My name is Sweezy… T. Sweezy. BOND IS BACK!!!
The latest from the 007 series, Casino Royale, is the prequel (and yes, originally written by Ian Fleming) to what we currently know of the Ultimate Secret Agent - James Bond. This movie chronicles how Bond received his “Double-O” status and takes you on his first mission (he was such a renegade).
One thing you should know, aside from Batman, the Transformers, & G.I. Joe… James Bond is my favorite Superhero (that’s right, I said “Superhero”). He’s a smooth cat that’s very thorough, always completes his mission, keeps everyone in check, & always pulls the hottest chick in the end (and the middle… sometimes the beginning too ;-).
Now on to the review…
First of all, we gotta start with the biggest controversy surrounding the entire James Bond phenomena… the selection of the next successor. Each Bond brought personality traits that enhanced the 007 character. Just for reference, in order of appearance there was Sir Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Sir Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, & Pierce Brosnan (I personally grew up with Sir Roger, so he’s my favorite… I’m taking all debates too… t.o.sweet@thecinemasource.com... thank you very much!) and they all possessed a certain look. Realizing that, you would figure that the “next-in-line” would follow the blueprint, then they reveal Daniel Craig (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Jacket, Hurlyburly, Infamous, & Munich). Before seeing the movie, I was like “who did he sleep with…”, but after viewing the film it all made sense, and I believe it was a good pick. Think PREQUEL.
As a prequel, Daniel Craig was the perfect man for the job. Comparing him to an “early” Sean Connery… his look was rough & hard, his was eager, unrefined, & enthusiastic, and… it seemed like he always did things the hard way. How’s that for the look & feel of “Bond in the Rough”. Craig also exhibited the classic Connery (as Bond) traits, i.e. the macho-chauvinistic-sexist-hard guy attitude. It worked for me, thus making his portrayal of the character all the more believable (you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when you see him interact with women & his torture scene). I went from non-believer to believer. However if it WASN’T a prequel, I don’t think it would’ve worked, because I would be comparing him to Brosnan, and we all know he’s nothing like Brosnan.
The movie itself, I found to be very interesting and as exciting as a James Bond classic.
Some of the storyline was a bit predictable, although sometimes it not about what they do, but how they do it. And with our current obsession with poker (i.e. the “World Series of Poker” et. al), which is getting played-out in my opinion, it all seemed very appropriate.
On the ...
