casting this blond as Bond were evident in various internet polls. In MSNBC's Who Should Be the Next Bond Poll, Craig ranked the 7th getting 12 times less the votes of Pierce Brosnan. Oh well, until Bond was named. And the name is Craig, Daniel Craig. In protest, websites like Danielcraigisnotbond.com and the now disabled Craignotbond.com have openly been urging a boycott of the new Bond film. Even after the latest Bond film could be shown, negative reactions still lingered. Partly, blame can be put on Sony just ditching Brosnan who's by the way rumored to have $41M asking price. Or maybe on the idea of many that Craig is just not good a Bond.

Indeed, Craig is NOT a good Bond. He's a GREAT Bond! Best Bond since Timothy Dalton (of course that's objectionable). More manly, we see a rugged Bond who is refreshingly not much relying on gadgets engaging on an excitingly rare hand-to-hand combat. You think you know Bond. Not until you see this reinvented Bond.

It's back to the basics in Martin Campbell's "Casino Royale." We are introduced to a Bond before he holds his license to kill and just elevated to the "00" status. His first 007 mission brings him to Madagascar to spy on a terrorist Mollaka. As things don't go as planned, Bond investigates on his own to track down the terrorists connected to Mollaka. He is led to the Bahamas encountering Dimitrios and his girlfriend, Solange. He realizes that Dimitrios is involved with Le Chiffre, financier of the world's terrorist organizations. Intelligence reveals Le Chiffre plans to raise money through a poker game. Le Chiffre losing spells his organization's letdown. Now Bond is assigned to play against him and so the fate of the world depends on this poker game.

Exploring the early career of 007, "Casino Royale" offers a lot of top-notch action other Bonds sure couldn't carry out. Craig's James Bond is rough, dangerous, full of energy, swift and more real. He's totally the Bond we wanted others to be but never were. And ultimately, this new Bond flick is a drama happening inside Bond explaining or justifying how he has become a womanizer as we all know him to be. There's just no denying "Casino Royale" gives new life to the Bond franchise clich餠in its previous offerings.

Maybe it's time Daniel Craig's detractors give up the hoo-ha. Coz hey let's face it, he's the "best" Bond, James Bond.

© 2006 Jonathan Susvilla