Like almost everyone who saw Casino Royale, I fell in love with the brutal and dark yet smart and heartfelt reboot of the James Bond franchise. It was everything a fan could ask for and anticipation was high in 2008 when Quantum of Solace came out. Another sequel to a reboot titled The Dark Knight opened to breathtaking success, grossing $1 billion and being hailed as a masterpiece and it has proven itself as one of cinema's newest modern classics. Most people expected this for QOS, as it had a strong director in Marc Forster and the return of Daniel Craig as Bond. Quantum of Solace proved to be a solid and entertaining action film, but little more than that.
Quantum of Solace picks up mere minutes after Casino Royale, with Bond driving away from henchmen in Italy after he kidnapped Mr. White at the end of the last film. The opening car chase is exciting and fun, but edited so rapidly and quickly it fills rigid and difficult to watch. Marc Forster is known for his quiet dramas like Finding Neverland but there have been times when directors of quieter fare have been great choices for action franchises (Marc Webb for Spider-Man, Christopher Nolan for Batman), but Forster's direction of Bond is honestly rather than messy. Four years later it was proven a drama director can handle Bond as seen with Sam Mendes in Skyfall, but that is a different story.
The main plot sees Bond tying up loose ends from Casino Royale and looking for Quantum, the organization that caused the tragedy in which Bond lost Vesper Lynd. The setup feels like an epilogue to Casino Royale more than actual sequel, and it is way too fast at 106 minutes to have time grow into its own, especially after Casino Royale's epic 144 minute running time. Bond's search leads him to South America, where he joins forces with Camille Montes, portrayed by Olga Kurylenko to avenge the death of both of their loved ones by taking out one of Quantum's heads Dominic Greene, who has a plot to take over Bolivia's water supply. This plot is actually a good idea for a commentary on environmentalism and a rather good motivation, but it is kind of rushed as the plot is only discovered near the films's end.
The middling plot is overshadowed by Daniel Craig's fantastic performance as James Bond. This time, Bond is a tortured soul who is lost after Vesper's death and Craig makes it seem realistic with another brutal performance. Craig is charming but also is deadly and a stone cold killer, just like Ian Fleming imagined the character. Olga Kurylenko is rather dull as Camille, not having enough personality but she proves to be a capable character, she is forgettable. Despite having a brief appearence, Gemma Arterton is charming and sexy as ill-fated MI6 agent Strawberry Fields, who reminds of me the 1960's Bond girls (specifically Diana Rigg from On Her Majesty's Secret Service). Jeffrey Wright also returns as Felix Leiter, providing a stylish and calm performance, despite being underused. Also returning is Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis, who is great as he looks for redemption after being accused of betraying Bond in the last film. Mathieu Almeric is unfortunately bland and forgettable as Dominic Greene, who is neither threatening or memorable.
Like in Casino Royale, there is no gadgets which means no Q or no Moneypenny as well. Judi Dench is also back as M, and is better in this film than in Casino Royale. She seems angered at Bond for his reckless ways but by the end of the film, we really do believe that she cares for Bond which is an integral part of Skyfall as well as closer to Ian Fleming's novels. Rory Kinnear also portrays M's aide Bill Tanner, a familiar character from the novels and earlier Bond films. Kinnear's Tanner is a minor role, but is strong and given more to do with his supporting role, and it is nice to see a familiar face from MI6 return. Marc Forster has a great filmography, but Quantum of Solace is unfortunately a messy effort from him, with his direction losing a lot of the plot for tons of action sequences that are too rapidly filmed and way too long. The film was written during the writer's strike and Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis can't capture the magic of Casino Royale in their script. Despite that, the brief moments of dialogue with Bond and M is still well-written and fantastic.
Quantum of Solace is entertaining and exciting, but rather dissapointing as a direct sequel to Casino Royale. The cast is mostly solid and some of the action provides thrills, but is rigid and Marc Forster's direction is way too fast paced. The theme song titled "Another Way to Die" has a mixed reception among fans, but for I honestly loved it. Rock singer Jack White and R&B artist Alicia Keys give what they can and provide a memorable theme. As stated earlier, this film is underwhelming and dissapointing, but provides an excellent lead performance and manages to deliver some popcorn thrills.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Casino Royale Review - 4 out of 4 stars
In 2002, the James Bond celebrated its 40th anniversary with financial success, with Die Another Day grossing more than $400 million worldwide. Despite raking in lots of cash, Die Another Day was poorly received by both fans and critics, and brought and end to Pierce Brosnan's over the top, gadget-focused take on Bond. Four years later in 2006, Albert Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson decided to reboot the age old franchise casting unlikely Daniel Craig in the lead role as 007. Despite plenty of backlash, the result turned out to be Casino Royale, which remains one of the best, if not the best film in the franchise.
Set after Bond is just promoted to the rank as 007, Casino Royale finds Craig playing a more gritty and realistic version of the character, more in line with Ian Fleming's original novel. Craig is amazing as Bond and in my book, could be the best Bond ever, if not only second to Sean Connery. Craig manages to convincingly play Bond as a cold, brutal assassin, yet one with heart, brains and plenty of emotion. Craig also excels in his action sequences, particularly a chase in Madasgcar, a fight scene in a bathroom in Prauge and an amazing climax in Venice. He also manages to have excellent timing and line delivery, making what could have been otherwise boring poker scenes exciting.
Another reason the film works is the tightly plotted story and realistic tone. The last Bond film saw Bond using an invisible Aston Martin to stop a scheme involving a space laser and ice palace. This one feels more like an actual espionage tale, making it stand on its own as a genuinely thrilling spy film. Basically, Bond's pursuit of a bomb-maker leads to him stopping a terrorist attack in Miami, which causes terrorist Le Chiffre to set up a poker game at Casino Royale in Montenegro where Bond heads to win the money, which lead him to MI6. There is also a subplot involving an organization known as Quantum, which leads to the film's 2008 sequel Quantum of Solace, but more on that later.
Casino Royale is also aided by its strong supporting cast, something unusual for a Bond film. Eva Green is fantastic and gives a heartfelt and sexy performance as Vesper Lynd, a treasury officer who Bond falls for, leading to a love story that feels genuine and carries the film. We actually care for Lynd as she is a real character and not someone who is just there to look pretty. Judi Dench is also brilliant as M, the head of MI6 and Bond's boss who clashes with Bond over his reckless actions. The witty dialogue between Bond and M gives them a mother and son like relationship that works and carries the film. Casino Royale doesn't feature Bond allies such as Q or Moneypenny, but has the return of Bond's CIA contact and friend Felix Leiter played by Jeffrey Wright. Wright's performance as Leiter is strong, he is stylish and calm as Leiter and from what we get of him, he seems to be an equal in terms of coolness to Bond, not just a foil like in some of the previous films. Giancarlo Giannini is also solid as Bond and Vesper's contact Mathis. Mads Mikkelson is solid and gives what he can as Le Chiffre. The character is rather forgettable as a whole, but Mikkelson does his best and gives a villain that seems actually threatening, especially in a brutal torture scene with Craig's Bond.
Casino Royale is also aided by some strong work behind the camera as well. Martin Campbell doesn't have the best filmography (Green Lantern, Edge of Darkness) but he is perfect for a Bond film, having already brought back the character in 1995 with GoldenEye. Campbell's direction is brutal and breathless and he knows how to film some excellent action sequences, yet can also manage the film's more quiet moments including Bond's growing love for Vesper. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have had a mixed bag with their previous Bond scripts, but they are aided by Academy Award winner Paul Haggis to write an intelligent, exciting and witty screenplay. Soundgarden frontman and American rock singer Chris Cornell also has a strong theme song titled "You Know My Name". It is a different song, but it perfectly fits with Craig's modern take on the character and nicely suits the stylish opening sequences.
Overall, Casino Royale is an amazing and exciting film and possibly the best Bond film of all time. Craig is fantastic as James Bond and the supporting cast is solid as well. Martin Campbell provides great direction backed up with Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis' strong screenplay. The film was released to much hesisitation in November 2006 but obviously being a Bond film opened weaker than other entries, but still to a solid $40 million. However, like another recent amazing reboot (Batman Begins, OW $48 million, total $205 million), word of mouth propelled Casino Royale to a strong $167 million, a franchise best at the time. In 2006, critics and audiences both agreed - Bond was back and better than ever.
Set after Bond is just promoted to the rank as 007, Casino Royale finds Craig playing a more gritty and realistic version of the character, more in line with Ian Fleming's original novel. Craig is amazing as Bond and in my book, could be the best Bond ever, if not only second to Sean Connery. Craig manages to convincingly play Bond as a cold, brutal assassin, yet one with heart, brains and plenty of emotion. Craig also excels in his action sequences, particularly a chase in Madasgcar, a fight scene in a bathroom in Prauge and an amazing climax in Venice. He also manages to have excellent timing and line delivery, making what could have been otherwise boring poker scenes exciting.
Another reason the film works is the tightly plotted story and realistic tone. The last Bond film saw Bond using an invisible Aston Martin to stop a scheme involving a space laser and ice palace. This one feels more like an actual espionage tale, making it stand on its own as a genuinely thrilling spy film. Basically, Bond's pursuit of a bomb-maker leads to him stopping a terrorist attack in Miami, which causes terrorist Le Chiffre to set up a poker game at Casino Royale in Montenegro where Bond heads to win the money, which lead him to MI6. There is also a subplot involving an organization known as Quantum, which leads to the film's 2008 sequel Quantum of Solace, but more on that later.
Casino Royale is also aided by its strong supporting cast, something unusual for a Bond film. Eva Green is fantastic and gives a heartfelt and sexy performance as Vesper Lynd, a treasury officer who Bond falls for, leading to a love story that feels genuine and carries the film. We actually care for Lynd as she is a real character and not someone who is just there to look pretty. Judi Dench is also brilliant as M, the head of MI6 and Bond's boss who clashes with Bond over his reckless actions. The witty dialogue between Bond and M gives them a mother and son like relationship that works and carries the film. Casino Royale doesn't feature Bond allies such as Q or Moneypenny, but has the return of Bond's CIA contact and friend Felix Leiter played by Jeffrey Wright. Wright's performance as Leiter is strong, he is stylish and calm as Leiter and from what we get of him, he seems to be an equal in terms of coolness to Bond, not just a foil like in some of the previous films. Giancarlo Giannini is also solid as Bond and Vesper's contact Mathis. Mads Mikkelson is solid and gives what he can as Le Chiffre. The character is rather forgettable as a whole, but Mikkelson does his best and gives a villain that seems actually threatening, especially in a brutal torture scene with Craig's Bond.
Casino Royale is also aided by some strong work behind the camera as well. Martin Campbell doesn't have the best filmography (Green Lantern, Edge of Darkness) but he is perfect for a Bond film, having already brought back the character in 1995 with GoldenEye. Campbell's direction is brutal and breathless and he knows how to film some excellent action sequences, yet can also manage the film's more quiet moments including Bond's growing love for Vesper. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have had a mixed bag with their previous Bond scripts, but they are aided by Academy Award winner Paul Haggis to write an intelligent, exciting and witty screenplay. Soundgarden frontman and American rock singer Chris Cornell also has a strong theme song titled "You Know My Name". It is a different song, but it perfectly fits with Craig's modern take on the character and nicely suits the stylish opening sequences.
Overall, Casino Royale is an amazing and exciting film and possibly the best Bond film of all time. Craig is fantastic as James Bond and the supporting cast is solid as well. Martin Campbell provides great direction backed up with Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis' strong screenplay. The film was released to much hesisitation in November 2006 but obviously being a Bond film opened weaker than other entries, but still to a solid $40 million. However, like another recent amazing reboot (Batman Begins, OW $48 million, total $205 million), word of mouth propelled Casino Royale to a strong $167 million, a franchise best at the time. In 2006, critics and audiences both agreed - Bond was back and better than ever.
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