(Published Dec. 10, 2006, PDI-Entertainment)
By Oliver M. Pulumbarit
Contributor
While the casting of Daniel Craig as Agent 007 was met with skepticism not too long ago, his recent portrayal in “Casino Royale” is proof enough that the actor, indeed, has a future as iconic spy James Bond. Craig, who has previously appeared in “Tomb Raider” and “Layer Cake,” doesn’t look at all like the more sophisticated, more spruced-up former 007s. He’s blond, has distracting cup-handle ears, and mostly looks like a bully, but because the material gave him an edgy, contemporary roughness, he’s just perfect for this revamp.
This sixth actor to play Bond is convincing and a compelling presence, too, as he’s able to show sides to him that make him more sympathetic and less cocky. As we’ve seen a parade of numerous, hard-hitting TV and movie super-spies in recent years, “Casino Royale” does away with some of the camp, and restructures 007’s world into a more serious, more timely post-9/11 environment.
The arsenal of high-tech gadgets has been discarded for now, although the technology shown here is much more realistic, and still very much cutting-edge. The focus is mostly on Bond’s sparer, back-to-basics approach in tracking down, or interacting with prey that he must eventually take down, and he does that well with his more available resources.
That includes his ability to charm women; this new incarnation still does that well, and Craig injects a newer, tough-guy appeal into him. He’s paired with the equally intriguing Vesper Lynd (Eva Green from “
Speaking of the women in Bond’s filmic life, Judi Dench is still delightful as the ever-infuriated M. As Bond’s boss, she’s regretting the agent’s recent promotion, because while tremendously promising, he has a tendency to recklessly go on unsupervised missions. Still, Bond is undoubtedly the best agent for the job, and he’s sent after a big-time, high-priority crook named Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). Bond engages the tear duct-impaired bad guy (he weeps blood, sometimes) in a poker game, which is easily the film’s slowest, most disengaging part. It’s not the best way to explore his foe’s villainy--he’s sorely lacking in dimension for most of the movie--but Le Chiffre gets to do truly despicable things later during a torture scene, anyway.
“Casino Royale,” directed by Martin Campbell (“Vertical Limit,” “Mask of Zorro”), imaginatively reintroduces the super-agent. And just like the latest installment of other long-lasting film franchises where actors playing the protagonists can be replaced, it rejuvenates the property anew for changing times and audiences. With Craig as the new, differently dashing, occasionally grouchy, and somewhat more vulnerable James Bond, pop culture’s premier super-spy has gotten more relevant and exciting again.
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