Film: Casino Royale
I've always been a fan of Bond - particularly the Connery years - but I hadn't really paid much attention to the later films. I think the last one I saw at the cinema was Tomorrow Never Dies maybe? Whichever one that starts at the Millennium Dome.
Therefore... having heard very good things about the latest release and indeed Daniel Craig's portrayal of Bond, I was looking forward to seeing Casino Royale for myself. Due to the immense popularity, I couldn't get tickets last week, so I went yesterday. It did not disappoint. Bags of action, a little bit of lovin' and the right amount of humour (without going too cheesy) made for a rip-snorting 2 and a half hours of enjoyable escapism.
It introduces the character of Bond, how he gained his double-0 status, and why he treats women the way he does. It does it all with a fair degree of style. The film is well produced, directed with the right pace all the way through and you could even forgive it a couple of places where you're not quite sure how something came to pass. Perhaps a second watch would clear these parts up - and it is certainly worth a second watch.
Great performances by the supporting cast helps keeps this film a-flowing, and most of the action sequences are visually quite stunning and I just have to give special mention to the freerunning/parkour scene: Sebastien Foucan is just awesome to watch.
A brief word on product placement: it was, on the whole, done reasonable well; not too in-your-face. But it was kind of like a very long advert for Ford PAG vehicles. Apart from the pre-production Mondeo that Bond is seen driving early on in the film, and of course the Aston Martin DBS (also pre-production), every car park and street scene seemed packed to the rafters with Jaguars, Range Rovers and the occasional Volvo XC90. It did look a tad bizarre at times. At least the Montenegrin Policija had Skodas. BTW: the bad guys are in Jaguars again (this time XJ8s).
My final words are reserved for the lead. Daniel Craig plays a fine Bond: cool, cold, merciless. A proper assassin. It is, however, interesting to see another, softer side to the character with the introduction of a girl he actually loves. I hope he sticks around for another couple of Bond outings.
A cracking film.
Therefore... having heard very good things about the latest release and indeed Daniel Craig's portrayal of Bond, I was looking forward to seeing Casino Royale for myself. Due to the immense popularity, I couldn't get tickets last week, so I went yesterday. It did not disappoint. Bags of action, a little bit of lovin' and the right amount of humour (without going too cheesy) made for a rip-snorting 2 and a half hours of enjoyable escapism.
It introduces the character of Bond, how he gained his double-0 status, and why he treats women the way he does. It does it all with a fair degree of style. The film is well produced, directed with the right pace all the way through and you could even forgive it a couple of places where you're not quite sure how something came to pass. Perhaps a second watch would clear these parts up - and it is certainly worth a second watch.
Great performances by the supporting cast helps keeps this film a-flowing, and most of the action sequences are visually quite stunning and I just have to give special mention to the freerunning/parkour scene: Sebastien Foucan is just awesome to watch.
A brief word on product placement: it was, on the whole, done reasonable well; not too in-your-face. But it was kind of like a very long advert for Ford PAG vehicles. Apart from the pre-production Mondeo that Bond is seen driving early on in the film, and of course the Aston Martin DBS (also pre-production), every car park and street scene seemed packed to the rafters with Jaguars, Range Rovers and the occasional Volvo XC90. It did look a tad bizarre at times. At least the Montenegrin Policija had Skodas. BTW: the bad guys are in Jaguars again (this time XJ8s).
My final words are reserved for the lead. Daniel Craig plays a fine Bond: cool, cold, merciless. A proper assassin. It is, however, interesting to see another, softer side to the character with the introduction of a girl he actually loves. I hope he sticks around for another couple of Bond outings.
A cracking film.
Comments
I saw it this week too. And I have to agree on pretty much every point - I loved the parkour, thought Daniel Craig did a great job and enjoyed the film immensely.
Cheers,
Jack