007: Casino Royale

Originally published on social media on January 11, 2022

I did something I have never done before during a movie…I got out my laptop and started taking notes. The long action sequences of this film helped me justify a little distraction to help me stay focused (an oxymoron). The best of my notes are as follows:

Criticism first: This film took one hour to start introducing the real story found in Fleming’s Casino Royale. That particular hour was filled with excessive fight scenes and overcomplication of the plot, introducing the question: is “more” better, or too much? The book frames the story where it is clear from the start what the mission was and why it was important. Overcomplication is fine as long as it is well explained, and this is the one area where the movie failed (or succeeded depending on if you enjoy the mysterious nature of the storytelling).

Now for the praise: I applaud this part of the Bond Franchise for starting with the Bond book that was meant to come first. Doing this gives clarity to the rest of the Daniel Craig bond films and helps us appreciate the character development over time. With that, Bond in this film is arrogant, kills more freely, and has a dark side. His relationship with Eva Green’s Vesper reveals his emotional, somewhat warmer side. These aspects of his character battle each other in every Craig movie until No Time to Die where one side wins. There was one scene with Vesper and Bond in the book that I wish was in the film, but even without it, you feel their love and connection.

I may not enjoy Bond’s character in this film in comparison to others, and perhaps the story was more confusing, but nevertheless, this is a great movie. The acting was incredible, the scenery breathtaking, and is timeless.