Rating: ★★★★★ (5.0/5)
James Bond brought back to his roots for a reboot of sorts, without truly rebooting anything. This is the first adventure Bond goes on in Ian Fleming’s novels and we get to see him get his 00 status and his license to kill, but we still get the Bond we know and love.
This is how an origin story is done.
We don’t wait two hours to see Bond do something “Bond-ish.” He’s who he is right out of the gate, and instantly recognizable, but we get those winks and nods to some of the staples along the way. We get his suit, his drink, his way of introducing himself, but none of that is done in a way that screams “look at what we’re doing!” It’s subtle and elegant and appropriate.
James is definitely rebooted in a sense that he’s rough around the edges though, and he gives us a rough and tough version of the spy we will eventually get to know. Somehow they managed to balance the gruff parts and the cool parts in a way that works. He’s absolutely after his mission and completely unapologetic in how he does it, but when he walks into a room full of tuxedo’s he is absolutely at home. He exudes confidence and believes he’s the smartest man in the room because he has to be. He really throws back to Sean Connery’s version of the spy for me. I can see a lot of the influence there, but Craig brings something special to the role that other Bonds didn’t.
We’re just entering into a new era of action films with this movie, and Martin Campbell definitely brings his A game to this one. He already brought the franchise back once with “Goldeneye” and it’s kind of amazing to me how he does it with “Casino Royale” too. The dude just knows how to strike the balance that’s needed for this to be an engaging action movie and also a deep story about heartbreak and what being so cold can get you. Bond opens up and is eventually punished for it and we go on that whole ride with him. Craig sells it all so perfectly.
I really can’t say enough about how well this movie works. The pacing is pitch perfect. It’s an adrenaline rush right out of the gate with what might be the best foot chase ever committed to film. Then we get the stress inducing poker game for the next hour where we get our stressed out game, then our action moments, then more stress, then more action, and it’s an adrenaline thrill ride the whole time. When we finally get to chill, it just ramps right back up and breaks us in half.
It’s just such a good movie. Definitely in my top 3 if not my favorite. Goldfinger and Casino Royale could swap places depending on my mood. They’re both just such incredible films.