Casino Royale....Is it Craig's Best?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มี.ค. 2019
- A theory was born on a road trip...Is the first Bond movie of each Bond actor their best? Being James Bond and The Bond Experience explore this theory one actor at a time. The sixth in the series is 'Casino Royale' with Daniel Craig!
________________________________________________________________________________________
When David is not running an advertising and marketing company, his hobby is The Bond Experience which is primarily a video blog where he discusses Bond experiences and the people and brands that help to create those experiences...
Over the past fifteen years, David Zaritsky has been featured and sourced for articles in the following media Time Magazine, The Boston Globe, The Courier Times, USA Today, Star Magazine, MM&M, The Exchange, The Guardian, The New York Times, Bond on Bond, American Media Inc., AP Wire and online social media outlets. David has been a speaker at Johns Hopkin, Hofstra University, and Columbia as a Bond Experience expert. His collection is one of the largest in the USA and represents one of the most complete as it pertains to lifestyle collectibles. Invited to cover Tom Ford, Omega, Heineken, and Coke partnership events, David has represented social media experiences for many years. In addition David has provided props and decor for Johns Hopkin Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace Premieres as well as the Devereaux Foundation 007 Fundraiser.
_
Credits:
Cinematographer: Danielle Zaritsky
‘James Bond Theme’ written by Monty Norman and John Barry. Title Sequence music arranged and produced by James Sanger
Vlog Content Score: Jordan Nevin - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
Casino Royale is one of the absolute greatest films ever made.
Yep. It’s been my favorite film since I was 10 years old
Martin Campbell does not get enough credit for visually telling great stories.
This is also my favourite Bond film ever. I really wish they could hit the target again with the intelligence and style they did here.
I got a great idea for the next Bond film: Bond goes on a random impersonal mission, fights some random villain he has no connection with, and goes home.
Might work!
Love it!
If the franchise never existed and this was a one off then it would go down as a modern classic of cinema
That would also mean the sequel would have been Live and Let Die.
Loved the discussion at the 22 minute mark about the importance of story, and when David says it's all about CHARACTERS. I'm a novelist and my way of "plotting" a story is to come up with vivid characters and present them with a conflict and then just let THEM sort it out, because well written characters have such obvious character traits that you can visualize how they'd deal with a situation rather than trying to shoehorn them into behaving according to how the 'plot' tells them they need to behave to advance the story.
Love your technique!
Best Bond movie ever imo. Performances, story, updating the book to modern times, cinematography, direction all perfect.
Casino Royale was the only movie I saw twice in theaters! The ending stuck with me forever that I even had to get the 3 piece navy pinstripe suit.
Great video as always. One thing that sticks out every time I watch CR is Bond's relationship with M. Craig's Bond definitely had the deepest connection to M. I'm so glad they kept Judi Dench. Damn, I can still remember when I saw CR the the first time. It was exhilarating, it was emotional, and it was different. Like you guys touched on, the depth of the characters and purely classic source material made it really easy to embrace Craig as the new Bond.
Btw, I love these videos. I wouldn't mind if you guys did another set of videos about every Bond's second movie (minus Lazenby of course).
I also think the relationship works very well!
There's a TH-cam video, made up of various documentaries on the making of Casino Royale. It's about 2.5 hours long and well worth watching. I think the reason this film was so good, is because they spent years thinking about the concept. They wanted to do a 'prequel' type film before, bit couldn't do it with Pierce Brosnan, as it would not make sense timeline wise. So that idea was put on hold until a new Bond actor came along. A number of factors all came together for the film, the prequel aspect, the reboot, going back to basics removing the gadgets, a younger actor able to do more action. Also in the documentaries you will learn lots of little Easter eggs in the film, that normally go unnoticed.
It definitely shows the love and care of the filmmakers...
Casino royale is the perfect bond movie. My fav bond. The Car, the story, new take on bond, love story. The only film that beats it for style cues is skyfall
In all these years, no one I’ve seen but me seems to have noticed this.
Bond doesn’t run from anyone in this film. He’s never chased. He’s always moving forward, doing the chasing.
Yes he ducks into the stairwell, but he’s not running away. Not being chased.
No other Bond film has done that.
I remember seeing the trailer for Casino Royale and being so psyched. I was on their website often and had the wallpaper on my computer. I took a Caribbean cruise shortly before the movie and while in Saint Martin I saw the Persol 2244s in a store and had to get them. Walking around the Caribbean like Bond. 😉
I remember watching the trailer the night it came out. It was an awesome teaser.
It definitely set the tone for the Bond lifestyle...!
I really, really REALLY wish they'd go back to Casino Royale. I honestly don't care about the goofy old stuff they've added back since. The gritty, hard-edged (somewhat)realistic tone, the music, the characters, everything was just about perfect.
Perhaps one day!
Check out the masterpiece Diamonds are forever
The fewer the gadgets, the better the Bond film.
The director Martin Campbell is well known for relaunching good movies. In fact its probably one of the most important, but often overlooked aspects of these films as it can be a real make or break entry into a film franchise. He did the same with Goldeneye as well.
My favourite Bond film ever made. Perfect. 10/10
This is what made me a Bond fan!
It might sound controversial but I love Quantum of Solace...very raw
For me QOS is Casino Royal part 2
Quantum is one of those movies where you have to watch it a few times to appreciate it. It was made a bit too fast and the script was incomplete, which is obvious, and Amalric's villain just doesn't have "it" but the movie is much better than it was originally given credit for and certainly the first time I saw it. Forster probably was the most skilled camera director the series had in a long time, maybe ever (I'm not a fan of Mendes's directing).
I actually think the action scenes are decent and it’s kind of a fun ride
I appreciated it more with Casino Royale very fresh in my mind, but the fast editing kind of made me sick. Really, it's not the general story or characters that make it hard to watch, it's technical stuff like editing/pacing.
Everyone went to see it expecting another CR but instead got a Bourne ripoff
David and Joe -- I can't agree with you more! Your tandem assessment is dead-on perfect. And so is 'Casino' -- IMO the best Bond film since 'Majesty's'. My three favorites are 'Goldfinger' (my first Bond film), 'OHMSS' and 'Casino', with the order being immaterial as, to me, they're all equally fine. 'FRWL' is also way up there but often feels as much Hitchcock as Fleming. I caught up with 'Russia' and 'Dr. No' on their later double-bill re-release, whereas the Bonds from 'Goldfinger' onward I caught on the big screen during their initial release. ('Thunderball' and 'YOLT' are faves too.) But after the super fun though lighter Moore era, the brief relief of the more Flemingesque Daltons, and the very uneven Brosnan era, I was blown away by the stunning excellence, depth and power of 'Casino' on every level, including its unexpected faithfulness to Fleming's seminal novel. Who would've thought that a 21st Century Bond film could be as good as the Connery era classics? And even though I adore Connery -- who was, after all, my first Bond -- Daniel Craig gave, in 'Casino', what I consider the single finest performance of any actor in that role. And when was any Bond actor ever nominated for a Best Actor BAFTA until Craig? 'nuff said.
A really enjoyable and insightful conversation, even for a more casual Bond fan such as myself. Keep up the great work chaps.
Thank you,
Best regards,
TGV
Thanks so much!
Tatjana
The interval fighting between the card game was absolutely amazing. "You've changed your shirt, Mr bond"
Agreed, but there’s a few continuity errors between.
The family and I watched Casino Royale literally last night! I chose it in our Family Film Club: the 22nd film as it was my 7th choice I thought I may as well go with a 007 film! Craig gave a tour de force performance in that film and in my opinion it his best performance and film of the Bond franchise!
Great family film....beats the Lion King!
TheBondExperience I think it's a great film: nothing against The Lion King but I much prefer Casino Royale! Sure it's edgy and badass, but it makes for a great flick!
Haha, this was my brother’s pick, Mum isn’t really into action films so it wasn’t really into her cup of tea and Dad wasn’t that impressed, saying it was “more stunts than story”, can’t say it was a winner with them, but I guess you can’t win ‘em all haha.
casino royale is the batman begins of the bond franchise while die another day was like batman and robin
Yea
Love Casino Royale not just a great Bond movie, but a great movie period. Love seeing my American cousins geeking out over Bond. Great video guys!
We can't help it.... ;)
Casino Royale is in my top 3 favourite Bond films along with From Russia From With Love and The Spy Who Loved Me.
Great picks!
Totally agree!!!!!
Definitely
Excellent review mates! Casino Royale went back to basics, which was perfect timing in the Bond canon. Craig's interpretation of the character was spot on. Let's face it, Bond is less of a spy and more of an assassin with his license to kill. No actual international spy would be so well known under any circumstances, but an assassin could possibly get away with it.
I liked CR because we finally got a real reason for Bond's cold blooded attitude.
You guys covered it perfectly. Well done gents, very well done. Cheers!
I never liked 007 until I get a free Casino Royale Bluray when I bought my PS3, later I bought all the Bond collection and started to be a fan
I love Goldfinger, Thunderball and From Russia With Love but yes Casino Royal is the best Bond film of the entire franchise for all the reasons you say and because it's the most faithful to Ian Fleming's book.
Hardly most faithful, the first 45 minutes of the film aren’t even in the book.
I just loved these videos (Best/ Worst) you two did. I completely understand your perpectives, and you really can enhance all the good (and bad) points in each movie. Thanks!
Simply put YES! To me its really the only excellent one out of Craig’s Bond outings...had all the classic Bin elements which all the others missed.
The only one to compare is Skyfall but that falls down in the last 30 minutes . .
I remember back in '06, reading a newspaper article saying that "word from the set is that Craig nails the role." I went to TH-cam, watched the first teaser and it was like an adrenaline shot to my arm! This was the Bond film I'd been waiting for. I was over the moon about it.
Thats awesome!
The first Bond film I saw at the cinema, brilliant movie. Definitely Craig's best.
The Craig franchise has followed a peak and trough movement throughout. Spectre fell on a trough, but I believe (hopefully) that 25 (Shatterhand?) will leave on a good note. Just don't follow the spoilers.
Agreed. Casino Royale is one of the best. All starts with a simple, compelling story and a villain that is believable and desperate.
Never thought about Bond having a Bond moment when putting on his tux or Bond’s first quip and laughing at it.
I can't unsee it!
Nice video! For me CR is such a good film, it reinvigorated my passion for Bond.
Yeah, it made us all a lot poorer! ;)
Craig's best Bond by a country mile and possibly the best one ever made 👌
Not only the best bond movie just one of the best movies ever .
i love casino royale. it one of the greatest movie ever made.
Yep!
That was really cool and also very funny :-D Totally agree with you guys ... even I rate QoS and SF pretty high as well. To me the first 4 Connery and the first 3 Craig Bond movies form my gold standard for 007 films. Let‘s see what B25 will bring us ... thanks for this vlog series - really enjoyed it.
Glad you enjoyed!
i was born in 1964 so my favorite Bond film throughout my entire life had always been the first i ever saw-Goldfinger.
That is,until I saw this one.
Like you guys,it just blew me away.
Craig was easily the best 007 since Connery-and the first since him that really looked like he actually could do all the action you saw him do.
Including actually being able to kick ass for real which only Connery was able to make us believe before.
It also features an incredible story,tons of exciting action,a fantastic villian and,of course,the best Bond girl of all time.
The bad part is that it was so perfect that they have not been able to equal it since!
Maybe No Time To Die will finally be the one!?!
John Rigs mmmm you were reading my mind on this.
I feel like Skyfall was a great follow-up for Daniel Craig after the phenomenon that is Casino Royale.
I became a Bond fan after Casino Royale, the film blew my mind.
First time I saw Casino Royale, I thought "good movie but weird Bond movie" in a way that I was so used to the "screen Bond" (and not the book bond which I think people forget sometimes) that I thought something was missing of the older Bond movies and I thought "does this guy ever enjoy doing what he does ?"
I still think it's his best movie , Skyfall was good too but I didn't like the exploration of Bond's past and the vilain's plot kind of sucked if you think of it, he just wants to kill M, and Bond was supposed to be the new guy in CR and QOS but he suddenly becomes outdated in Skyfall ? )
The time line thing is definitely a hotly debated topic!
Thanks a lot for this video series. Personally I was driven back to my first times to see all this movies. The funny thing is, that I saw every Bond movie always the first time in a Cinema. I am born 1967, but when I was twelve and started to see the movies, they still run in small cinemas in Germany and not on tv! The other funny thing is, that I found the books 77 in a small bookstore and started to read them with 10. So when I saw my first Bond movie with 12, I had read all the stuff from Ian Fleming and the first Bond movie I saw was „Dr. No“ and I waited the whole end with nearly closed eyes for the octopus! 😀.And it didn’t came... Greets from Germany!
I think so!!
First Bond I watched and I was hooked!
Really good movie. But what if tarantino did casino royale with brosnan. I wouldve loved that.
Great video.
Octopussy was the first one I saw in the theater too. It remains an all-time favorite. I grew up on the Moore films on HBO. Cheers.
My 2nd favorite movie of all time
You should be reviewing all Bond movies, great team!
Thanks so much....watch this spot!
Seeing these clips in black and white makes me think the whole film would have been great in Black and White. The black and white pre credit sequence was awesome so I think the whole film could have kept that
Would have been very impactful, but the general audience might have taken up arms! ;)
TheBondExperience that’s true
Casino Royal was perfection straight out of the gate. Best Bond movie ever. Still love the Opening of Spectre though. Brilliant.
I agree with them doing Live and Let Die as the sequel. Had the same thoughts after seeing this and after Quantum and them doing their own thing again, I knew that Casino was going to kind of be viewed as a beautiful fluke instead of the start of something great.
Can you do an in-depth review of Skyfall similar to this?
One of my favourite films. M.
I actually watched this film late last night after watching OHMSS. It's really cool to wake up this morning to see you guys with a new upload reviewing it. Awesome Bond flick! One of the best for sure.
Good timing!
This is what Dalton would've done had he debuted in FYEO.
Nash F I cant imagine Dalton in that Movie...That was Moore’s 2nd Best film IMO.Dalton was a Good actor to play Bond,But “Living Daylights”Was slow,Boring and Politically Correct Nonsense.License to kill was very Good though.
I agree that Dalton would have definitely made FYEO possibly the best bond film ever.
I feel like Joe is on something with a more accurate adaptation of live and let die would be awesome. The book version of Mr. Big. His shark like appearance. A return to New York. The underwater infiltration. Definitely elements that can be brought to the screen.
He is full of ideas!
YES!.... considerably....
Spectre really pissed me off when Blofled basically said that Silva and Le Chiffere we’re taking orders from him, so dumb. It makes these two great villains weaker
I mght disagree with your first claim.The First movie of 007 actors is the best (your claim) . I think as a character Sean Connery in Thunderball suits the best character in his movies.I only mention the bond character not the whole movie.Note : I am a fan of these discussions !!! Keep up the good work !
You should bring in Calvin Dylan to talk about each Bond’s worst movie
I loved Casino Royale and it's probably in my Top Five but....I think what keeps it reaching the actual precipice of Bond canon is the pacing of the last 20 or so minutes. It's all compelling but it just feels like a fourth act tacked on the rest of the story - it's really charming to see their romance blossom but part of me wishes it was more integrated into the story up until that point....especially Vesper's betrayal which I think would have had more impact if it was set up earlier in the film. Still a great film but I would still have to put Skyfall at the top: I love the uniqueness of the climax and I love how it ends up being an emotional send-off to Judi Dench's M.
But overall....great discussion guys!
Thanks so much!
Thanks so much!
Always appreciate these discussions. And Casino Royale is truly a magnificent film and established Craig as the best (equal with Connery) Bond (with Lazenby close behind those two). Skyfall was just as magnificent though in different ways. I would not put Casino Royale above Skyfall. Only slightly behind these two is Quantum of Solace. As many of us have said, Quantum of Solace is an underrated film. Hard and tough and surprising all the way through. Should never be dismissed. I see the three of them as a trilogy. Only the fourth Craig film Spectre falls down in places (and yet still has some great sequences). The first three films of Daniel Craig are such a joy.
Skyfall was awful and highly inferior to CR. Like night and day.
Great movie indeed. At the begining I would like some more references to Bond's naval service before beeing recruited as a 00 agent. Also, what bothers me with Casino Royale is that it totally ignores some basic things from the previous movies. For instance: 1) In Dr. No we see Bond and Felix Leighter meeting for the first time. Here we see them again meeting for the first time! 2) In Goldfinger the Service (Q) provides for the first time the DB5 to Bond, in replacement to his old Bentley. Here we see that Bond is winning the car in cards and it is his own. These things are a little annoying to me...
You guys did a fantastic job with this dissection of the greatest Bond film of all time,"Casino Royale"..One Scene I thought you guys would talk about and by the way is personally my favorite in the entire film,,, is when Bond realizes his Vodka Martini is tainted and then he pays out to the table realizing he's going into cardiac arrest then just escalates with the editing and camera work,then it just keeps building to what climaxed as the most masterful most intense Bond moment in the history of the franchise.Well written,acted and shot to absolute perfection.In my humble opinion,Casino Royale is till now the best Bond film ever made in every possible way/Hands down!!!!!!Great commentary from the both of you✅
Thanks so much! Kind words!
Casino Royale is my favorite Bond film, but it ruined us. Daniels's films have all been pretty great but they seem mediocre by comparison to that movie.
It's a hard one to top!
What do you guys think of bringing David Arnold back but maybe just for like one track or two? It could play during a big chase sequence like the substitute score for the tank chase in GoldenEye. There's no doubt he is a genius at manipulating the Bond theme.
I want DA for the whole shebang!
This very well might be the only TH-cam video I've ever seen that doesn't have a single thumbs down. wow. I guess anything IS possible.
I love this channel let me say that first! I have to agree with the title here and say it’s Craig’s best film. This movie really broke down to the fundamentals, what makes a man (Bond) a cold as steel Assassin become a human being in love (vesper) only to be betrayed by said love, which turns hims into a true trigger machine! The progression of this arc was magnificently done.
Thanks for the kudos!
Joint best with Skyfall. I can never choose between them as they are both so good. Serious contender for my two favourite Bond films ever.
Agreed!
I feel exactly the same way.
Agreed.
The reason why people love this movie is because it has a powerful opera like ending. Many operas are considered masterpieces and when you take those opera like characteristics and put them in a movie, it can impress an audience if done right.
Would you ever consider reviewing all of Flemings novels?
I probably wood...I have read them enough times... :)
Casino Royale is the best Craig film by far, but sadly, like Brosnan they never got it quite right after that. But this has the best title song of the modern era, best villain, best Bond action and best Bond opening credits. It's not even close with the other movies.
It's strange as Craig is one of the better actors to take the role and given better scripts, although I generally don't find his films as fun or enjoyable as say, Connery's or Brosnan's.
Pierce Brosnan is my fav Bond! He's the one i grew up with. And the first Bond movie i saw was Goldeneye!
@ItalianBrownsFAN We agree to disagree.
@ItalianBrownsFAN Brosnan is my fav. Dalton & Craig are both equal.
@@unlimitedayoproduction2452 What's wrong with Roger Moore ? if you were around in the 70s you would appreciate Moore a lot more.
Better scripts perhaps. But he is a actor that no one will remember 10 years in the future.
Casino Royale is the best bond film ever made
Best Craig bond film by a mile, it's not even close
So good it's one of the best Bond films and stands among other films outside that franchise too
Yes, Casinò Royale is the best Craig movie and also the best Bond movie. I like ALOT Skyfall, but Casinò is the champion. BTW, very good discussions and videos on this channel. Congratulations, keep up the good work.
Brosnan was good for one more. Espescially as a 2 year gap was possible after DAD. This turned into 4 years & a new Bond. But Brosnan couldn't have made a CR type film. He had a great body, but blue swimming trunks....
I have a lot of heart for Brosnan....
I love Brosnan in GoldenEye. Possibly the most cool and confident Bond. What every kid aspires to be like... or at least me.
He could have done another for sho. I honestly don't have HUGE problem with Die Another Day other than I do not like the ending. I like it up until Bond saves Jinx in the ice palace. I just don't dig that whole plane ending...
Enjoyed DAD pre title sequence. Madonna's song didn't sound too bad when merged with Brosnan getting tortured. The car chase would have been fun for 9 year olds. Brosnan was super confident & the villians were a match for Bond. But the CGI, oh dear.
Casino royale is a diamond in the rough. One and only. I’ll take Daniel Craig for bond any day. But my favorite Moore. Hands down.
Moore is a charmer!
Totally agree. They all have there thing that works for them and not for other bond actor. But Moore made bond relatable.
Great episode and I am blown away by Casino Royale...wish I could have gotten my hands on more of the tech and cars over the years.
That car.....oh that car!
Damn you uploaded early. Gonna have to wait after school to watch this bad boy
LOL!
Yes
Thanx, guys! While I agree that Casino is a wonderful product, I feel that Craig was the best of his Bond in Skyfall. He was totally Being James Bond & most completely demonstrated The Bond Experience there! :-)))
Skyfall was the perfect blend - it had the emotion of Casino Royale but a more compelling cat-and-mouse story and villain - LeChiffre was very good but Silva was amazing.
And yes it did get criticized for being very "Dark Knight-ish and Nolan-like but folks forget that it's Bond canon that inspired movies like The Dark Knight in the first place.....Skyfall was taking it full circle as if to say, "Hey ok you did a great job with the Joker and made him into an awesome Bond villain......cool, but HERE' how you do it even better!"
And this is coming from some one who loved the Dark Knight Trilogy (Batman Begins is my personal favorite) but Batman still isn't Bond. :)
Skyfall was amazing.
Skip Trace It’s a perfect film
I'm halfway through this episode, and I honestly have to say...I can't really tell if you guys liked this movie or not! ;)
Yeah, we really sugar-coated it... ;)
Great review. I agree with David - I was not super impressed the first time I saw it. Multiple viewings later it has grown on me and I better appreciate it. Oh, did you feel that Connery moment at the beginning when Bond shoots the operative in the office? Reminds of the Dent kill. I think that Joe hit in on the head with his comment about no lasers and such. So true. I done with orbital lasers, diamonds, nuclear explosives, or mass destruction of the human race.
It grows on you quickly!
Michael Poplawski I never thought of it that way before...but you’re right.The sitting there talking,The way Dent pulled the trigger on the empty S&W and Connery said you had your 5 or 6(I forget)To Craig saying “I found your Gun” or Something.Very good Catch👍🏻👍🏻
Love watching this and Quantum of Solace back to back.
Not a bad idea...
I really enjoyed all of Craig’s Bond films, but when I first saw Casino Royal, I thought oh they’re going with the Jason Bourne shtick.
ABSOLUTELY YES! His other 007 films pale in comparison.
I loved Casino Royale as an action movie but it was missing a bit of the Bond elements with Q branch, Miss Moneypenny and some of the staples for me to call it my favorite Daniel Craig Bond movies.
This is the movie that I wanted to see Pierce Brosnan do but the timing just didn't work for him in this role. Skyfall is my favorite Craig movie then Casino just slightly behind it.
Agreed!
I think it’s criminal to label CR as an action film. It’s so much more.
People love them some Skyfall!
Who cares if they don't have those elements
Casino Royale is probably the best Bond movie. For me is no 1.!!!
Now review each 2nd movies 😊
Watch this space in May... ;)
Casino Royale has a solid plot. M.
Casino Royale is phenomenal (and my overall 4th but really my top four.. maybe five with Goldeneye are almost interchangeable) but Skyfall just speaks to me. I only wish Sean Connery had been up to play Albert Finney's caretaker character Kincade-- then that movie would be perfect. My Craig order is: 1. Skyfall (3rd overall) 2. Casino Royale (4th overall) 3. Spectre (19th overall) 4. Quantum of Solace (24th overall).
These guys understand James Bond
Spot on, gentleman. Every bit - I concur!!!!
Sweet!
Casino Royale works better if you watch the more traditional Bond films first.
I desagree. After seen good looking man as Connery, Moore, Dalton and Brosnan as Bond, how could I accept a tiny ugly man that looks like Alfred E Neuman from Mad Magazine as Bond ?
@@diogocatalano9557 these people love these overdramatic arthouse, with take himself too serious Daniel Craig. Which is funny because the two guys in the video said The World is not Enough was too soap operish.
Unpopular opinion: quantum of solace is Craig’s best film
Not sure about the point of a rookie Bond. Craig was in his late 30's & acted just like all the previous Bonds. Bond falling in love & then losing her was very OHMSS.
True.
Easily his best, everything seemed to work the action was relentless! combined with a cracking script and great bond girl! the comedy was there but wasnt goofy, the gadgets were very real world and everything came together, I dont understand how Skyfall is the much praised one.