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Casino Royale
**** (out of 5)
I went to see Mission Impossible II with some friends several years ago, and afterwards one said, “I can't believe it, but I think I'm more interested in Ethan Hunt's character than I am in James Bond.” Sadly, no one could disagree. The comment pointed to the denigration in quality affecting most modern Bond films, which have recently amounted to little more than frenetically shaken cinematic cocktails lacking one crucial ingredient: Humanity. Of late, Bond films have been reduced to blaring sound and light shows whose characters are more android-like than human. This has created a substantial emotional disconnect with audiences, and rendered ineffectual one of the greatest premises in the canon: The story of a daring spy who tastes the finest things the world has to offer while living a life of global intrigue. That formula should work every time, but it hasn't, and for a while I'd truly wondered if James Bond was destined to play out his theatrical life as a tuxedo-clad phallus that drinks martinis and sports pricey accessories. Ladies and gentlemen, I don't have to wonder any longer, and neither do you: Bond is back, and he's better than ever.
Casino Royale clutches you from the start, and (almost) never lets go. The plot is all it needs to be: Bond graduates to "00" status and doggedly pursues a powerful Euro crime lord. The real story is that this _frame_work is inhabited with vibrantly human characters the audience can genuinely care about. Daniel Craig brings a physical presence to the role not seen since Connery's turn, and helps add a sense of grittiness to the action that is completely fresh and inspired. Craig exudes the kind of confidence we've come to expect from Bond, while revealing a measured vulnerability that is entirely appropriate for the role, yet missing from earlier films. Not to be outdone, Eva Green radiates as the elusive Vesper Lynd, a Bond Girl that stands alone for the dynamism of her intellect and beauty. Much more than eye candy, Vesper has a vital impact on the storyline, and the French-born Green plays the role with gripping realism. Consider a heart-pounding scene where James and Vesper are attacked by two thugs in a stairwell. James doesn't simply dispatch the assailants and then whisk Vesper off for an evening of excess and cheeky dialogue. On the contrary: James kills both men with his bare hands as Vesper looks on, screaming and terrified. Shortly thereafter Bond finds Vesper crouched in her shower, as though she hopes the residue of the incident will somehow wash away. It's a scene that deliberately lingers on the human emotional response to trauma, and if you find that surprising for a Bond flick, know that Casino Royale invites you to raise your expectations.
Not surprisingly, the film is directed by Martin Campbell, whose last contribution to the series was the best and most coherent film of the Brosnan era: GoldenEye. Casino Royale is even better, and that means something coming from a huge Sean Bean fan. Best of all, Campbell and Craig will almost certainly return for Bond 22, which means that the next film in the series is something we can be excited about. That's right: I'm telling you to take the caution out of your optimism and prepare to say, "Mission what? Ethan who? Get me Bond. James Bond."
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