Casino Royale

My Dad did not like James Bond.  Therefore, I never saw any James Bond movies growing up.  I ended up finally seeing my first Bond film 15 years ago or so, when Pierce Brosnan played James Bond.  It was entertaining, but not great.  When "Casino Royale" was released, I was impressed with the great reviews it got, so I figured I should give it another shot.  That was 6 years ago.  My wife and I just watched the movie, and I have to say, I really did like this movie.  There are many reasons for this, but I have to say, I think even my dad would have found several things to like about this movie.

As I understand it, this film is a reboot of the James Bond franchise.  As such, it deals with the origins of James Bond and his "License to Kill".  What makes this movie entertaining is that James Bond appears very human in the movie.  He makes costly mistakes at the beginning, and still needs lots of seasoning before he can be the professional that he will become.  The plot is secondary.  It involves a wealthy villain who acts as a banker to terrorists and other unsavory types.  It is Bond's job to stop him..

I have been told that this is an unusual Bond film, because so many of the Bond elements are not in this film.  Maybe that's why I liked it so much.  This man appears human and vulnerable, while still the essence of cool.  Ladies aren't quite as expendable to him as I would have thought, and some of the non politically correct talk seems to have been toned down a bit. 

All and all, seriously reflection on this movie is beside the point.  However, fun movies can be hard to nail down as well, and the ability of the filmmaker to make a movie that can sustain a story for over 2 hours is noteworthy.  The plot is simple enough that we can enjoy the action, but has enough substance and intrigue to keep it from being meaningless.  Daniel Craig inhabits the role well, and the supporting players are all effective as well.  Stephanie and I are also big fans of Judi Dench, and her presence in this film gives it way more gravitas then it needs.  I sort of wish I could watch this one with my dad, though the fast forward button would probably be used a couple of times.