Sean Bossinger’s Doings

Two months ago, told me to set aside November 17th for a night on the town. Her parents graciously accepted our invitation to watch the boys, and we went to see Casino Royale at the Regal South Beach 18 Theaters, after dinner at the Van Dyke Cafe on beautiful, if not quirky, Lincoln Road.

Bond fans galore should know that this film is a prequel to the heretofore played Bond films. Aside from a comedic interpretation of the Ian Fleming novel in 1967, Fleming's first Bond novel had never been made into a feature length film. This production marks the attempt for Eon Productions, Albert R. Broccoli's production house (now lead by wife Barbara), to continue the Bond tradition by successfully producing Casino Royale. The fact that Casino Royale actually predates the other previously produced Bond films while coming so late in the series raises minor issues in some of the interactions between Dame Judi Dench, who plays “M,” and Daniel Craig, who plays James Bond. The problems, however, are not apparent during Casino Royale; rather, it is dialogue during Casino Royale that renders problematic some of the interactions between Mr. Craig's predecessor, Pierce Brosnan and Dame Dench, in previous films.

For the most part, Mr. Craig, the sixth man to appear in the role, plays Bond extremely successfully. Qualitatively, he appears to be a superior mix of Timothy Dalton's seriousness, and Sean Connery's relaxedness; all of this while having the body of someone befitting the needs of a double-”O” operative. I am able to judge this because there are scenes in this film where you're quite able to get a good look at Mr. Craig's body. In fact, advised me that he does, in fact, have a great body, my eye obviously not being the best judge of such things.

The film is appropriately action-packed, and while action has always been the strong suit of the Bond syndicate, much thought-provoking dialogue occurs between Bond and the other characters (especially Dame Dench), which leads to a thorough understanding of why Bond earned his double-”O” status. Without spoiling the plot, suffice it to say that “M” does a good deal of successful mentoring after promoting Bond to his rank which he has held throughout the series' previous productions. Despite the exceptional dialogue, action, and intrigue, Bond does still provide the requisite one-liners, Mr. Craig delivering same in such form befitting the two Bonds who were famous for delivering the quips, Roger Moore and Sean Connery.

This Bond also sees the return to a historical method of starting the film: the opening scene, while integral to the overall theme of the story, does not include plot directly related to the film itself. Additionally, the choice to film this sequence in black and white adds to the overall feel of the film's darkness in the development of Bond as a double-”O” operative.

The choice of the casting department to use actors who aren't already well-known allows, I think, the audience to focus on what they need to be focused on, namely the development of the relationship between 007 and “M”. I believe that it will also give these actors and actresses access to much more on-screen time for future films. Performances for all of the characters were on par with what is to be expected from the fine productions that have come from the Broccolis in the past.

If you are a Bond fan, I highly recommend that you see this one on the big screen. It is well worth the cost of admission.