Movie Title: Casino Royale
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/10)
Year: 2006
Casino Royale official site: http://www.casinoroyalemovie.com/

It has been a big debate… probably months before the shooting.. er.. maybe not… maybe even when the casting time… when they all wanted Daniel Craig to take up the Bond role in this movie.

Okay… now everyone would have watched this movie and probably is boring talking about it. But well… I know.. I am fashionably late this time. I have been delaying this review for god knows… probably 3 weeks now.

So… my 10 cents worth of review starts here. As noted before the review starts… as usual… I don’t read books so, I will not be comparing the movie to the book and how much is it slacking or staying true to the book.

Let’s begin with the black and white pre-title. I love how it was done (yes… I have sudden favour for black and white movies). I think it was tastefully done, and best of all… it manages to bring out the summary of how James Bond (Daniel Craig) got promoted to a 007. Well.. I guess I wasn’t the only one who complains about Bond doing his signature pose at (of all places) the toilet. I mean like hello… toilet? What are they even thinking? But then again… some people was too busy looking at Daniel Craig and the fast action stunt that they barely notice it was a toilet.

They then slot in the opening credit… with lots of vector style and motives moving here and there. Yes.. pretty much similarities to those comic based movie. Of course this is a little more tastefully done. Before I watched it, Jon told me I must pay attention to it, coz it is very “velverse style”. Okay… maybe I don’t see eye to eye with him. I was sorta disappointed with the opening credit. Yes, I love some of the ideas… but it was way too draggy.. too long (probably they have lots of people’s name to list). The animation especially when the vector people were fighting was disappointingly bad. It felt like it was a rush job and they just gotta finish it up by hook or by crook type. The hands were splitting up here and there. Aw… god… I wish someone would just fast forward or drag me out that instant.

His first mission right after he was given the “00” status was to go to Madagascar and spy on Mollaka (Sebastian Foucan), an international bomb-maker. This is where the cat and mouse chase thing happen and trust me… I think it was too long of a chase and too overly done. Too Hong Kong action movie wannabe… to be precise… too Jackie Chan movie wannabe. I mean… jumping from buildings to buildings… going through small holes. Just too Jackie… for a second I really thought I was in some Jackie Chan show. Now fast forward that and the chase ended up at the Nambutu Embassy.

In the process of taking down Mollaka, Bond bomb up part of the embassy killing Mollaka along with some police. His actions was being taped down by the security camera and was released. This got M (Judi Dench) in to hot soup. She and the others in M16 wasn’t really happy with what he had done.

Following the lead from Mollaka’s handphone, Bond quickly ended himself at Bahamas where Alex Dimitrios (Simon Abkarain) is watched by Bond. Trying to figure out what they were doing, Bond eventually got close to Dimitrios’s girl, Solange (Caterina Murino). Dimitrios was killed by Bond when he starts to notice Bond was following him. Clues and clues leads to a case where a new plane is to be bomb in to pieces on it’s launching day. Of course Bond is here to save the day.

Apparently… all this thing that was happening is linked to Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). He is the banker to the world’s terrorist and makes huge amount of money out of it. He normally his prior knowledge of terrorist attacks to short sell stocks in companies that fall victim to attacks. But this time… he is doomed when Bond screw up his plan.

This leave him no choice but to gamble the money back from high-stakes Texas Hold’em Poker game at the Casino Royale. Bond is then sent by the M16 to bankrupt Le Chiffre. If Bond is successful, Le Chiffre is out of the game. He will be out of funds to continue financing the terrorist and thus lead him to aid the British government in exchange for protection from his creditors.

Before the game, Bond meet up with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), a government treasury agent. Well… they sorta have an exciting guessing game on the train while handing a 10 million dollar cash-in to Bond. Besides Vesper, Bond also got help from Mathias (Giancarlo Giannini).

The exciting gambling part is soon to begin on the poker table. Bond discovers the poker tell that Le Chiffre commits when he is bluffing. However, Bond is later betrayed when Le Chiffre misleads Bond by committing his tell when he has a strong hand, and Bond loses his entire initial stake. Vesper refuse to fund Bond as she thinks his act was out of his mind.

Leiter (Jeffery Wright), who is a CIA undercover playing the game, feels that Bond can beat Le Chiffre and gives him the $5 million. In return, Bond agrees to let the CIA take custody of Le Chiffre instead of MI6.

Le Chieffer’s girlfriend, Valenka (Ivana Milicevic) poisoned Bond by mixing the poison to his vodka martini. Bond was lucky that Vesper was there to save him by activating the defibrillator. Bond then returns to the table to take down Le Chieffer.

When Le Chieffer was defeated, he quickly kidnap Vesper and this lured Bond. He was then tied down to a chair where Le Chieffer repeatedly ball bust Bond by repeatedly striking his balls with a knotted rope to force Bond to reveal the password to the bank account.

In an instant, Bond and Vesper was saved by someone mysterious. While recovering, Bond was moved and fell in love with Vesper. The vulnerable him soon spills out the password to the bank account which actually spells “VESPER”.

he shocking ending revealed that Vesper actually betrayed him. She is actually forced to help Mr White because his boyfriend was being captured by them. In some gun fights and action packed scene, the building they are at collapsed in to the river. Vesper committed suicide by locking herself in the elevator.

However she cleverly leaves a clue for Bond in her cell phone. This leads Bond to hunt down Mr. White and gun him down.

My conclusion.. well actually I wasn’t really happy with this movie.. despite everyone around me inclusive of the critics think of it as one of the best Bond movie. Like I say before.. the opening credit was disappointing. Now… Daniel Craig… no offence, he is hunky, have beautiful blue eyes but I just think he looks a little too old… since it was the very first Bond movie. But the fact that he looks much older than Pierce Brosnan.

Like what? you are trying to say the 007 gets younger by day? Secondly… the overly action packed starting and the somewhat boring section in the middle. Seriously… I think it’s like a roller coaster ride watching this movie. Yes, it’s probably one of the longest Bond movie… hmmm but I somehow think it could have been better. Sigh… Bond Bond Bond… I guess it’s time to shake some bon bon and forget tomorrow.