Best Bond Since 1969
By Casino Royale did not disappoint. It’s easily the best Bond since On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and is competitive with top Connery films. The reasons for the improvement are clear; Craig is an excellent choice as Bond, the producers decided to return to Fleming’s source material, and partially as consequence of the latter the movie is about spying rather than about trying to conquer the world.
I recall reading somewhere that Connery played Bond as a thug who had become a fop, while Moore and the rest played fops who had learned to be thugs. Craig, given the opportunity to play a younger Bond, takes the role a step farther and simply plays an unformed thug. In the wake of Brosnan’s irritating sophisticate, this is a remarkably refreshing turn. Craig emphasizes the “unformed” aspect, making it clear that the Connery Bond could emerge from the character that he’s taking over. Bond preferences are always a bit idiosyncratic (for some reason I have a high tolerance for both Roger Moore and George Lazenby), but I think it’s fair to say that Craig has the opportunity to become no worse than the second best Bond.
Casino Royale is the first serious use of Fleming source material since On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, allowing that some of the Moore films used elements from various of Fleming’s works. The Fleming material (with some modification for an audience unfamiliar with baccarat) covers the middle portion of the movie, but the producers do a good job of filling in appropriate story on both sides. The overall storyline is very reminiscent of Secret Service, taking advantage of Bond’s humanity and uneasy relationship with MI6. Unlike most recent Bond, it’s simply a good story and could make for a decent spy movie even in the absence of the Bond character. The opening sequence is radically different than recent (or, really, just about any) Bond, although the opening titles aren’t so strong.
Casino Royale went long by about 20 minutes (fat could have been trimmed in several places, including the longer poker sequences) but it’s an extremely strong entry in the Bond canon, and suggests that there may be hope for the future of the franchise.