Blond, James Blond

M: I knew it was too early to promote you.
James Bond: What I understand, double O’s have a very short life expectancy.

On November 17, 2006, a new chapter in the James Bond world began. Casino Royale, the 21st in the series, opened in theatres. There was a lot of controversy regarding this film, because, just as there have been reboots of the Superman and Batman franchises, the producers of the Bond franchise did the same. This film tells the story of how Bond gets his “License to Kill”. In doing so, Pierce Brosnan was unceremoniously “retired” and a new Bond was cast. Or should I say Blond, James Blond.

Daniel Craig, a little known British actor outside of his supporting role in Steven Spielberg's “Munich”, assumes the mantle that Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton did previously. This upset a lot of the die Bond fans so much that a website, www.cragnotbond.com was built in protest.

Craig brings an edge to the role that only Connery has previously achieved. From the opening sequence to the chase on the Miami International Airport tarmac; Casino Royale outshines both Dalton films and all of the Brosnan films with the exception of Goldeneye. As a point of interest, the director of Goldeneye is Martin Campbell, the director of Casino Royale.

The movie also stars Eva Green as Vesper Lynd, Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre and Dame Judy Dench returns as “M”.

On a side note, the Sony Corp /United Artists released updated dvds of the Bond franchise. All include two discs with new interviews with the cast, commentary by Sir Roger Moore and most of the directors. All of the dvds have been tweaked for the best in both picture and sound. I highly recommend taking a look.