Movie #159: Casino Royale

Movie #: 159
Movie Title: Casino Royale
Year Released: 2006

Director: Martin Campbell
Notable Cast: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Jeffrey Wright, Jesper Christensen

Short Description: Armed with a licence to kill, Secret Agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007 and must defeat a weapons dealer in a high stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, but things are not what they seem. (IMDB.com)


Rank on the Top 100 Lists (as of 1/7/2013)

AFI.com: N/A
IMDB.com: N/A
Ranker.com: N/A
Lifed.com: N/A
Empire.com: #56
FilmCrave.com: N/A
FlickChart.com: N/A



Date Watched: 3/4/2016

Grade: 4 out of 5 (Excellent)

Rationale: Debates can be had as to which Bond movie is Daniel Craig’s best (I’m partial to Skyfall myself), but there’s no debate that Daniel Craig was the perfect choice to succeed Pierce Brosnan as 007. Reinventing James Bond was a necessity after the character and movies themselves had jumped the shark in Brosnan’s last attempt, Die Another Day. Thankfully Craig’s wit, charm, and emotional depth shine when he’s not getting physical and taking out the bad guys for queen and country. The reason Casino Royale only garners a 4 out of 5 is because the first half is kind of forgettable other than an awesome chase sequence in Madagascar. The second half, beginning with the poker tournament in Montenegro and culminating with sinking a building in Venice, is what makes Casino Royale special.