Well, I must admit that I had some inherent apprehensions about the new Bond film, not the least of which had to do with the choice of James Bond himself!! Following the relatively dismal performances in 'The World is Not Enough' and 'Die Another Day', it became apparent that Pierce Brosnan had, unbelievably, lost a bit of the 'Killer' touch that he effortlessly portrayed in 'Goldeneye' and 'Tomorrow Never Dies'. Brosnan must've seen it coming, but I guess the replacement was as much a shock to him as to anyone else. Well, atleast I was, shall we say, a bit 'dissapointed'. Because, although Pierce had certainly lost a bit of shine, he still put a lot into his roles and it was the script that ultimately led to the crappy performance of his last two films.
Daniel Craig didn't look the part for one. Previous Bonds have been known as much for their suavity as for the license to kill. This guy seemed to lack both at first glance. And, open minded as I am to change, the initial reactions to his appointment made me a bit, yes, 'apprehensive' about the prospects of Casino Royale.
The curiosity factor got the better of me and I found myself advance booking the tickets to the second day's show (Cause I had an exam on the day of the release). The movie, in a nutshell, was awesome right from the first scene....... an intense two-way dialog peppered with flashbacks of a gruesome fight scene was carried out perfectly. And I didn't find Daniel Craig to be a least bit repulsive!! In fact his first impression was Rock Solid!! His intense eyes and his accent are perfect and his demeanor couldn't have been better.
'Mindblowing' seems like a small word for describing the first half of the film. From an incredible foot-chase to a thwarted plan to blow up an ailiner, everything confirmed one thing: this movie meant business!! The stroyline is based on a group of financiers who, led by Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) are chief money-handlers for international terrorists. Mikkelsen was a perfect choice for the part and plays out his character amazingly well.
The action comes to a complete halt during the mid of the film when the story takes an about turn from the action sequences to a high-stakes game of poker at Casino Royale that is organized by Le Chiffre himself to reclaim his lost fortune. And during all this, Bond becomes romantically involved with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) who plays his financier for the gambling event. This involvement blossoms into a full-fledged love affair!! This puts a stamp on the fact that Mr. Craig is here to re-invent Bond, not to succeed Pierce Brosnan. The twist that follows stems from this very show of human emotion and vulnerability from the inpregnable and cold Mr. Bond towards the beautiful and 'complicated' Ms. Lynd. Although the twist is quite well done, the climax itself fails to match the hugely spectacular opening.
Overall though, the film exceeded my expectations by a mile and really managed to be a full-out entertainer. Daniel Craig does the job so well that instead of saying a teary-eyed goodbye to Pierce Brosnan, Bond enthusiasts will welcome the new hier with open arms!!