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Casino Royale

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 other hand, it's not all good. Although Bond is my dude, I do have some conflicts & discrepancies with this movie. Let's start with the "time difference". This movie was all-out modern, I mean current time period & technologies. I thought we were talking about a prequel. This has no relation to the 1962 release of Dr. No. C'mon now, Sean Connery didn't use laptops to find information. I didn't expect a "Turner Classic", but I did expect some consistency with the term "prequel". In defense of director Martin Campbell (GoldenEye, The Mask of Zorro, & Vertical Limit), it did have a classic feel too it (probably due to the action scenes & remote locations). And, I really didn't notice the prequel inconsistencies until after I left the theatre, reflected, and realized"¦ "hey, isn't that supposed to be BEFORE the original James Bond"¦ what's with the GPS device?" But trust me, you will be thoroughly entertained.

Speaking of action & locations, 007 movies are known for their action scenes & exotic locations, and this one is no different. The opening scene is smooth, alluring, & will pull you in"¦ then comes the first "real" action scene, where Bond chases a perp across the damn world (at least that's what it seemed like). I tell you what (think: Hank Hill), I would've given up right after I chased him out of the forest. That cat was quick, fierce, & wasted no movement on his escape. Truly a tight scene that will have you out of breath and saying"¦ "DAMN!" (out loud, cause that what I did).

Regarding the locations, there's the Bahamas, Prague, the UK, & Venice, but my favorite most mind blowing locale didn't appear till the very end. It was at Lake Como (Italy). They gave you an aerial view of the "Villa La Gaeta""¦ WHEW!!! (Diddy couldn't afford this crib"¦ and if he could, he probably couldn't furnish it-ha!).

The key villain in this edition is "Le Chiffre", played by Mads Mikkelsen (King Arthur), an international banker/investor and money launderer to terrorist organizations. This is the guy Bond faces in a high-stakes poker match. *(You know you're BALLIN' when you tip the dealer with a $500,000 chip"¦ Damn, now that's poker!)

The femme fatale of the flick is Eva Green (Kingdom of Heaven) in the character of Vesper Lynd. She's not your normal "Bond Girl". In my opinion, she wasn't too stunning, glamorous, or gorgeous and her body wasn't drop-dead slamming. She was rather plain, on the skinny-side, and her looks were kinda average. I thought to myself, "why did they pick her, ugh" (like many

people are thinking of Daniel Craig). But, if you give her a chance, her "plain-ness" adds to the story and logic of the movie (still not feelin' her though).

Lastly, Judy Dench (Shakespeare In Love) is back as M, the Head of MI6, and she's still no joke & hard as nails (yea!!! "” silent cheer).

I cannot forget about the "Bond Signature Trademarks". It was cool to see how they were started and came to be. There's the "The Vesper", Bond's Martini (with full ingredients included – listen closely for that recipe); the Aston Martin DBS (his trademark means of transportation); and the infamous phrase, "My Name Is Bond"¦ James Bond". And did you ever notice how Bond never uses an alias, although everyone knows who he is & what he does, he always marches in with his own never-changing moniker"¦ "Bond, James Bond" (don't hate the playa"¦).

Final Note:
With all said and evaluated, I was really wasn't mad at the latest James Bond effort. It held my attention all the way through, it captured all the elements of the prior adventures, plus I learned a little something in the process.

Movie Grade: B+

*(S.O.S.N. "” Sweezy's Official Side Note)*
In the "first real" action sequence I described, about Bond chasing a perp, that perp was no other than the creator of FREE RUNNING (aka Parkour), Sebastian Foucan. Do not sleep on this cat's skills, I was amazed. He can run & jump in a streamlining manner, which allows him to never break stride, or miss a step no matter what obstacle is presented before him"¦ incredible. Aside from an art form, FREE RUNNING is considered an extreme sport. Foucan has exhibited his creation in Nike & Toyota commercials. He was also in Madonna's "Confessions On the Dancefloor" video and accompanied her on her 2006 international tour. Stay alert for this cat.

Synopsis:
Daniel Craig takes over the role of the legendary British secret agent, James Bond, in the highly anticipated 007 adventure thriller. Casino Royale will be the 21st James Bond film.