Product Description
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CASINO ROYALE introduces JAMES BOND before he holds his license
to kill. But Bond is no less dangerous, and with two professional
assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to "00"
status. "M" (Judi Dench), head of the British Secret Service,
sends the newly-promoted 007 on his first mission that takes him
to Madacar, the Bahamas and eventually leads him to Montenegro
to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his
terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a
high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. "M" places Bond
under the watchful eye of the Treasury official Vesper Lynd. At
first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond's interest
in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre's
cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond could
never imagine, and he learns his most important lesson: Trust no
one.
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The most successful invigoration of a cinematic franchise since
Batman Begins, Casino Royale offers a new Bond identity. Based on
the Ian Fleming novel that introduced Agent 007 into a Cold War
world, Casino Royale is the most brutal and viscerally exciting
James Bond film since Sean Connery left Her Majesty's Secret
Service. Meet the new Bond; not the same as the old Bond. Daniel
Craig gives a galvanizing performance as the freshly minted
double-0 agent. Suave, yes, but also a "blunt instrument,"
reckless, and possessed with an ego that compromises his judgment
during his first mission to root out the mastermind behind an
operation that funds international terrorists. In classic Bond
film tradition, his global itinerary takes him to far-flung
locales, including Uganda, Madacar, the Bahamas (that's more
like it), and Montenegro, where he is pitted against his nemesis
in a poker game, with hundreds of millions in the pot. The stakes
get even higher when Bond lets down his "armor" and falls in love
with Vesper (Eva Green), the ravishing banker's representative
fronting him the money.
For longtime fans of the franchise, Casino Royale offers some
retro kicks. Bond wins his iconic Astin-Martin at the gaming
table, and when a bartender asks if he wants his martini "shaken
or stirred," he disdainfully replies, "Do I look like I give a
damn?" There's no Moneypenny or "Q," but Dame Judi Dench is back
as the exasperated M, who one senses, admires Bond's "bloody
cheek." A Bond film is only as good as its villain, and Mads
Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, who weeps blood, is a sinister dandy.
From its punishing violence and virtuoso action sequences to its
romance, Casino Royale is a Bond film that, in the words of one
character, makes you feel it, particularly during an excruciating
torture sequence. Double-0s, Bond observes early on, "have a
short life expectancy." But with Craig, there is new life in the
old franchise yet, as well as genuine anticipation for the next
one when, at last, the signature James Bond theme kicks in
following the best last line ever in any Bond film. To quote
Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin, now I know what I've been faking
all these years. --Donald Liebenson
Stills from Casino Royale (click for larger image)
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Beyond Casino Royale on .com
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On Blu-ray ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B000MRA5NS/ref=d_ap_casroy_2 )
CD Soundtrack ( /exec/obidos/ASIN/B000IOM1SW/ref=d_ap_casroy_3 )
Why We Love Daniel Craig (
/gp/feature.html/ref=d_ap_casroy_4/?docId=1000038661 )
The .com James Bond Store (
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Where Have I Seen Daniel Craig? (
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Bond on Set: Filming Casino Royale Book (
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