Bondathon: Casino Royale (2006)

Following on from the big sci-fi spectacle that was Die Another Day, Casino Royale (2006) was proof the franchise has the ability to reinvent itself. The franchise went from one of the worst films to one of the best.

James Bond has been promoted to a Double-0. On his first mission Bond is tasked with capturing a bombmaker which leads to 007 stopping a major terrorist attack. Bond’s action puts an elusive terrorist banker, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) in danger and the Albanian man sets up a high-stakes poker game to recoup his loses. MI6 see an opportunity to clean Le Chiffre out and send Bond to win the poker game.

As stated in previous Bondathons, the Bond franchise can course correct when required. When a film is too ridiculous the follow-up is usually a more grounded film. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and For Your Eyes Only followed two space-themed Bond films and Casino Royale did the same. Casino Royale aimed to be a more stripped back film: it was more character-focused and took Bond’s gadgets away. It was a reset showing a young and brash Bond on his first mission.

The mid-to-late noughties saw the rise of gritty-and-realistic action films. Casino Royale was at the forefront of these, along with Batman Begins and the Bourne franchise. It’s an approach that worked well for Bond because of the espionage world. It worked better than with films like Fantastic Four (2015).

Casino Royale’s opening was a statement of intent. The pre-title sequence was done in a black-and-white noir and showed the gritty approach the filmmakers were going for. Bond fought his first kill in a public bathroom, and it was a hard-hitting action scene. The expression on Bond’s face was one of trauma and pain as he tries to drown a henchman. As Dryden (Malcolm Sinclair) said ‘made you feel it did he?’ This was juxtaposed with Bond coolly shooting Dryden. It’s a scene I rate so highly that I used it as an inspiration on my own short film, which you can watch here.

The title sequence too was a statement. There was a change in style because it was an animated sequence that showed a silhouette fighting various other silhouettes in a casino-themed environment. The filmmaker went for a rock-style song with Chris Cornell’s ‘You Know My Know’ which was strikingly different from the usual array of ballads. It was one of my favourite title sequences from the franchise.

Casino Royale (2006) marked the second time Martin Campbell directed a Bond film and he shows he has a knack for rebooting the franchise. He had to make a film that was stylistically different, update the franchise, and still have traditional elements from the franchise. Campbell showed he could do the same trick as he did with Goldeneye.

Campbell was able to make a film that was more grounded and serious whilst still being an entertaining action film. The parkour chase in the first act was one of the best action scenes that the franchise has ever produced. It was a great example of the Daniel Craig-era because it was a tremendous action scene that used practical effects, showed darkness and grit because construction workers were killed and the bombmaker’s leg was shot, and there was a moment of humour when Bond smashed through a wall.

Campbell does mirror what he did with Goldeneye for Casino Royale. There was character deconstruction with the key scene between Bond and Vesper (Eva Green) when they were on the train. Vesper’s breakdown of Bond’s character was similar to M’s ‘sexist, misogynist dinosaur’ line in Goldeneye. Vesper asks a similar question to Natalya in Goldeneye about Bond’s feelings towards killing. M changed her opinions about the Cold War from Goldeneye to Casino Royale. Both films even reference MI6 being run by accountants in some way.

Campbell and the writer team were also able to pull the same trick of updating Bond. Goldeneye embraced the new post-Cold War global situation as a part of its narrative. Casino Royale brought Bond into the War on Terror and even referenced real events regarding 9/11.

Casino Royale (2006) was a terrific action-thriller. There were great sequences peppered throughout as shown with the action in Miami Airport, the fight between Bond and Obanno, and the final showdown in the sinking house. Besides the action sequences there were tense sequences, for instance when Bond was poisoned and the torture sequence that would make any man wince. The film was one of the longest films in the franchise, yet it didn’t feel like it because it was so well-paced.

As well as being an action-thriller, Casino Royale (2006) was a romance. It was the film that showed Bond fall in love for the first time. It was similar to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and to a lesser extent The World is Not Enough where it showed that if Bond lets someone into his life it will end in tragedy. Casino Royale (2006) did the love story better than On Her Majesty’s Secret Service the love story was interwoven with the mission. Vesper (Eva Green) was working with Bond in the Casino. One of the most powerful moments in the film was when Vesper was in the shower, traumatised by the death of Obanno and Bond had to comfort her.

Both characters psycho-analyse each other when they first meet. They both state that they put up a front to protect themselves emotionally and they chip away at each other’s armour. After the mission the film turned into a classic romance. The cinematography had a bright, sunlit quality to it as they seemed set to have a happy ending. A happy ending that could never happen.

During the climax Gettler (Richard Sammel) holds Vesper hostage and says ‘I’ll kill her’ and Bond said to himself ‘allow me.’ When M debriefs Bond he says ‘the job’s done and the bitch is dead.’ However, these words stand in contrast to Bond’s actions scene he desperately tries to save her, and he was torn up when she died. These words were a coping mechanism for Bond as a way to process Vesper’s betrayal and death and show why he doesn’t let people get close to him.

Whilst Casino Royale (2006) was a love story, Bond shows how callous he can be with women. He seduced Solange (Caterina Murino) so he can get information about her husband and ditches her when he finds her husband went to Miami. She ends up being a causality because of Bond’s action. Like with The Living Daylights and Quantum of Solace, Bond was willing to use seduction as a weapon.

The 2006 version of Casino Royale was the third adaptation of the novel. The other two were the unofficial versions from 1954 and 1967. This version of Casino Royale did have to make quite a few changes. The most obvious was it had to update the story because the original novel was a Cold War story. All the action up to Bond and Vesper going to Casino Royale was invented for the film and this expanded the story. The game in Casino Royale was changed from baccarat to Texas Hold ’em which was a wise move because Texas Hold ’em is a more compelling game and general audiences were more likely to understand the rules. Other changes were superficial like the method of Vesper’s suicide. The film does follow the major story beats from the novel.

Casino Royale (2006) was a film that helped Mads Mikkelsen become known to a global audience. His villain was different to others in the franchise because his motivation was self-preservation. Le Chiffre tries to play it cool but in reality, he was desperate. The poker game was a gamble, and torturing Bond was a final Hail Mary.

If someone wanted to nit-pick Casino Royale they could. A lot of the hands in the poker game were improbable and $100 million wouldn’t fit in a small briefcase. However, these issues are minor and acceptable for the sake of drama.

Casino Royale (2006) is a film I love. It is one of the best the franchise has ever produced. It was a film that deserves its status and it was a fantastic start for the Craig-era.