All is well in 007 land, long live Daniel Craig as Bond, James Bond. This was the only Bond I can remember without a super car and laser watch and it was great. The level of energy, the brutal efficiency of the fights, and having Dame Judy Dench reprise her role as “M” all contributed to a fine new start to the series. I hope that they keep the energy up and the number of gadgets down.
The reason I refrain from giving 5 stars is that it simply does not rise to that level. Nothing specific, it just did not inspire me the way a 5 does, nor will it be part of my watch it every year collection. It was greatly entertaining but that is all. The only thing that I can point to is the ending. The ending is a little rushed or unnecessarily complicated; I am not sure which or maybe both.
In the final evaluation I highly recommend this film.
Cast
- Daniel Craig as James Bond: A British agent who, after being assigned 00-status, is sent on a mission to arrest a bomb maker in Madagascar, where he stumbles upon Le Chiffre’s terrorist cell and is then sent to defeat him in a high-stakes poker game at Casino Royale.
- Eva Green as Vesper Lynd: An agent for HM Treasury assigned to supervise Bond and finance his poker table exploits.
- Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre: A banker who services many of the world’s terrorists. He is a mathematical genius and chess expert, and uses these skills when playing poker.
- Judi Dench as M: The strict head of MI6. Though she feels she has promoted Bond too soon and expresses abhorrence of his rash actions, she acts as an important maternal figure in his life. Dench was the only castmember carried through from the Brosnan films.
- Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter: A quiet CIA operative participating in the poker tournament while assisting Bond. This is the first official Bond film in which Leiter is played by a black actor. (The only other black actor to portray Felix Leiter was Bernie Casey in Never Say Never Again, which was not produced by EON.)
- Giancarlo Giannini as René Mathis: Bond’s contact in Montenegro.
- Simon Abkarian as Alex Dimitrios: Another contractor in the international terrorist underworld and associate of Le Chiffre, based in the Bahamas.
- Ivana Mili?evi? as Valenka: Le Chiffre’s girlfriend and henchwoman.
- Caterina Murino as Solange Dimitrios: Dimitrios’s wife, whom Bond seduces. She is killed by Le Chiffre for unintentionally revealing one of his plans to Bond.
- Isaach De Bankolé as Steven Obanno: A feared leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army, introduced to Le Chiffre by Mr. White to account his finances.
- Jesper Christensen as Mr. White: A mysterious liaison for an unnamed terrorist organisation.
- Sébastien Foucan as Mollaka: A bombmaker pursued by Bond through a construction site in Madagascar.
- Ludger Pistor as Mendel: A Swiss banker responsible for all monetary transactions during and after the poker tournament.
- Claudio Santamaria as Carlos: A terrorist employed by Le Chiffre to blow up an aircraft.
- Joseph Millson as Carter: An MI6 agent who accompanies Bond in Madagascar.