Reviewed by Whittington ... James Whittington
Stars Daniel Craig, Mads Mikkelsen, Eve Green, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright, Simon Abkarian,
Jesper De Bankole, Tobias Menzies, Sebastien Foucan | Written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade
UK certification 12 | UK RRP £24.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 144 minutes | Directed by Martin Campbell
Bond is back, and this time in Hi Def (again!) When it was announced that Daniel Craig was to be the new James Bond there was uproar from critics and fans. The main argument seemed to stem from the fact that his hair colour was blonde and hundreds of hilarious (!) tabloid stories ran, some of which contained puns that were just so poor that I wouldn’t lower myself to repeat them here. Anyway, Daniel’s debut as Bond in Casino Royale was a triumph. The movie was well constructed, adrenaline pumping and above all else thoroughly entertaining.
The movie traces the early career of Bond himself. His first “007” mission (shot beautifully in black and white) leads him to Le Chiffre, banker to the world’s terrorists. In order to stop him, and bring down the terrorist network, Bond must beat Le Chiffre in a high-stakes poker game at Casino Royale. Bond is initially annoyed when a beautiful Treasury official, Vesper Lynd, is assigned to deliver his stake for the game and watch over the government's money. But, as Bond and Vesper survive a series of lethal attacks by Le Chiffre and his henchmen, a mutual attraction develops that leads them both into further danger and events that will shape Bond’s life forever.
When a Bond movie begins without the gun barrel POV shot you know you’re entering a new chapter of this 45-year-old franchise. The pre-credit sequence is tense, deliberately stark but includes one of the best Bond one-liners committed to celluloid. Then “BANG!” we’re into the movie proper, an “on foot” chase sequence that has to be one of the most complex set pieces I’ve seen in a Bond movie. And the movie just gets better and better. Mads Mikkelsen, as chief bad guy Le Chiffre is enigmatic and nasty with becoming pantomime in his performance, whist Eve Green acts all the other Bond girls off the screen with a smouldering performance as Bond’s love interest. Craig nails the characterisation of Bond perfect at first attempt. We have to remember this is Bond at the start of his spy career; he is still a little wet behind the ears and is fallible.
But this review should be all about the HD transfer and it’s a corker. Dynamic, colourful and natural it has a deepness to it that is totally enthralling. The opening sequence contains blacks so natural you could almost fall into them. The sound mix too is engrossing, surrounding the viewer in the action without drowning out the dialogue, a common complaint from recent blockbusters. This is an absolute must for anyone with even the most passing of interests in the Bond franchise.
EXTRAS **** Two audio commentaries (cast and crew); deleted scenes; storyboard comparisons; 6 filmmaker profiles; 6 new behind-the-scenes Featurettes: The Road to Casino Royale, Ian Fleming’s Incredible Creation, James Bond in the Bahamas, From Xanadu to Paradise: Secret History of 007, The Art of the Freerun, Catching a plane – Scene Deconstruction, Death in Venice – Scene Deconstruction.