The Blunt Instrument
Casino Royale Gamble Pays Off

For years, moviegoers have been subjected to prequels, films made to show what happened before the last movie. From science fiction to crime drama, it appears that filmmakers love to delve into what made the hero (or villain) who he is. For the 21st film in the James Bond franchise, the studio took a calculated risk and returned to the roots of everyone's favorite superspy. Not only does Casino Royale tell the story of Bond's first mission as 007, it also introduces a new -- and highly controversial -- actor as the new lead.

Casino Royale
James Bond (Daniel Craig) is down and dirty with his first mission as a double-0 agent in Casino Royale. (Sony, 2006)
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Written by: Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and Paul Haggis, based on the novel by Ian Fleming
Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, and Giancarlo Giannini

Rated PG-13 (for for intense sequences of violent action, a scene of torture, sexual content and nudity)
Running time: 144 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 8 out of 10.

Casino Royale updates the original James Bond story, giving audiences a look at the man who will become the 007 we know and love. Instead of the Soviets and the Cold War, the story has Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) bankrolling terrorists by investing their money. On the trail of a bomber, James Bond (Daniel Craig) causes a minor international incident when he kills the man at a foreign embassy.

After the incident in the embassy, Bond is advised to lie low. Instead, he follows what few leads he has and almost inadvertently stops an act of terrorism. The foiled plot has caused Le Chiffre to lose nearly $100 million on the stock market.

British intelligence believes that Le Chiffre will try to recoup his losses in an ultra-high stakes poker game in Montenegro. As MI6's best poker player, Bond is brought in to make sure Le Chiffre does not win. (In the novel the game was baccarat, but the filmmakers updated it to poker because of the popularity of the game.) Financing his game, Her Majesty's Treasury brings in agent Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) to watch Bond and -- if necessary -- advance him more money.

As with any good 007 story, the plot offers a number of thrills, twists, turns, and a few surprising revelations. The film has a number of good moments, such as when M (Judi Dench) catches Bond in her home and discovers that he knows her name. Likewise, the introduction between Bond and his CIA counter-part Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) is a nice scene. The hard part is remembering that this story is an early one that takes place before Felix died in License to Kill. It could be confusing considering that Dench, who has played M for the past four films (with Pierce Brosnan), now plays M at the start of 007's career.

The real surprise, however, is the number of James Bond cliches that are avoided or broken. For starters, there is no Q and thus no special gadgets. As a result, the film is a bit more believable. Also, Bond doesn't want to wear a dinner jacket, nearly foregoing his trademarked look. When asked if he wants his martini shaken or stirred, an angry Bond says "Do I look like someone who cares?" Luckily, the film ends with a definitive "Bond. James Bond."

In Casino Royale, director Martin Campbell gets a chance to film the first James Bond novel by Ian Fleming. Until now, the novel had only been adapted as a one-hour television drama in 1954 and the notorious spoof starring David Niven in 1967. For fans of the series, this is a story long overdue.

But what about the new Bond? Like so many fans of Pierce Brosnan, I couldn't fathom the studio's decision to abandon such a perfect James Bond. I had no opinions about Craig himself, although I heard fans were upset because a) he is too young, b) he is blond, and/or c) he is not British enough (odd, considering he was born in Cheshire, England). Personally, I feel that so many people have been Bond over the years that many actors are capable of it -- if the story fits. For Casino Royale, Daniel Craig fits perfectly.

Craig steps into the role, playing 007 as neither suave nor polished, but as a thug. After an incident in an embassy, M refers to him as a "blunt instrument" and she is right. This is not the tuxedo-wearing, martini-sipping superspy of the past 40 years. This 007 is a tough, muscle-bound fighter with more ego than common sense. He is a man hired to be a killer, and he does his job well. The only thing this 007 lacks is experience. There are a number of hard lessons that he will have to learn.

On the plus side, Casino Royale does something that hasn't been done since the Sean Connery days: it makes Bond believable. Even if some of the stunts are improbable, nothing seems impossible. Too often in recent outings, James Bond has blurred the line between action and fantasy. This Bond seems entrenched in our world. While he may have some luck and a bit more bravado than most, he is still human. Perhaps that is what makes him so frightening.