Casino Royale

November 27, 2006 2:59 PM
by [email]

Has James Bond gone art house?

The first few minutes of “Casino Royale,” filmed like an action-movie circa 1940, hint at it. Not to worry- after two murders and a drawn-out credits sequence, the handsome face of Hollywood’s latest 007 fills the frame in Technicolor.

It’s a good thing, because his eyes are incredibly blue. His pecks are incredibly toned. And his demeanor – martini-dry and ice-cube cool – is incredibly suave. Daniel Craig might be missing so-called requisite dark hair, but he has everything else that’s required of a grade A Bond, even if the role requires more running and jumping than actual acting. But isn’t that what the franchise is all about?

This time the plot involves terrorists and poker, the latter of which makes for great Friday night viewing, the former of which is appropriately watered down. When Bond, ever muscular but a little wheezy, bombards an embassy in Madagascar and kills a terrorist he was supposed to save for questioning, boss M (Judi Dench), sends him off with a warning and a literal chip in his arm. Bond then beds beautiful and doomed babe #1 (Caterina Morino) and knife-wrestles her boyfriend (Simon Abkarian) in a Florida “Bodies Exhibition” (this movie is so up to date).

Real fun starts about forty-five minutes in, first with the introduction of Vesper Lynde (Eva Green) a.k.a. babe #2, an accountant (an accountant?!), who has been hired by M to keep an eye on Bond’s money (not his muscles). Then there are nail-biting poker games in Montenegro, where the villain (Mads Mikkelsen), who has asthma and what looks like an awful case of red eye, tries to outwit Bond. When that doesn’t work, he tries to torture him.

Few gadgets in this “Bond,” but the quick wit is there, delivered with swift sarcasm by Craig, who spars fantastically with Dench. The first half of the film – admittedly slow – absolutely comes to life when she’s onscreen. Craig and Green have genuine chemistry, even if their dialogue does seem swiped from soap-opera land, and director Martin Campbell keeps the action brisk and the colors bright. The screenwriters (Neil Purvis, Robert Wade, “Crash” scribe Paul Haggis) have a great time poking fun at stock lines. My favorite?

Bartender: “Do you want this shaken or stirred?”
Bond: “I don’t care.”

Grade: B+
By Jenny Halper