Daniel Craig takes over where Pierce Brosnan left off in the latest James Bond picture, CASINO ROYALE. The new OO7 finds himself in the high stakes game of poker, as James Bond poses as a wealthy gamesman, in order to receive an invite to a multi-million dollar poker tournament. The stakes are high, with the poker favorite having ties to a terrorist network, and the fear of the winnings being funneled to this organization.
When Bond is asked by a bartender, “Shaken or stirred?”, and Bond quickly retorts, “Does it matter?” I knew we had a different James Bond on our hands. The tone and pathos is both darker and richer than the most recent OO7 installments, and Craig’s super agent is worthy to his predecessors, but much like other James Bond films, CASINO ROYALE’S Achilles heel is it’s excess. Typically packed with overblown action scenes, intense sexual encounters and clever wordplay, this film’s overindulgence comes in the form of its length. At nearly two and a half hours, CASINO ROYALE’s poker-centered plot can’t withstand its demanding run time. If not a poker player or fan, the repeated gambling scenes will wear thin on you, and they pale in comparison to either of the high adrenaline action scenes that precede it and the intense moments between Craig and co-star Eva Green. CASINO ROYALE has some interesting and compelling new elements for OO7, and I hope to see them exercised in a more invigorating picture.
Grade: C
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