Casino Royal Movie Review

I just saw this movie on Wednesday (11/29) and I have to say that Daniel Craig makes a great Bond. He is the badass Bond that wouldn't use his watch to shoot a laser but instead use it as a brass knuckles to bust someone open with. Craig has this insane stare that would curdle your blood. He has these piercing blue eyes, a set jaw, and a menacing expression that all say you mess with this guy and your dead. I have read some reviews that Craig harkens back to the Sean Connery Bond and I have to agree with them. I would love to see a remake of From Russia With Love and see what the Craig Bond would do against 'Red' Grant. Now that would be a fight scene for the ages.

Well, this movie pretty much highlights the very beginning of Bonds career. However instead of being set in the 60s it is set today's time. The movie has the requisite exotic locations like the Bahamas, Montenegro, and Venice and lots of expensive cars and ritzy scenery. Also the Bond girls were kind of mediocre for the most part. I'm sorry but Eva Green isn't my idea of a hot Bond girl. She has racoonish eye makeup throughout the movie and has a kind of skinny Nicole Richie-like boys body that is not very sexy. She is no Halle Berry coming out of the water I can tell you that.

Also this Bond also makes all sorts of mistakes and actually pays the price for them. He ditches the wife of a minor villain after almost having sex with her only to have her turn up tortured and murdered. If Bond spent the night with her she probably would have survived and the guys that came to kill her could have led Bond right to Le Chiffre (the main villain.) Instead he chases after her husband to Miami only to see that guy murdered before Bond can question him.

Also the Craig Bond seems to get fooled a lot. He trusts the wrong people throughout the movie and of course pays the price for it. He also doesn't think about his actions all of the time and that gets him into trouble as well. In one scene after chasing this bomb maker guy through all kinds of narrow scrapes and death defying cranes in stuff he follows him to the embassy. Instead of a quick and stealthy extraction or calling in backup the Craig Bond raises all sorts of hell and nearly blows the whole place up after killing the guy they were supposed to capture.

He is even poisoned in this movie because he was too focused on the poker game to notice that people there probably want him dead. He just sucked the drink down because things were getting dicey at the table and he wasn't paying attention. This isn't the infallible Super Agent that was the Brosnan Bond.

Also there is no mention of Q in this movie at all. I have a feeling that Q will probably make very few appearances in future Bond movies. It seems like the Craig Bond isn't the kind of guy that will banter with Q and flirt with Moneypenny. You won't see the Craig Bond remote controlling any BMWs with his watch like the Brosnan Bond did. I can see the Craig Bond running down minions with that BMW though. I also liked the line where the bartender asks him if he wanted his "martini shaken or stirred" and Craig responds "do I look like I give a damn." This is a Bond that would fit in well the Transporter, Bourne, Jack Bauer or any of the other badass heroes made in the last few years.

Being a badass is the hallmark of the Craig Bond. He is a ruthless, coldblooded killer when it comes to the badguys. He is the kind of guy that will shoot a guy in the leg and then step on the wound to get information on where the villains hideout is. He would then beat the villain to death with his own Super Weapon. I would love to see what the Craig Bond would do up against Doctor No, Scramanga, Goldfinger, or even Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

And that is the last point I would like to see come out of the Craig Bond. It would be cool to see him in stuff like a remade Dr. No or Goldfinger. This time they should make the film follow the books more closely and not just be a remake of the movies. I would be interesting to see the old films redone in modern times with a badass Bond in there blowing things up and beating the crap out of people. I had my doubts about the so called Blond Bond but they have been erased by seeing Casino Royal. What a way to resuscitate the franchise and take it into the future. I will be buying the DVD and not just Netflixing it.