Casino Royale 007之皇家赌场 英语影评

Migrating towards creator Ian's Fleming's original vision,  Daniel Craig, who steps in as the 6th James Bond in this storied franchise, brings a sense of rawness into the character that could help to usher in a new era of Bond, James Bond. In fact, there are some shades of the  Sean Connery days that provide homage to classic Bond when 007 was more about the man and less about the gadgets. Among some of those references is when James Bond, with rugged sexiness and all, emerges from the Caribbean ocean in the style of Ursula Andress and the 1960s Astin Martin that he drives around. It just shows that no matter what the decade, Bond is timeless.

For this newest installment, it's a fresh start for the spy and the franchise. And, like James Bond himself, this project is rough around the edges. It has a mediocre opening title sequence, noticeably missing the female silhouettes tumbling and spinning and it is also missing a catchy theme song. And, as the film moves from act to act to act and to another act, there are too many disposable villains and it becomes difficult keeping track of who's who and what everyone is trying to do and how they are all interconnected. In fact, the film is at least 30 minutes too long and could have been even longer, I suppose. So, some of the dialogue seems hurried or the explanations truncated which had me feeling lost by the time I got to the final act.

But all of that is pretty much forgiven because of the fast-moving foot chase that occurs in the opening sequence, which pretty much makes the film worth the admission price. Props go to Sebastien Foucan as the fleeing villain who has the same deft moves as Jackie Chan or Jet Li. This start shows how athletic Daniel Craig is because it's no easy task leaping from building to building and from construction crane to construction crane.

This Bond is more human, and never borders (like some other Bonds) on the cartoonish. There are no pen-bombs or watches with laser beams. He's attentive and may even find women to be more of a meaningful pursuit rather than strictly a disposable pleasure. And this one bleeds. Even with nicks and cuts all over his face, this is still one great-looking chap. It's probably because he is also the best physically-conditioned Bond.

The story revolves around an international arms dealer (Mads Mikkelsen) who is plotting various terrorist-like activities. Part of his plan to finance it involves a high-stakes no limit Hold-em tournament, to be held at the Casino Royale. $10 million buy-in with a $5 million re-buy. Nothing pumps up the adrenaline more when your opposing player says fourteen-million five-hundred-thousand, all in!

The best scenes, however, are not the Bond-versus-villain ones (except for an amusing torture sequence). It's actually the few scenes where he and M (Judi Dench) speak. Their employee-employer relationship crackles with hostility and respect. You really can't get enough of that regal actress and you can easily understand why some years back she won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress ("Shakespeare in Love") despite being in just 9 minutes of that film. I liked Daniel Craig who brings a classic feel to the role. As one character put it, "even if there was nothing left of you than that smile and your little finger, you would still be more of a man than anyone else that I've ever met." That's a sure bet.