At a special screening of Casino Royale, I got to personally tell Martin Campbell that he made the best modern Bond film and perhaps the best Bond film of all time. Being a humble and personable man, he didn’t want to accept that as true. But the round of applause outvoted his humility.
Something I really appreciate about this film is that we are made to genuinely like Vesper Lynd, so when she commits the betrayal we are also hurt and conflicted.
99/100, only thing keeping it from being a perfect review, no mention of Chris Cornell's opening title sequence being arguably the best ;). But nailed it.
@@MrMrjack18 RIP Chris Cornell. I have gone through deep, dark periods of my life, and had thoughts of suicide, but could never go to that extreme. He had a super talent. I greatly miss him; he left us too soon!
@@Geezer-yf8hv I had thoughts of suicide too ! once ! I hope there is afterlife and that he find peace.... although i heard that suicide puts you to hell ! Chris was very talented indeed and his Bond song will always be remembered !!!
Im currently 54. Life long bond fan. First saw Daniel Craig in little movie called Layer Cake. Brilliant movie and he was absolutely amazing in it. When he was tapped to play JB i was excited and found myself in heated discussions with friends, family and naysayers. Glad i was right. To me, he's had the greatest run as bond. Including Connery whom I love as JB.
Layer Cake was great! A fitting audition for a bond role. I had a friend who refused to watch that movie because he said the name was "stupid." I tried to explain what "layer cake" meant, but he wouldn't listen. His loss...
personally I just the part where Vesper & James are sizing each other up, reading each other, able to sum up the other's past. It was verbal sparring I had never seen done so well that it is one of the most memorable Bond moments of all time for me
“how was your lamb?” “skewered. …One sympathizes.” Turned an excellent introduction scene, into one of my very favorite introduction scenes in all of the cinema I’ve seen. 15-ish years later and I still haven’t gotten over it 😁
That the theme of the movie ultimately revolves around a Poker game is sincerely captivating. Everything is so quiet, calm and serene in the Casino. They’re sat at the Poker table calculating and contemplating their hands (and their opponents hands) and then all the rough and tough action takes place elsewhere. I think the scenes and environments throughout which the movie takes place just makes for beautiful poetry.
Apart from that everything in this poker game and everything surrounding it is complete and utter bullshit. Of course everybody plays the most extreme and rarest combos ever. Treating the central piece of the film like that is cringe. If not interested in depicting poker then show something else. Beer Pong would do. If you think using a defibrillator to cure poisoning (!) and then going back to a Royal Flush (what else) versus a Full House (I know that word! That means Poker!) is "poetry" let me recommend the poetic beauty of the Tele-Tubbies. It will blow your socks off.
@@j.m.w.5064 Perhaps that is what I should do; Rewatch all theTele-Tubbies shows, since I have them all & readily available on DVD. Thank you for the recommendation.
@@j.m.w.5064 Since it is a movie with time constraints, we the audience, are not privy to seeing a 2-hour long tournament of Texas Holdem (thank goodness). If you are a staunch poker fan, the casino scenes may have seemed both absurd and cringe worthy but that’s okay since they only constituted roughly 15% of the running time. I personally enjoyed them, regardless of the utter insanity of the improbable hands they were so luckily dealt.
@@_BobaFett_ I am not a Poker fan at all. But if you see a film in which someone... say... loads a pistol with a shell taken from a shotgun and makes it even deadlier by loading it back to front and silencing it by wrapping cotton around and then shooting it seven times and the last shot kills five guys at once with that ancient technique he learned from a chinese astronaut... ...then you are absolutely in the position to call bullshit on that. You don't have to be a gun nerd and the film will not be an hour longer. You just pointed out nonsense that has nothing to do with... how the world works according to common sense. That.
When casino came out, I refused to see it. Bond isn’t blonde, I would say. A few years later I finally saw it. It’s now my favorite Bond movie by a very wide margin. Craig is great. Eva Green is the best Bond girl ever. She was absolutely phenomenal in the role. She is smart and a 10.
I agree, Bond isn't blonde, he doesn't have blue eyes. And honestly, they could have done something with that. But I'll be damned if I don't agree that Casino is the best Bond movie ever made. And Craig does such a fantastic job as Bond that it's hard to fault anyone for choosing him.
I love how he looks, blonde blue eyed, and he really loved Vespa, she broke his heart ❤️, you can see all through all his films he never stopped loving her
What a brilliant video - I love that you mentioned the color grading of Casino Royale as it is one of the rare films that uses color so well that you can basically color swatch a unique identifying fingerprint and immediately tell it belongs to this film. Craig's own input into what the character developed into is another important point you brought up. As Naomi Harris so wonderfully put it in one of her interviews it is the moments when Bond is not strong - when he is not great and knows everything - THAT is when Craig shines as the character. Bond becomes a part of the human experience we can all relate to, and not just a character in an action movie.
I was a casual Bond fan in high school, and then went to see this movie in the theater. It blew my mind. It propelled me to super fandom, reading all of the novels (Fleming, plus others). Similar to you, every time I watch, I never get bored. I cannot wait to share this movie with my kids when they’re old enough. Thank you Daniel Craig and Martin Campbell for giving us a modern day treasure.
I was too young to really understand Craig's first outing, yet somehow found myself at each of his premieres. It's now through my own self-adventure and growth that I'm not just watching Bond, but I understand his perspective. In which love, and lack of has, truly been his self-motivation, his love for country to commit to such act. His paternal love for M that made him respect her authority above the bureaucracy of espionage. Most importantly his ill-fatedly timed love for Vesper Lynd, a true one and only love of his life, there is nothing that came before, or even after that compared to the compassion he developed for her. Thus why it is her death that truly sets Bond on the path of finding himself, by losing every piece of his soul through reckless ventures because his life had long died. Vesper is not just a metaphorical tragedy for Bond's learning and development, but an allegory to the audience. As we've all had our Vesper once long ago in this lifetime, The one that got away, rather by timing or ill-fate, we've all thought we had everything we wanted, only for ife to shows us how to learn to love anew. I had a co-worker today tell me she lost her husband two months ago, while I've been casually talking to her in passing in all that time she held her poker face like a true spy. I myself losing a lover and a friend nearly four years ago, and it still feels like a dream I wish I could accept as reality. From these experiences, I understand why Bond drank alone, or made love when he had nothing else to offer. Maybe it's because I grew up and into it. But Daniel Craig gives more emotional impact and connection to the character than any other's in their own respective methods. Craig didn't reinvision Bond, he just finally made him an honorable man in a dishonest society. Even amid the intense violence, I'd compare this to any other classic Noire tragedy; Casablanca, Charade, or Gone With the Wind.
I watched 2006 Casino Royale with my dad back when I was 10 years old and I loved it right away. I remember asking my dad why does James Bond look different from the previous Bond films (Pierce Brosnan) and he said they got a new James Bond because Brosnan was getting too old or something like that. My 10 year old brain was trying to understand how Reboots work.
@@wattsnottaken1 Oddly enough, it never wavered me until now. It was the Bond girls that confused me. As they would be dressed so feminine or elegantly, I'd expect them to be a "nice lady" The first Bond girl I remember laying my eyes on was Jinx, specifically her Cuban scenes. Seeing a woman in a sun dress shoot up a hospital seemed villainous to me, of course this was the work of espionage but I didn't understand that. Let alone a woman could do the job better than Bond. Though I think the Crimson Red catsuit, and her anti-heroic complex was meant to diverge from Frost's killer complex. Who was in white the entire time. Essentially they made Frost the "good bad girl" and Jinx the "bad good girl" their surnames are am obvious play on their character complex. Frost, a cold fatal attraction and Jinx who was a literal hijinks or "happy accident" to all his plans.
Hated the shit of this movie back in 2006, still hate it to this day. It's overrated to a disgusting degree. Comparing it to Gone With the Wind is simply laughable.
I was 16 years old when i saw Casino Royale in the theaters on opening night. And it still is to this day the best movie going experience i've ever been a part of. When he said Bond, James Bond at the end: The entire crowd started to applaude, whistle and cheer! Casino Royale is GOD TIER. Thank you for your amazing breakdown of the movie.
I was 18, and unfortunately, my theater was actually mostly empty when I saw it with my friend, who didn’t seem as into the movie as I was... but despite that, it was still such a memorable experience, almost exclusively for that ending moment. I think it’s the only time I’ve actually thought to myself while seeing a movie, “THAT’S gonna be an iconic moment for all time.” It was the quintessential use of “Bond... James Bond” and just couldn’t have been more perfect in delivery, and how the movie build up to it and earned it, then immediately left us on the highest of notes, classic Bond theme blaring. One of the most well-known iconic movie lines that had been uttered at least 20 times before over 45 years of movies... and THIS was instantly the quintessential iteration, feeling fresh and original... like... how do you even do that??? And upon repeat viewings and time to process it... I realized that was true of the whole movie as well. It’s THE quintessential Bond movie. And it’s the 21st one... like... how?
If you can write an excellent love interest and villain, you're half way to a great Bond film. It's a shame the writers couldn't manage this for the last two Craig Bond movies.
@@harrysecombegroupie Eh villain could have used some work in the last two. The last one really made me buy into the love interest and really brought it together.
The cast and the movie itself is honestly in my top 3 favorite movies. Dench and Green's characters stirred the most emotions ever in a Bond movie. Then Mads and Craig match their levels of what I call... Brooding Reconnaissance & Operations Executioner or B. R. O. E.
Every Bond fan I know or who have talked to loves Casino Royale, even if they completely hate the other Craig movies. It's simply perfect. The best Bond movies take a Fleming plot and add some more depth and action. Another note is that, while Casino Royale has lots of references to the mid-2000s (Body Works museum, old cell phones, parkour, Texas Hold Em popularity) it doesn't feel dated in the slightest.
Casino Royale was my first bond film, I was a freshman in high school, read nothing about it, just saw the trailer. Fell in love with it. I couldn't keep gushing about it. The opening black and white scene, the incredible theme, the amazing villain, the poker scenes, the torture scene, it was all so, so great. My favorite Bond film for sure.
Casino Royale is a movie I've watched countless times and I consider to be on a different level than every other Bond film ever made. This movie took the number one spot from Goldfinger on almost every serious Bond ranking I've ever seen since its release. For me the most moving scene in the movie is when Bond tells Vesper "whatever I am, whatever is left of me, is yours" after she told him "if all that was left of you was your little finger and your smile, you would be more of a man than anyone I've ever met". One of the most visceral romances in movie history...and we are talking about a Bond film. I don't think any Bond film before or since will ever touch Casino Royale...it's in a different universe of its own.
really enjoy your video essays and agree that “Casino Royale” is pretty much flawless. The closed space of the casino balanced by those beautiful outdoor scenes. The opening song and graphics, and the score do excel! The wardrobe too- I love the simple tropical shirt and khakis before the free running action scene. Vesper’s gowns and Bond’s dinner jacket ! I absolutely love Bond & Vesper and you description of their love as the heart of the film is spot on. I do think Vesper is a tragic hero. As Mathis says in QOS, “she gave everything for you”- her love of her country, her service to her Majesty, her life and she “still is useful” when dead- gives the only lead on Quantum, Mr White, which also leads to Spectre and James’ next love. I love the mention in OHMSS book to Bond visiting V’s grave every year and in Goldfinger about how he will introduce the other women he has been with to Vesper in heaven:) so TY, TY, TY, great work
Casino Royale might have best looking woman :;however spy who love me had jaws;, especially first time metal teeth scary;; live & let die had the crocodile escape that was unreal
You are right. Casino Royale is still the best Bond with intelligent witty script (when Le Chiffe is asked whether he believe in god he answered 'No. I believe in a reasonable rate of return'' , fresh action sequence involving LAX Airport and the final Venice sequence was the best in the movie series. Pity why they cut short the opening scene in Pakistan during a baseball game where Bond tracked down an informer to the rest room. Including this would make this movie more perfect
I can't agree with you more . The action scenes were perfectly done giving Bond juvenile wit at the parking lot and at the airport was a nice touch . The end gave it a OHMSS style final act is why the 00s should stay single .
My favorite bond film just watched it last year. I thought skyfall was the first Daniel Craig bond film didn't know casino was. I instantly fell in love with it. The rewatch ability is crazy good🔥
@@kraazexjoker1874 Then you're quite the clown. Imagine ignoring Dr No, FRWL, OHMSS, The Living Daylights, Licence To Kill or GoldenEye, just because you have a hard on for a pathetic Bourne wannabe lmfao
Craig is naked the first time he meets his father in law... also White gets to see how much love he has for vesper during her death, which is why he gives his blessing for Bond to find his daughter. It's an absolutely magnificent story
Literally just watched Casino Royale again last night & this made me love it even more. I thought Skyfall was my fav but I might have to reconsider. We need an essay like this for Skyfall … haven’t seen No Time To Die yet but I can’t wait
@jon I think Skyfall has a LOT of style going for it. A bit less substance but it's very cool and sexy and fun. Casino has substance AND style and is (aside from the cheap Omega plug) perfect
I've recently watched a few James Bond movies (again). Including all the Daniel Craig movies. I realized how my opinion about the old movies was distorted by nostalgia. I kept them much better in my memory than they really are. But I really really love Daniel Craig's JB movies. For me, he is not only by far the best James Bond, but also the movies with him are by far the best James Bond movies. The bar is high for the next James Bond. Failing will be very easy.
I agree. Daniel Craig will always be the best James Bond to me, and I know that this is a controversial opinion, but I didn’t have a problem with them killing him off.
@@cooperwolfe5478 I didn't have an issue with it either. He got his happy ending and let go of all his pent up feelings that he hid. Plus he's the most realistic Bond, how else would you end him besides killing him?
Casino Royale was absolutely extraordinary! I grew up watching the Bond films, Bond Week on TBS was an event in my house. Know the films front to back, and Casino Royale did something none of them ever did before. Craig made Bond something new and made me love the character all over again.
Impeccable work here, dude. This film just continues to impress me on every conceivable level (don’t even get me started on how it upends the screenwriting convention of the bridge between acts two and three being the low point by having it be the point where Bond is actually the happiest!). I think you’re completely on point about how this film deconstructs Bond and shows us how he actually learns to become 007. But I also can’t help but view that thread as the film’s real central tragedy. The film’s mentions of Mi6’s shady practices and recruiting traumatized/volatile young men in conjunction with the sheer brutality of his violence position seem to suggest that the real tragedy is that he becomes 007, that he has a chance to escape his life of violence, to escape the institution that continues to use him as a pawn for its own interests, and when that chance is ripped away from him, he feels he has no choice but to go back to it. I think in this respect it actually has less in common with Batman Begins and more in common with Revenge of the Sith or even Rob Zombie’s Halloween. Much like in those two films, I can’t help but see the film suggesting that the character’s donning of their classic iconography as something frightening and sad, even if Casino Royale handles it with a lot more subtlety (I mean the uttering of the classic Bond line follows him shooting a guy from offscreen and casually approaching him as the guy desperately tries to crawl away and screams in agony, Bond even entering the frame feet first and in a low angle shot almost like a goddamn horror movie villain). Sorry for the mini essay here. Great work again. Love this movie to death.
Excellent points. I agree. I read an interview with Daniel Craig where he said he wanted to make his Bond feel like a character from a Shakespearean tragedy. It was a brave move to make him becoming James Bond tragic rather than triumphant. He's a character that's been groomed to kill before he had a choice in who he became, and he's also hunted by death: 00s have a short life expectancy. It kind of breaks my heart that the writers and directors seemed to lose the thread of this awesome character arc, starting with Skyfall and totally losing it with Spectre. There seemed to be a loss of focus as to what the character and stories should be about, so those sequels felt hollow and disappointing to me. Although I felt the writing was weak, I like what No Time To Die tried to do: this tragic Bond finally gets love and happiness he was cheated of at the end of Casino Royale before getting a bittersweet ending on his own terms. If the films had maintained their focus and quality (perhaps if Martin Campbell had stayed on as director and Paul Haggis had continued as cowriter), combined with Daniel Craig's wonderful performance, this could have been the finest and most moving series of films ever made. But at least we got Casino Royale.
Andrew and Harry. I Absotively agree with everything you have said. The Bond franchise had become almost a paradox of iteself, the worst being Moore’s tenure, not because of Roger but because of the writing. It got sort of silly. Predictable double entendres and such. The black and white origin opening and the parkour chase scene sold me at the outset. Also, making Bond vulnerable as a real human being rather than an almost emotionless agent of death is brilliant. He becomes out of breath and who wouldn’t? He falls in love and feels utterly betrayed (this is new!). He looks physically capable of the utter punishment he goes through over the course of the film. He is ruggedly handsome and not “pretty”. He looks as intelligent as he has to be in order to do his job, to think his way out of nearly impossible situations. This film allows us to rediscover what Bond should be: a three dimensional human being who is asked to do gut wrenching things on a daily basis but who can fall in love. When he desperately tries to save Vesper despite the fact he is under the misapprehension that she has betrayed him … well, M gets it! So the two of you have said what I would have said but you wrote it far more effectively. I love this analysis! Thanks so much!
The slower poker scenes remind me of the golf round in Goldfinger. These are two of the best scenes in the series for the same reason that the banquet is the best part of the Dune novel.
Firstly Griffin what a great video, your love of the franchise really comes through in every Bond essay you have done! Secondly you really spoke on a number of things that I adore about this film especially the idea of it being a character study of the Bond character, so happy to here a video which talks about the depth of character in this movie. Casino Royale is still my fav but its an all time top 10 for me. No time to Die is a reasonably close second as I feel that film despite being wider in scope is the full on companion piece to Casino Royale I was waiting for in how it studies the character and gives him another woman he truly loves, it was truly perfect ending to the Craig era. I imagine you will be doing a video on that film eventually and I can't wait to see it.
Thank you so much! Yeah, NTTD really brings things full circle in a way that boosts the entirety of Craig's run as Bond. Will be having a video out on that film VERY soon. Finished the script and recording the other day.
I think NTTD is a deeply flawed film (and having to clean up the mess left by Spectre certainly didn't help), but I really appreciate what it tried to do in terms of Bond's character arc. There were elements that felt like a return to what was set up in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, whereas Skyfall and Spectre felt like a disappointing derailment of Bond's character arc. I felt Sam Mendes and main writer John Logan just didn't understand the character study and story of Casino Royale and took the series in the wrong direction. I'm glad Daniel got to end his run on a more satisfying film than Spectre, but I can't help feeling sad for what might have been had Martin Campbell stayed on as director and Paul Haggis is co-writer: a satisfying, bittersweet character story of this very human James Bond, beautifully told over five intelligent, entertaining, well written films.
Man, I just love this movie and I love this review. Almost got teary eyed again watching fragments of the scene with Vesper's death in the video. Also I've just watched it second time. I'll come back again for sure.
Thanks for doing this. I always felt like this was the strongest Bond movie (or at least in the conversation) but it seemed like the public caught on with Skyfall. In my mind, the praise that was heaped on that movie should have landed on this one. This is perfect Bond to me.
I am genuinely gutted I didn't go to the cinema to watch this....I wasn't the biggest bond fan but I'd watched a fair few of the movies growing up. Casino royale is my favourite movie...it's infinitely rewatchable and everybody... literally everybody acts out of their skin...the story, action scenes , chemistry with the leads ..... Utterly brilliant
Wow! Your review of Casino Royale is Spot-On!! Could not have put it better.... You, put everything, I thought into words. You, truly are a Bond Afficionados for sure. Kudos on this CR appreciation in the 007 canon. Please do a deep delving review of Skyfall & No Time to Die... Thank you
100% agree. first time I watched this I was in shock on how good this movie is. even if one never heard of 007， it is a great spy thriller, and MR.Craig‘s performance was just superb. the movie is so great that it even made quantum of solace enjoyable on the pure fact that it ties up the story.
I start to watch bond films because of the GoldenEye's Nintendo64 game, then Pierce's Bond films but when Casino Royale came out i was blown away for the darkness and the more realistic aproach. Good video!
Thank you for making this video. I feel the exactly same about this film as you do. It's one of my all time favourites, it's truly a masterpiece. I was ten when Casino Royale came out. I went to see it in cinemas with my mum. Even back then, it blew my little mind from an action viewpoint and the fact we were getting a "dark and gritty" Bond. But as I've got older, I just appreciate it more and more. The story, the acting and direction is all flawless in my eyes. Also, I can't help myself but relating to this version of Bond in some way as everyone gotta find themselves and everyone will have loved and lost... So thanks for finding the words I've been wanting to say about this special film. Keep up the good work!
I remember when the credits rolled, me and my dad looked at each other and went, "Wow". He took me to my first Bond film in '74 and it ended up being our thing with every release. For us to have the same reaction was priceless. They nailed it. Our last one together was Skyfall and it couldn't have been a better way to close that chapter. I'd read all the books and it was great to see Bond as an actual person relying on his wits. I actually got a bit sad when they started to release gadgets back into the series. They made a compelling case to not have them and it felt like a cop out to bring them back.
I watched Casino Royale and didn’t care for it but then I watched Skyfall years later and loved it so decided to rewatch Casino Royale again and was blown away. I watched CR and Quantum of Solace as a double feature and was surprised how much I like QOS considering it wasn’t well received.
Always loved bond films, but when this came out I couldn't stop going to see it. In total saw it 5 times in cinema, never have done that for another film.
I agree. I really wish he'd stayed on for the sequels.. I just don't think Same Mendes understood what the character and story set up in Casino Royale was about. Skyfall and Spectre seemed like a step in the wrong direction.
Goldfinger still number one with Casino Royale a close second. I watched both in the theater and was impressed with Craig's James Bond and Casino Royale.
Rewatching this after No Time To Die makes this film even more impactful, the gravity of every decision Bond makes becomes even more heavy. What a Masterpiece!
I've seen casino royale 5 times and still the best Bond movie ever made.. Daniel Craig blew my fuckin mind and i still feel like i owe him an apology till this day But the reason why i keep coming back is Vesper Lynn played by Eva Green... What an equally amazing Bond girl So all and all, Casino has the best Bond & Bond girl in 1 complete package
By far my favourite Bond Film - and the casting, writing, direction and cinematography were spot on - arguably perfect. I have watched this film several times, because the action sequences are intense, that opening sequence itself is a brilliant short film and I love Eva Green as Vesper. I agree she isn't a traditional villain- she is forced into the role of an antagonist. It makes her betrayal even more complicated, because she had very little choice and yet she betrayed Bond. Having that be an aspect of Bonds origin story makes it even more tragic and heartbreaking. The actors add so many layers to their roles, it's an absolute joy to rewatch. I understand why you consider this film to be one of your all time favourites. Great in depth analysis. I really enjoyed the video.
They gave Dalton some of those cracks in the dispassionate manner. I love how they’d have those shots of him where he’d clearly be processing what just happened, wide-eyed and out of breath. Dalton was ahead of his time. Craig’s Bond was cut from a similar cloth.
I remember seeing it in theaters at age 19 and it still is in my personal opinion the best Bond film and overall action story ever put to screen. Just the raw emotions are so real I nearly cried when vesper died.
Thank you for your words and the great video. I totally agree with you. I've been a Daniel Craig fan since Casino Royal, although I was skeptical before. To me he is THE James Bond now, he really brought the character to life, he was much more emotional, human, but still remained a hard fighting agent. I love his character, and found the ending now infinitely Terrible, I would have liked a different ending. But for me that was it now with James Bond, he brought it to an end. Nothing better can follow.
I also personally do believe that Casino Royale IS the best Bond film evere created...for all the reasons you mentioned..also... You know my name... this is the PERFECT Βοnd score, down to the lyrics, the sound and the music carpet that smells Bond all over..so do i feel for the Opening score titles for this song..it fits perfect. Now let me adress one thing: as you very perfectly noticed, Bond learned his lessons of how beeing Bond through his journey at this film..especially the death of Vesper for whome Bond was ready to leave this espionage life behind... so beeing heart wounded and not trusting anyone, and beeing in some ways a cynical guy who approaches women only when its a mean to reach his target goal was established here..my problem is WHY OH! WHY ??do we had to go through this again with Madeline..this all " i wanted everything with you" is a re-living of this story and it doesnt fit at all at he Daniel Craig legacy movies...i can sure appreciate the connected universe of his movies( After all the 1st think we see after those black and white images IS Mr White!..)but to fall in love with his daughter so soon and so unexpected and with no established chemistry was a backfire for me...See when Bond meets Vesper for the 1st time?its all sparks ouzing with chemistry..and to think that the1st impresions is that they deslike each other at most...
That top 5 were just about spot on. One of the best and worst things about the Craig series was that none of the other movies were better than casino. And yes, Skyfall wants to be the best and almost is, but casino is too perfect.
I first saw this movie when I was a teenager, it was just one more movie in a stack of DVD's rented from blockbuster while lying on the couch recovering from a surgery. Like yourself I was familiar with Bond but not a super fan, I'd watched the Brosnan era movies, and played the video games like many my age. Also like yourself, Casino Royale forever changed my outlook on movies, I dug a lot deeper into the technicalities and mechanics of movies, and I became a little obsessed with every movie Daniel Craig, Eva Green, and Martin Campbell ever worked on. Through that obsession I discovered some true gems that are virtually unheard of to the general movie going audience, most especially the directors cut of Kingdom Of Heaven, which might feature Eva Greens best performance; and the movie which according to Barbara Broccoli land Craig his role as Bond, Layer Cake, which has since become my favourite movie of all time.
@@JesusSavesSinners Sean Connery was in Diamonds are Forever which at best a 1 out of 10. if you count Never Say Never Again, well that is as close to a zero as you can get. He also displayed a lazy performance in otherwise great film in You Only Live Twice. i like him more than Daniel Craig too but lets not pretend all his movies were excellent. but neither are my favourite.
@@crobeastness even Craig’s movies were inconsistent. Casino and Skyfall are great but quantum and spectre are trash. No time is more woke garbage for 2021. Craig is 2/5 good movies.
@@maxrockatansky2976 I haven't seen no Time to die yet so I cant say for sure. For what I hear it's not woke at all. He doesn't sleep with women Is what I hear. That's conservative if anything, not sleeping before marriage. Quantum of Solace is for sure bottom 3 of the official films. Spectre, I really hate that he is related to Blofeld but I vehemently defend everything else. Middle ranking. I never said I like Craig the most. I really do like him, but would rank him my 4th favourite bond.
Well to be fair Batman Begins was in production at the same time. The only impact Batman Begins had on this film was give them more confidence that they were on the right track.
@@FilmSpeak all of the Bond movies are guilty of copying popular trends of the time. It’s the only way they stay relevant. Moonraker was clearly trying to cash in on Star Wars popularity. You can’t tell me Skyfall didn’t take ideas from the Dark Knight.
My second favorite movie of all time. Its chalk full of one incredible scene after another. Best Bond film and arguably the espionage film out there period
I saw this in theaters and as a teenager and based off other action movies at the time, this didn’t hit. I thought it was boring. Years later knowing this and Bourne changed action movies going forward, I realized how incredibly amazing and intense this movie really was. Definitely one of my favorite Bonds and movies of all time.
Yep as a long time James Bond fan I was blown away by Casino Royale. I watched it again recently as a pre cursor to going into see No Time To Die and it just re-iterates why it is the best Bond film. Craig hits the ground running as Bond, but it is with his to supporting actors in Mickelson and Greene that really makes this the best of the lot. Great Video essay and really points out why CR is so good.
i have been talking about Daniel craig and the new james bond being the best, and you put it better than i ever could. this is just a brilliant breakdown and it just tears me up. i saw this in theaters when it came out, and have seen every one since. i had seen all of the bond films before, and always felt they were campy and lacking definition. the pierce bond was just pure action and explosions. this bond had depth, a real story, someone you could hurt with. thank you so freaking much for this.
I got to say griffin you do a amazing job and I hope you do more of d’s Analysis reviews and Your misunderstood review for Quantum of Solace made me want to go back rewatch it
Before Casino Royale I've only watched parts of Pierce Brosnan's Bond films. I was only a kid in the early 2000's afterall. I was 15 when Casino Royale came out and now I'm 30. I've literally grew up with Daniel Craig as Bond.
Casino Royale was one of the best action films I've seen. I've never been a fan of Daniel Craig as Bond despite I think really highly of the actor. I just never had the Bond feeling from the guy; but the tone of Casino Royale was perfect for his version of Bond.
I think with Daniel Craig era we finally got Ian filming on the screen... We finally got the character of James Bond... This is why people who consider themselves James Bond fans of the movie franchise yet have never read the novels don't understand what was taking place... The Daniel Craig era of James Bond was a closed loop... It focused on the character of James Bond... Were there hiccups in the movie yes but it doesn't mean they were bad.... They really for the first time and by that I mean eon productions really brought the character of James Bond to the screen... You listen to everybody describe who James Bond is and they describe somebody that Ian Fleming never created.... Pierce brosnan was a great James Bond... But he had some pretty bad scripts but he still approached it with integrity.... James Bond is always sad that he causes a woman to die... Read the books... He's actually not the guy that just wants to have sex with women like everybody thinks.. he cares about the woman that he is with in that particular adventure... He is a broken man and a broken soul who is really good at his job... The thing that people don't realize about James Bond is they call him the perfect spy... But he's only the perfect spy because he doesn't pretend to have undercover identity... He goes into a mission like a hand grenade and immediately let's the bad guy know he is 007... He does this to shake up the villain... And he knows the villain is so egocentric that the villain will assume he is smarter than James Bond.... Tomorrow never dies while not my favorite film is such an awesome representation of the character because Pierce really shakes it up.. the way he goes in and he knows the bad guy knows he is a British agent... This is how James Bond succeeds... Quantum of solace when James Bond shows up and registers at the hotel... James Bond just completely tells everybody you know who I am... And I'm here to make sure you are stopped... The best line is from specter... You're a kite dancing in a hurricane The character of James Bond thrives on creating turmoil... If you haven't read the novels you don't understand this about him And all anyone has is a poor perspective on the character of James Bond... Timothy George Sean Pierce and ultimately Daniel Craig.. Notice I left Rodger out His movies were fun but he is not James Bond from the novels
A 100% analysis of how I feel about Craig's Bond. You are heavily invested in his character through all films, which is why I was bitterly destroyed about the ending of No time to Die.
I think NTTD has its heart in the right place and certainly tries to be moving, but for me the writing and execution just aren't good enough to pull it off. Casino Royale succeeds in being a genuinely moving, heartfelt film, where NTTD falters.
It's worth noting their use of We Have All The Time In The World in its score. It pays homage to the 52-year-old movie they gratuitously ripped off (Bond nearly becoming a family man, but then tragedy) but they also did the standard approach for how the movie ends. (Also, be prepared for the 26th movie to either diverge from the Craig era canon or not be a James Bond film, because that's how they did the film!)
Not just the best Bond movie but one of the greatest films ever made period. Fanboys still sneer at it while complaining that it isn't like the old films, but I hate most of the old films. The ones after Connerys first three mostly suck, Diamonds Are Forever anyone? I can't stand any of Roger Moores seven. I love Daltons regrettably short lived duology with Licence to Kill being an amazing film but after he left it was back to samey business with Brosnan. This film though...this is a true masterpiece.
At a special screening of Casino Royale, I got to personally tell Martin Campbell that he made the best modern Bond film and perhaps the best Bond film of all time. Being a humble and personable man, he didn’t want to accept that as true. But the round of applause outvoted his humility.
It’s not that great.
@@maxrockatansky2976 yes it is
@@maxrockatansky2976
it is, people just cry because they have trouble accepting that the old bond movies before Daniel Craig suck ass
@@kroniisfangs hard language, but I can only agree.
The greatest? That is debatable, but it is definetly in the top 3.
Something I really appreciate about this film is that we are made to genuinely like Vesper Lynd, so when she commits the betrayal we are also hurt and conflicted.
Too true, I legit felt hurt ;(
99/100, only thing keeping it from being a perfect review, no mention of Chris Cornell's opening title sequence being arguably the best ;). But nailed it.
He mention Chris Cornell's You Know my name as the Best Bond song ! you missed that part !
@@MrMrjack18 Ok, my bad I missed it
you know my name is a bop stay tuned for more bad rakes
@@MrMrjack18 RIP Chris Cornell. I have gone through deep, dark periods of my life, and had thoughts of suicide, but could never go to that extreme. He had a super talent. I greatly miss him; he left us too soon!
@@Geezer-yf8hv I had thoughts of suicide too ! once ! I hope there is afterlife and that he find peace.... although i heard that suicide puts you to hell ! Chris was very talented indeed and his Bond song will always be remembered !!!
Im currently 54. Life long bond fan. First saw Daniel Craig in little movie called Layer Cake. Brilliant movie and he was absolutely amazing in it.
When he was tapped to play JB i was excited and found myself in heated discussions with friends, family and naysayers.
Glad i was right. To me, he's had the greatest run as bond. Including Connery whom I love as JB.
Layer Cake was great! A fitting audition for a bond role. I had a friend who refused to watch that movie because he said the name was "stupid." I tried to explain what "layer cake" meant, but he wouldn't listen. His loss...
I've always wanted to ask whoever was responsible for casting Craig as Bond If his role as Mr X in layer cake had anything to do with It.
personally I just the part where Vesper & James are sizing each other up, reading each other, able to sum up the other's past. It was verbal sparring I had never seen done so well that it is one of the most memorable Bond moments of all time for me
Check out the train scene in north by northwest
watch Bacall and Bogart. its a totally unrealistic piece of dialogue. no one talks like that.
It's some of the best chemistry I've ever seen portrayed in a movie. It felt so organic and makes you instantly like Vesper
OMG, that's been done like 3 million times it's SO cliche its not even funny. Nothing special about it.
Agree - that was an underated scene in this movie.
“how was your lamb?”
“skewered. …One sympathizes.”
Turned an excellent introduction scene, into one of my very favorite introduction scenes in all of the cinema I’ve seen.
15-ish years later and I still haven’t gotten over it 😁
That the theme of the movie ultimately revolves around a Poker game is sincerely captivating.
Everything is so quiet, calm and serene in the Casino. They’re sat at the Poker table calculating and contemplating their hands (and their opponents hands) and then all the rough and tough action takes place elsewhere. I think the scenes and environments throughout which the movie takes place just makes for beautiful poetry.
Btw, I don’t care if that is corny to say.
It’s true.
Apart from that everything in this poker game and everything surrounding it is complete and utter bullshit.
Of course everybody plays the most extreme and rarest combos ever. Treating the central piece of the film like that is cringe. If not interested in depicting poker then show something else. Beer Pong would do.
If you think using a defibrillator to cure poisoning (!) and then going back to a Royal Flush (what else) versus a Full House (I know that word! That means Poker!) is "poetry" let me recommend the poetic beauty of the Tele-Tubbies. It will blow your socks off.
@@j.m.w.5064 Perhaps that is what I should do; Rewatch all theTele-Tubbies shows, since I have them all & readily available on DVD.
Thank you for the recommendation.
@@j.m.w.5064 Since it is a movie with time constraints, we the audience, are not privy to seeing a 2-hour long tournament of Texas Holdem (thank goodness).
If you are a staunch poker fan, the casino scenes may have seemed both absurd and cringe worthy but that’s okay since they only constituted roughly 15% of the running time.
I personally enjoyed them, regardless of the utter insanity of the improbable hands they were so luckily dealt.
@@_BobaFett_ I am not a Poker fan at all.
But if you see a film in which someone... say... loads a pistol with a shell taken from a shotgun and makes it even deadlier by loading it back to front and silencing it by wrapping cotton around and then shooting it seven times and the last shot kills five guys at once with that ancient technique he learned from a chinese astronaut...
...then you are absolutely in the position to call bullshit on that. You don't have to be a gun nerd and the film will not be an hour longer. You just pointed out nonsense that has nothing to do with... how the world works according to common sense. That.
When casino came out, I refused to see it. Bond isn’t blonde, I would say. A few years later I finally saw it. It’s now my favorite Bond movie by a very wide margin. Craig is great. Eva Green is the best Bond girl ever. She was absolutely phenomenal in the role. She is smart and a 10.
I was never familiar with the Bond stories so, Bond being blond, really made no difference to me.
I agree, Bond isn't blonde, he doesn't have blue eyes. And honestly, they could have done something with that. But I'll be damned if I don't agree that Casino is the best Bond movie ever made. And Craig does such a fantastic job as Bond that it's hard to fault anyone for choosing him.
I love how he looks, blonde blue eyed, and he really loved Vespa, she broke his heart ❤️, you can see all through all his films he never stopped loving her
You’ll also note that Craig’s hair is considerably darker than his normal bright blonde.
@@agilagilsen8714 Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan had blue eyes.
What a brilliant video - I love that you mentioned the color grading of Casino Royale as it is one of the rare films that uses color so well that you can basically color swatch a unique identifying fingerprint and immediately tell it belongs to this film. Craig's own input into what the character developed into is another important point you brought up. As Naomi Harris so wonderfully put it in one of her interviews it is the moments when Bond is not strong - when he is not great and knows everything - THAT is when Craig shines as the character. Bond becomes a part of the human experience we can all relate to, and not just a character in an action movie.
I was a casual Bond fan in high school, and then went to see this movie in the theater. It blew my mind. It propelled me to super fandom, reading all of the novels (Fleming, plus others). Similar to you, every time I watch, I never get bored. I cannot wait to share this movie with my kids when they’re old enough. Thank you Daniel Craig and Martin Campbell for giving us a modern day treasure.
I was too young to really understand Craig's first outing, yet somehow found myself at each of his premieres.
It's now through my own self-adventure and growth that I'm not just watching Bond, but I understand his perspective.
In which love, and lack of has, truly been his self-motivation, his love for country to commit to such act. His paternal love for M that made him respect her authority above the bureaucracy of espionage.
Most importantly his ill-fatedly timed love for Vesper Lynd, a true one and only love of his life, there is nothing that came before, or even after that compared to the compassion he developed for her.
Thus why it is her death that truly sets Bond on the path of finding himself, by losing every piece of his soul through reckless ventures because his life had long died.
Vesper is not just a metaphorical tragedy for Bond's learning and development, but an allegory to the audience. As we've all had our Vesper once long ago in this lifetime, The one that got away, rather by timing or ill-fate, we've all thought we had everything we wanted, only for ife to shows us how to learn to love anew.
I had a co-worker today tell me she lost her husband two months ago, while I've been casually talking to her in passing in all that time she held her poker face like a true spy.
I myself losing a lover and a friend nearly four years ago, and it still feels like a dream I wish I could accept as reality.
From these experiences, I understand why Bond drank alone, or made love when he had nothing else to offer.
Maybe it's because I grew up and into it. But Daniel Craig gives more emotional impact and connection to the character than any other's in their own respective methods. Craig didn't reinvision Bond, he just finally made him an honorable man in a dishonest society.
Even amid the intense violence, I'd compare this to any other classic Noire tragedy; Casablanca, Charade, or Gone With the Wind.
I watched 2006 Casino Royale with my dad back when I was 10 years old and I loved it right away. I remember asking my dad why does James Bond look different from the previous Bond films (Pierce Brosnan) and he said they got a new James Bond because Brosnan was getting too old or something like that. My 10 year old brain was trying to understand how Reboots work.
@@wattsnottaken1 Oddly enough, it never wavered me until now. It was the Bond girls that confused me. As they would be dressed so feminine or elegantly, I'd expect them to be a "nice lady"
The first Bond girl I remember laying my eyes on was Jinx, specifically her Cuban scenes.
Seeing a woman in a sun dress shoot up a hospital seemed villainous to me, of course this was the work of espionage but I didn't understand that. Let alone a woman could do the job better than Bond. Though I think the Crimson Red catsuit, and her anti-heroic complex was meant to diverge from Frost's killer complex. Who was in white the entire time.
Essentially they made Frost the "good bad girl" and Jinx the "bad good girl" their surnames are am obvious play on their character complex. Frost, a cold fatal attraction and Jinx who was a literal hijinks or "happy accident" to all his plans.
Hated the shit of this movie back in 2006, still hate it to this day. It's overrated to a disgusting degree. Comparing it to Gone With the Wind is simply laughable.
@@yrooxrksvi7142 there's 7 billion people, I'm glad they all don't think like me or you :)
Recently watched this again after finally seeing all the Craig films and I have to say yes- this is the best.
It really is.
Skyfall is up there, too…but CR would make the list of my Top Favorite Films of all time, it’s just a masterpiece
I have to agree most of the time and sometimes I think Skyfall is the best…. They rotate
The other films he did were all crap compared to this. Goldfinger is better imo.
In Bond's (Craig Version) word: "Yes. Considerably"🍸
I was 16 years old when i saw Casino Royale in the theaters on opening night. And it still is to this day the best movie going experience i've ever been a part of. When he said Bond, James Bond at the end: The entire crowd started to applaude, whistle and cheer! Casino Royale is GOD TIER. Thank you for your amazing breakdown of the movie.
I was 18, and unfortunately, my theater was actually mostly empty when I saw it with my friend, who didn’t seem as into the movie as I was... but despite that, it was still such a memorable experience, almost exclusively for that ending moment. I think it’s the only time I’ve actually thought to myself while seeing a movie, “THAT’S gonna be an iconic moment for all time.” It was the quintessential use of “Bond... James Bond” and just couldn’t have been more perfect in delivery, and how the movie build up to it and earned it, then immediately left us on the highest of notes, classic Bond theme blaring. One of the most well-known iconic movie lines that had been uttered at least 20 times before over 45 years of movies... and THIS was instantly the quintessential iteration, feeling fresh and original... like... how do you even do that???
And upon repeat viewings and time to process it... I realized that was true of the whole movie as well. It’s THE quintessential Bond movie. And it’s the 21st one... like... how?
Vesper and La Chirffe are great characters.
yep
If you can write an excellent love interest and villain, you're half way to a great Bond film. It's a shame the writers couldn't manage this for the last two Craig Bond movies.
@@harrysecombegroupie Eh villain could have used some work in the last two. The last one really made me buy into the love interest and really brought it together.
Yes, well developed characters, who'd have thought such a thing would work to the extent it did !
The cast and the movie itself is honestly in my top 3 favorite movies. Dench and Green's characters stirred the most emotions ever in a Bond movie. Then Mads and Craig match their levels of what I call... Brooding Reconnaissance & Operations Executioner or B. R. O. E.
Every Bond fan I know or who have talked to loves Casino Royale, even if they completely hate the other Craig movies. It's simply perfect. The best Bond movies take a Fleming plot and add some more depth and action. Another note is that, while Casino Royale has lots of references to the mid-2000s (Body Works museum, old cell phones, parkour, Texas Hold Em popularity) it doesn't feel dated in the slightest.
I disconsider Craig as this grotesque Bond´s travestite. CR is pretensious and self indulgent garbage.
@@diogocatalano9557 Wow, what a very strange attitude.
not even close to perfect lol
casino royale is fucking awful,you can watch the pre 2000 Bond films over and over but the ones post 2000 are a disgrace
@@SonicFortress Craig´s looks are depressive enough. Nothing works as Bond, it´s just a generic boring action hero.
First time I saw this, the whole cinema clapped, this was the best Casino Royale, brilliant Daniel Craig, best ever, best looking
Casino Royale was my first bond film, I was a freshman in high school, read nothing about it, just saw the trailer. Fell in love with it. I couldn't keep gushing about it. The opening black and white scene, the incredible theme, the amazing villain, the poker scenes, the torture scene, it was all so, so great. My favorite Bond film for sure.
Casino Royale is a movie I've watched countless times and I consider to be on a different level than every other Bond film ever made. This movie took the number one spot from Goldfinger on almost every serious Bond ranking I've ever seen since its release. For me the most moving scene in the movie is when Bond tells Vesper "whatever I am, whatever is left of me, is yours" after she told him "if all that was left of you was your little finger and your smile, you would be more of a man than anyone I've ever met". One of the most visceral romances in movie history...and we are talking about a Bond film. I don't think any Bond film before or since will ever touch Casino Royale...it's in a different universe of its own.
really enjoy your video essays and agree that “Casino Royale” is pretty much flawless. The closed space of the casino balanced by those beautiful outdoor scenes. The opening song and graphics, and the score do excel! The wardrobe too- I love the simple tropical shirt and khakis before the free running action scene. Vesper’s gowns and Bond’s dinner jacket ! I absolutely love Bond & Vesper and you description of their love as the heart of the film is spot on. I do think Vesper is a tragic hero. As Mathis says in QOS, “she gave everything for you”- her love of her country, her service to her Majesty, her life and she “still is useful” when dead- gives the only lead on Quantum, Mr White, which also leads to Spectre and James’ next love. I love the mention in OHMSS book to Bond visiting V’s grave every year and in Goldfinger about how he will introduce the other women he has been with to Vesper in heaven:) so TY, TY, TY, great work
Couldn't Agree More ... Casino Royale is my Favorite Bond Movie Hands Down ... a Masterpiece indeed ... Thank You For This Amazing Break Down !!!
Casino Royale might have best looking woman :;however spy who love me had jaws;, especially first time metal teeth scary;; live & let die had the crocodile escape that was unreal
That Vesper death scene broke me! 😢😭. Amazing Film 🤩⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
You are right. Casino Royale is still the best Bond with intelligent witty script (when Le Chiffe is asked whether he believe in god he answered 'No. I believe in a reasonable rate of return'' , fresh action sequence involving LAX Airport and the final Venice sequence was the best in the movie series. Pity why they cut short the opening scene in Pakistan during a baseball game where Bond tracked down an informer to the rest room. Including this would make this movie more perfect
I can't agree with you more . The action scenes were perfectly done giving Bond juvenile wit at the parking lot and at the airport was a nice touch . The end gave it a OHMSS style final act is why the 00s should stay single .
I freaking love this love letter to one of my all time favorite movies
My favorite bond film just watched it last year. I thought skyfall was the first Daniel Craig bond film didn't know casino was. I instantly fell in love with it. The rewatch ability is crazy good🔥
I’m not a massive Bond fan, but this is in my top 10 favorite films
It has fancy &. pretty woman ; & fancy looking cars;;. I
Thunderball: spy who love me: etc etc my favorite
Then you're no Bond fan, this movie is a Bourne rip-off.
@@yrooxrksvi7142 lmao this is the only Bond film that's even remotely bearable to watch.
@@kraazexjoker1874 Then you're quite the clown. Imagine ignoring Dr No, FRWL, OHMSS, The Living Daylights, Licence To Kill or GoldenEye, just because you have a hard on for a pathetic Bourne wannabe lmfao
Craig is naked the first time he meets his father in law... also White gets to see how much love he has for vesper during her death, which is why he gives his blessing for Bond to find his daughter. It's an absolutely magnificent story
Damn, your diagnosis of how
Craig!Bond is subsequently haunted by the ghost of Vesper really hit the mark.
Literally just watched Casino Royale again last night & this made me love it even more. I thought Skyfall was my fav but I might have to reconsider. We need an essay like this for Skyfall … haven’t seen No Time To Die yet but I can’t wait
Skyfall is actually one of the lesser Bond films upon rewatch. It may be the prettiest, but it's also one of the dumbest and most cringing.
@jon I think Skyfall has a LOT of style going for it. A bit less substance but it's very cool and sexy and fun.
Casino has substance AND style and is (aside from the cheap Omega plug) perfect
Batman Begins, 2005 King Kong and Casino Royale also made me a true lover of movies! Happy as hell when I heard him say that
I've recently watched a few James Bond movies (again). Including all the Daniel Craig movies. I realized how my opinion about the old movies was distorted by nostalgia. I kept them much better in my memory than they really are. But I really really love Daniel Craig's JB movies. For me, he is not only by far the best James Bond, but also the movies with him are by far the best James Bond movies. The bar is high for the next James Bond. Failing will be very easy.
I agree. Daniel Craig will always be the best James Bond to me, and I know that this is a controversial opinion, but I didn’t have a problem with them killing him off.
@@cooperwolfe5478 I didn't have an issue with it either. He got his happy ending and let go of all his pent up feelings that he hid. Plus he's the most realistic Bond, how else would you end him besides killing him?
Casino Royale was absolutely extraordinary! I grew up watching the Bond films, Bond Week on TBS was an event in my house. Know the films front to back, and Casino Royale did something none of them ever did before. Craig made Bond something new and made me love the character all over again.
Impeccable work here, dude. This film just continues to impress me on every conceivable level (don’t even get me started on how it upends the screenwriting convention of the bridge between acts two and three being the low point by having it be the point where Bond is actually the happiest!). I think you’re completely on point about how this film deconstructs Bond and shows us how he actually learns to become 007. But I also can’t help but view that thread as the film’s real central tragedy. The film’s mentions of Mi6’s shady practices and recruiting traumatized/volatile young men in conjunction with the sheer brutality of his violence position seem to suggest that the real tragedy is that he becomes 007, that he has a chance to escape his life of violence, to escape the institution that continues to use him as a pawn for its own interests, and when that chance is ripped away from him, he feels he has no choice but to go back to it. I think in this respect it actually has less in common with Batman Begins and more in common with Revenge of the Sith or even Rob Zombie’s Halloween. Much like in those two films, I can’t help but see the film suggesting that the character’s donning of their classic iconography as something frightening and sad, even if Casino Royale handles it with a lot more subtlety (I mean the uttering of the classic Bond line follows him shooting a guy from offscreen and casually approaching him as the guy desperately tries to crawl away and screams in agony, Bond even entering the frame feet first and in a low angle shot almost like a goddamn horror movie villain). Sorry for the mini essay here. Great work again. Love this movie to death.
Excellent points. I agree. I read an interview with Daniel Craig where he said he wanted to make his Bond feel like a character from a Shakespearean tragedy. It was a brave move to make him becoming James Bond tragic rather than triumphant. He's a character that's been groomed to kill before he had a choice in who he became, and he's also hunted by death: 00s have a short life expectancy.
It kind of breaks my heart that the writers and directors seemed to lose the thread of this awesome character arc, starting with Skyfall and totally losing it with Spectre. There seemed to be a loss of focus as to what the character and stories should be about, so those sequels felt hollow and disappointing to me. Although I felt the writing was weak, I like what No Time To Die tried to do: this tragic Bond finally gets love and happiness he was cheated of at the end of Casino Royale before getting a bittersweet ending on his own terms. If the films had maintained their focus and quality (perhaps if Martin Campbell had stayed on as director and Paul Haggis had continued as cowriter), combined with Daniel Craig's wonderful performance, this could have been the finest and most moving series of films ever made. But at least we got Casino Royale.
Andrew and Harry. I Absotively agree with everything you have said. The Bond franchise had become almost a paradox of iteself, the worst being Moore’s tenure, not because of Roger but because of the writing. It got sort of silly. Predictable double entendres and such. The black and white origin opening and the parkour chase scene sold me at the outset. Also, making Bond vulnerable as a real human being rather than an almost emotionless agent of death is brilliant. He becomes out of breath and who wouldn’t? He falls in love and feels utterly betrayed (this is new!). He looks physically capable of the utter punishment he goes through over the course of the film. He is ruggedly handsome and not “pretty”. He looks as intelligent as he has to be in order to do his job, to think his way out of nearly impossible situations. This film allows us to rediscover what Bond should be: a three dimensional human being who is asked to do gut wrenching things on a daily basis but who can fall in love. When he desperately tries to save Vesper despite the fact he is under the misapprehension that she has betrayed him … well, M gets it!
So the two of you have said what I would have said but you wrote it far more effectively. I love this analysis! Thanks so much!
Amazing essay, Casino Royale has been one of my favourite films ever since I watched it in the cinemas
The slower poker scenes remind me of the golf round in Goldfinger. These are two of the best scenes in the series for the same reason that the banquet is the best part of the Dune novel.
Jon. Perfect. I did not think of either. Comments to videos can, at times, be very useful and educational. Thanks.
Poker wasnt in the book but banquet was the game. I like how the bad guys girlfriend had a scar too and tried to poison Bond .
Remember watching casino royale in the cinema when it came out. I was truly amazed.
Firstly Griffin what a great video, your love of the franchise really comes through in every Bond essay you have done! Secondly you really spoke on a number of things that I adore about this film especially the idea of it being a character study of the Bond character, so happy to here a video which talks about the depth of character in this movie. Casino Royale is still my fav but its an all time top 10 for me. No time to Die is a reasonably close second as I feel that film despite being wider in scope is the full on companion piece to Casino Royale I was waiting for in how it studies the character and gives him another woman he truly loves, it was truly perfect ending to the Craig era. I imagine you will be doing a video on that film eventually and I can't wait to see it.
Thank you so much! Yeah, NTTD really brings things full circle in a way that boosts the entirety of Craig's run as Bond. Will be having a video out on that film VERY soon. Finished the script and recording the other day.
Nttd is a disaster
I think NTTD is a deeply flawed film (and having to clean up the mess left by Spectre certainly didn't help), but I really appreciate what it tried to do in terms of Bond's character arc. There were elements that felt like a return to what was set up in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace, whereas Skyfall and Spectre felt like a disappointing derailment of Bond's character arc. I felt Sam Mendes and main writer John Logan just didn't understand the character study and story of Casino Royale and took the series in the wrong direction. I'm glad Daniel got to end his run on a more satisfying film than Spectre, but I can't help feeling sad for what might have been had Martin Campbell stayed on as director and Paul Haggis is co-writer: a satisfying, bittersweet character story of this very human James Bond, beautifully told over five intelligent, entertaining, well written films.
@@ANKITYADAV-nv9wv No. It concluded everything nicely.
Man, I just love this movie and I love this review. Almost got teary eyed again watching fragments of the scene with Vesper's death in the video. Also I've just watched it second time. I'll come back again for sure.
I understand you. So unbelievable and emotional film
@@aapo616 movies should connect people :)
It was so good, especially first watch. It demands a rewatch almost immediately.
Purchase it!
Thanks for doing this. I always felt like this was the strongest Bond movie (or at least in the conversation) but it seemed like the public caught on with Skyfall. In my mind, the praise that was heaped on that movie should have landed on this one. This is perfect Bond to me.
I am genuinely gutted I didn't go to the cinema to watch this....I wasn't the biggest bond fan but I'd watched a fair few of the movies growing up.
Casino royale is my favourite movie...it's infinitely rewatchable and everybody... literally everybody acts out of their skin...the story, action scenes , chemistry with the leads ..... Utterly brilliant
Wow! Your review of Casino Royale is Spot-On!! Could not have put it better.... You, put everything, I thought into words. You, truly are a Bond Afficionados for sure. Kudos on this CR appreciation in the 007 canon. Please do a deep delving review of Skyfall & No Time to Die... Thank you
100% agree. first time I watched this I was in shock on how good this movie is. even if one never heard of 007， it is a great spy thriller, and MR.Craig‘s performance was just superb. the movie is so great that it even made quantum of solace enjoyable on the pure fact that it ties up the story.
I start to watch bond films because of the GoldenEye's Nintendo64 game, then Pierce's Bond films but when Casino Royale came out i was blown away for the darkness and the more realistic aproach.
Good video!
Thank you for making this video. I feel the exactly same about this film as you do. It's one of my all time favourites, it's truly a masterpiece. I was ten when Casino Royale came out. I went to see it in cinemas with my mum. Even back then, it blew my little mind from an action viewpoint and the fact we were getting a "dark and gritty" Bond. But as I've got older, I just appreciate it more and more. The story, the acting and direction is all flawless in my eyes. Also, I can't help myself but relating to this version of Bond in some way as everyone gotta find themselves and everyone will have loved and lost... So thanks for finding the words I've been wanting to say about this special film. Keep up the good work!
I remember when the credits rolled, me and my dad looked at each other and went, "Wow". He took me to my first Bond film in '74 and it ended up being our thing with every release. For us to have the same reaction was priceless. They nailed it. Our last one together was Skyfall and it couldn't have been a better way to close that chapter. I'd read all the books and it was great to see Bond as an actual person relying on his wits. I actually got a bit sad when they started to release gadgets back into the series. They made a compelling case to not have them and it felt like a cop out to bring them back.
I never gave this bond film the time of day. Thanks to you, I'm going to go back and re-evaluate my thought process.
It’s practically the only Bond film which I do give the time of day.
@@_BobaFett_ I’m gonna make sure I understand it this time
It’s incredible. You’re gonna love it.
I watched Casino Royale and didn’t care for it but then I watched Skyfall years later and loved it so decided to rewatch Casino Royale again and was blown away. I watched CR and Quantum of Solace as a double feature and was surprised how much I like QOS considering it wasn’t well received.
Always loved bond films, but when this came out I couldn't stop going to see it. In total saw it 5 times in cinema, never have done that for another film.
The director Martin Campbell gets James Bond. Mad respect for him.
☇1995; ☇2006
Hope he gets to film the next reboot 😍
I agree. I really wish he'd stayed on for the sequels.. I just don't think Same Mendes understood what the character and story set up in Casino Royale was about. Skyfall and Spectre seemed like a step in the wrong direction.
@@harrysecombegroupie Skyfall is better than Casino Royale
Goldfinger still number one with Casino Royale a close second. I watched both in the theater and was impressed with Craig's James Bond and Casino Royale.
Great and thoughtful review!I’m really excited to hear your take on No Time To Die!
Ha ha ha, it SUCKS!
@@curtisjeffries9630 he didn't ask for your shitty take
@@conor6436 You like sh!t movies too????
@@curtisjeffries9630 Explain why it sucks
This must have taken so long to put together, thanks man, was entertaining and interesting!
Rewatching this after No Time To Die makes this film even more impactful, the gravity of every decision Bond makes becomes even more heavy. What a Masterpiece!
I've seen casino royale 5 times and still the best Bond movie ever made.. Daniel Craig blew my fuckin mind and i still feel like i owe him an apology till this day
But the reason why i keep coming back is Vesper Lynn played by Eva Green... What an equally amazing Bond girl
So all and all, Casino has the best Bond & Bond girl in 1 complete package
Actually, Vesper is a Bond WOMAN.
By far my favourite Bond Film - and the casting, writing, direction and cinematography were spot on - arguably perfect. I have watched this film several times, because the action sequences are intense, that opening sequence itself is a brilliant short film and I love Eva Green as Vesper. I agree she isn't a traditional villain- she is forced into the role of an antagonist. It makes her betrayal even more complicated, because she had very little choice and yet she betrayed Bond. Having that be an aspect of Bonds origin story makes it even more tragic and heartbreaking. The actors add so many layers to their roles, it's an absolute joy to rewatch. I understand why you consider this film to be one of your all time favourites. Great in depth analysis. I really enjoyed the video.
They gave Dalton some of those cracks in the dispassionate manner. I love how they’d have those shots of him where he’d clearly be processing what just happened, wide-eyed and out of breath. Dalton was ahead of his time. Craig’s Bond was cut from a similar cloth.
there are movie reviews and movie reviews...
This is the latter.
Well done.
This comment is for the algorithm and a placeholder in case I do have something to add.
For now, thank you for the content.
I remember seeing it in theaters at age 19 and it still is in my personal opinion the best Bond film and overall action story ever put to screen. Just the raw emotions are so real I nearly cried when vesper died.
Possibly my favourite film of all time, glad you love it so much too! Great review
You sir have earned an hour of my time and a subscription. Excellent breakdown/review
Thank you for your words and the great video. I totally agree with you. I've been a Daniel Craig fan since Casino Royal, although I was skeptical before. To me he is THE James Bond now, he really brought the character to life, he was much more emotional, human, but still remained a hard fighting agent. I love his character, and found the ending now infinitely Terrible, I would have liked a different ending. But for me that was it now with James Bond, he brought it to an end. Nothing better can follow.
I also personally do believe that Casino Royale IS the best Bond film evere created...for all the reasons you mentioned..also... You know my name... this is the PERFECT Βοnd score, down to the lyrics, the sound and the music carpet that smells Bond all over..so do i feel for the Opening score titles for this song..it fits perfect.
Now let me adress one thing: as you very perfectly noticed, Bond learned his lessons of how beeing Bond through his journey at this film..especially the death of Vesper for whome Bond was ready to leave this espionage life behind...
so beeing heart wounded and not trusting anyone, and beeing in some ways a cynical guy who approaches women only when its a mean to reach his target goal was established here..my problem is WHY OH! WHY ??do we had to go through this again with Madeline..this all " i wanted everything with you" is a re-living of this story and it doesnt fit at all at he Daniel Craig legacy movies...i can sure appreciate the connected universe of his movies( After all the 1st think we see after those black and white images IS Mr White!..)but to fall in love with his daughter so soon and so unexpected and with no established chemistry was a backfire for me...See when Bond meets Vesper for the 1st time?its all sparks ouzing with chemistry..and to think that the1st impresions is that they deslike each other at most...
That top 5 were just about spot on. One of the best and worst things about the Craig series was that none of the other movies were better than casino.
And yes, Skyfall wants to be the best and almost is, but casino is too perfect.
The acting, dialogue, story, pacing, music so many things about this film are 10/10
30:34 you perfectly time the word "beautifully" in sync with that nut smash
I first saw this movie when I was a teenager, it was just one more movie in a stack of DVD's rented from blockbuster while lying on the couch recovering from a surgery. Like yourself I was familiar with Bond but not a super fan, I'd watched the Brosnan era movies, and played the video games like many my age. Also like yourself, Casino Royale forever changed my outlook on movies, I dug a lot deeper into the technicalities and mechanics of movies, and I became a little obsessed with every movie Daniel Craig, Eva Green, and Martin Campbell ever worked on. Through that obsession I discovered some true gems that are virtually unheard of to the general movie going audience, most especially the directors cut of Kingdom Of Heaven, which might feature Eva Greens best performance; and the movie which according to Barbara Broccoli land Craig his role as Bond, Layer Cake, which has since become my favourite movie of all time.
I always love Casino Royale, the film introduces me to Bond.
The heartbreak at the end of this film, never ends.
First one here, and definitely the unrivaled champion of most bond films!
No. I was not a fan. I do not like Daniel Craig's Bond films very much. None of his movies were as good as Sean Connery's.
@@JesusSavesSinners Sean Connery was in Diamonds are Forever which at best a 1 out of 10. if you count Never Say Never Again, well that is as close to a zero as you can get. He also displayed a lazy performance in otherwise great film in You Only Live Twice. i like him more than Daniel Craig too but lets not pretend all his movies were excellent. but neither are my favourite.
4th favourite for me.
@@crobeastness even Craig’s movies were inconsistent. Casino and Skyfall are great but quantum and spectre are trash. No time is more woke garbage for 2021. Craig is 2/5 good movies.
@@maxrockatansky2976 I haven't seen no Time to die yet so I cant say for sure. For what I hear it's not woke at all. He doesn't sleep with women Is what I hear. That's conservative if anything, not sleeping before marriage.
Quantum of Solace is for sure bottom 3 of the official films. Spectre, I really hate that he is related to Blofeld but I vehemently defend everything else. Middle ranking.
I never said I like Craig the most. I really do like him, but would rank him my 4th favourite bond.
it is and always will be, cant beat that style, music, acting, plot, shift from 1 mode to another. the movie feels like the finest butter.
Amazing discussion and analysis...the finest breakdown and appreciation for this film. Wonderful!
Aw man, thank you so much David that means a lot and I sincerely appreciate you sitting through an hour of my ramblings haha. You're the best!
Why is this not at 1M views?? Amazing video! Keep it up!
The success of two bourne movies and batman begins are the reason why james bond franchise are back on track back in the 2000s
Well to be fair Batman Begins was in production at the same time. The only impact Batman Begins had on this film was give them more confidence that they were on the right track.
@@FilmSpeak all of the Bond movies are guilty of copying popular trends of the time. It’s the only way they stay relevant. Moonraker was clearly trying to cash in on Star Wars popularity. You can’t tell me Skyfall didn’t take ideas from the Dark Knight.
My second favorite movie of all time. Its chalk full of one incredible scene after another. Best Bond film and arguably the espionage film out there period
Great Bond
Great Bond girl
Great villain
Great theme song
Great film
That's already 5/5
I saw this in theaters and as a teenager and based off other action movies at the time, this didn’t hit. I thought it was boring. Years later knowing this and Bourne changed action movies going forward, I realized how incredibly amazing and intense this movie really was. Definitely one of my favorite Bonds and movies of all time.
Casino Royale is my favorite Craig era film because the plot is the simplest out of the five films.
As well, it is the most _original_ (not done before cinematically) ~
skyfall is even simpler, but casino Royale is better.
In quantum and spectre the writers simply didn’t care.
@@maxrockatansky2976 I said simpler, not worse.
It didn’t feel like a Bond film at all. Felt more like Jason Bourne
I just realized that all the other videos in the Bond is Back playlist are 10 ish minutes but you decided to go all out and drop this gem for us.
Yep as a long time James Bond fan I was blown away by Casino Royale. I watched it again recently as a pre cursor to going into see No Time To Die and it just re-iterates why it is the best Bond film. Craig hits the ground running as Bond, but it is with his to supporting actors in Mickelson and Greene that really makes this the best of the lot.
Great Video essay and really points out why CR is so good.
It truly was an *epic* team of actors.
Daniel Craig couldn’t have made the film by himself and everyone knows this. Mickelson did a phenomenal job.
i have been talking about Daniel craig and the new james bond being the best, and you put it better than i ever could. this is just a brilliant breakdown and it just tears me up. i saw this in theaters when it came out, and have seen every one since. i had seen all of the bond films before, and always felt they were campy and lacking definition. the pierce bond was just pure action and explosions. this bond had depth, a real story, someone you could hurt with. thank you so freaking much for this.
I agree with this so much.
This is the greatest movie that was ever made!
Agreed...its also, perhaps, a perfect movie. The plot, script, cast, performances, pacing and character development are all absolutely outstanding.
I got to say griffin you do a amazing job and I hope you do more of d’s Analysis reviews and Your misunderstood review for Quantum of Solace made me want to go back rewatch it
Dude, you absolutely nailed this. So well said and (at least for me) incredibly true. Definitely a masterpiece.
Imagine watching this in a theatre with low expectations when it first came out.
I really enjoyed watching this 1 hour video as it is my favorite James Bond movie
Before Casino Royale I've only watched parts of Pierce Brosnan's Bond films. I was only a kid in the early 2000's afterall. I was 15 when Casino Royale came out and now I'm 30. I've literally grew up with Daniel Craig as Bond.
So have I. I was 7 when Casino Royale came out and now I'm 22 when he's done.
I was 9
Great video breaking down Casino Royale. I feel like rewatching Casino Royale with a new perspective. Great work!
I would LOVE a Bond series of his time in the service.
Masterful. Bravo. I have to agree with you on Casino Royale.
Casino Royale was one of the best action films I've seen. I've never been a fan of Daniel Craig as Bond despite I think really highly of the actor. I just never had the Bond feeling from the guy; but the tone of Casino Royale was perfect for his version of Bond.
Mads Mikkelsens work in this, is one of my favourite performances in cinema!
Over all a masterpiece!
Jeez, this is a freaking doctoral thesis!
I think with Daniel Craig era we finally got Ian filming on the screen... We finally got the character of James Bond... This is why people who consider themselves James Bond fans of the movie franchise yet have never read the novels don't understand what was taking place... The Daniel Craig era of James Bond was a closed loop... It focused on the character of James Bond... Were there hiccups in the movie yes but it doesn't mean they were bad.... They really for the first time and by that I mean eon productions really brought the character of James Bond to the screen... You listen to everybody describe who James Bond is and they describe somebody that Ian Fleming never created.... Pierce brosnan was a great James Bond... But he had some pretty bad scripts but he still approached it with integrity.... James Bond is always sad that he causes a woman to die... Read the books...
He's actually not the guy that just wants to have sex with women like everybody thinks.. he cares about the woman that he is with in that particular adventure... He is a broken man and a broken soul who is really good at his job... The thing that people don't realize about James Bond is they call him the perfect spy... But he's only the perfect spy because he doesn't pretend to have undercover identity... He goes into a mission like a hand grenade and immediately let's the bad guy know he is 007... He does this to shake up the villain... And he knows the villain is so egocentric that the villain will assume he is smarter than James Bond.... Tomorrow never dies while not my favorite film is such an awesome representation of the character because Pierce really shakes it up.. the way he goes in and he knows the bad guy knows he is a British agent... This is how James Bond succeeds... Quantum of solace when James Bond shows up and registers at the hotel... James Bond just completely tells everybody you know who I am... And I'm here to make sure you are stopped...
The best line is from specter... You're a kite dancing in a hurricane
The character of James Bond thrives on creating turmoil... If you haven't read the novels you don't understand this about him
And all anyone has is a poor perspective on the character of James Bond... Timothy George Sean Pierce and ultimately Daniel Craig..
Notice I left Rodger out
His movies were fun but he is not James Bond from the novels
Casino Royale is the best because of Eva Green, who went full frontal in her first motion picture debut ❤️
A 100% analysis of how I feel about Craig's Bond. You are heavily invested in his character through all films, which is why I was bitterly destroyed about the ending of No time to Die.
"It is, bar none, the most heartbreaking moment of all of these films".
No Time To Die: "Hold my beer".
No time to die is trash
@@bigmanwildin2216 its not
it is an amazing film and might i say the third best bond film ever
I think NTTD has its heart in the right place and certainly tries to be moving, but for me the writing and execution just aren't good enough to pull it off. Casino Royale succeeds in being a genuinely moving, heartfelt film, where NTTD falters.
It's worth noting their use of We Have All The Time In The World in its score. It pays homage to the 52-year-old movie they gratuitously ripped off (Bond nearly becoming a family man, but then tragedy) but they also did the standard approach for how the movie ends.
(Also, be prepared for the 26th movie to either diverge from the Craig era canon or not be a James Bond film, because that's how they did the film!)
Not just the best Bond movie but one of the greatest films ever made period.
Fanboys still sneer at it while complaining that it isn't like the old films, but I hate most of the old films. The ones after Connerys first three mostly suck, Diamonds Are Forever anyone? I can't stand any of Roger Moores seven. I love Daltons regrettably short lived duology with Licence to Kill being an amazing film but after he left it was back to samey business with Brosnan.
This film though...this is a true masterpiece.
Absolutely agree.