Casino Royale (2006 film): Difference between revisions

[[File:casino_royale_sm_6371.jpg|frame|<small>The coldest blood runs through my veins. You know my name.</small> ]]

The film's first half, which shows how Bond earned his 00 status and tracked down Le Chiffre, was written directly for the screen. The second half follows Fleming's original novel, but features several changes. The card game was originally Baccarat but changed to Texas Hold 'Em Poker, a trendy move but also better suited for film. The book in general lacks the wisecracks and otherwise humorous moments, which makes the torture scene a different affair altogether. Lastly Vesper's final scenes are less action-packed, which also leaves out a long discussion between Bond and Mathis on the nature of evil.

This film is a lot darker than the previous films, with the fight scenes brutal and bloody. At some point during the Bond franchise it became essentially its own genre, about a suave superhero secret agent who would save the world from megalomaniacs using [[Underwater Base|Underwater Bases]], [[Kill Sat|Kill Sats]], pilfered [[Nuke'Em|nuclear weapons]] or anything else that might spell out the end of the world. This film in general tone is a bit closer to a political thriller at its core (tracking down the cash flow of a terrorist organization) modified to include the talents of James Bond. It was cheered on by fans of the franchise for rebooting and generally tightening what had become somewhat tired and stale.

* [[Awesome Yet Practical]] -: Very few gadgets, very little jokes, greater focus on the intelligence and physical skill of the main character. (Thisthis comes more or less from the book, since Bond didn't become a gadgeteer until the original film adaptations.). In fact, the only two pieces of truly high-tech equipment are a tracer placed into Bond's forearm and a rather high-tech first-aid kit in his car with an electrocardiogram that is connected to the [[MI 6]] headquarters, both of which are ''extremely'' practical.

** The relative lack of gadgets can be a case of [[Technology Marches On]]. Imagine if [[Sean Connery]]'s Bond was given a radio telephone that could download navigational data from a network of military satellites in geosynchronous orbit over the Earth? NevermindNever mind his portable wireless computer terminal that can connect to [[MI 6]]'s computer database from evidently anywhere, even a fishing boat in the middle of the water, and which can '' fit in a suitcase easily''?

* [[Badass]] -: Daniel Craig's version of Bond is remorseless when he kills, which becomes a theme in the film. He can also apparently smash his way through drywall and takes a nail gun to his shoulder without even a grimace.

* [[Blood on These Hands]] -: Vesper, in the shower, hysterical from panic.

* [[Bond Gun Barrel]] -: The movie plays with this bit; a part of the actual narrative ''becomes'' the "Bond Shooting At A Gun Barrel's POV" scene.

* [[Break the Cutie]] -: Bond in the chair with no bottom. Bond being heartbroken {{spoiler|after Vesper's death}}, and that causes Bond's depression and weariness seen in most of ''[[Quantum of Solace]]''.

* [[Briefcase Full of Money]]: The poker winnings.

* [[Chase Scene]] -: Played straight with the Parkour scene, but subverted for the car chase: {{spoiler|When Bond rushes out in his fancy modified Aston-Martin after the people who kidnapped Vesper, he's almost immediately driven off the road by them dropping her in the centrecenter of the road. He is summarily captured (This is taken directly from the book; all that's changed is the model of car)}}.

** Bond actually {{spoiler|gets a straight flush, the probability of which is ''much'' lower than getting a regular straight.}}

** Early in the movie, [[EverybodyEveryone Calls Him "Barkeep"|The Bombmaker]] gets spooked when he sees one of the British agents holding a finger to his ear, giving away that [[Overt Agent|he was using an earpiece.]] Later on, when Bond and Vesper are trying to evade a pair of bad guys via [[Fake-Out Make-Out]], one of the bad guys notices the earpiece that Bond was using to listen in on Le Chifre with.

* [[City of Canals]] -: Including a scene where {{spoiler|Bond sinks a floating building.}}

* [[Cool Car]]: Just look at Bond's Aston! Just freaking look at it! Even if it was completely stock it would still be gorgeous!

** And the [[Continuity Nod|older Aston]] that Bond runs into isn't half bad either.

* [[Cold-Blooded Torture]]: Pretty disturbing especially for a Bond movie.

* [[Continuity Reboot]] -: The movie did this to the Bond movie franchise. Though they also have claimed in secondary material that it's a [[Prequel]].

** [[Broad Strokes]] -: It still retains [[Judi Dench]] and the post-[[Cold War]] scenario from the Pierce Brosnan films, [[Why We're Bummed Communism Fell|though now she misses the Cold War]], when agents had the decency to defect after a big mistake, rather than seeing Bond as a relic of that era.

* [[Design Student's Orgasm]] -: With a playing card theme, in the opening credits.

* [[Determinator]] -: Bond, whenever he's in chase mode. When going after the ''Parkour''-adept bombmaker, he uses a ''bulldozer'' to smash through the obstacles.

* [[Didn't Think This Through]] -: At least a couple on the part of the writers, where they somewhat misunderstood elements of the original novel.

** Bond blows his cover when he and Vesper arrive at the hotel, his reasons for doing so being that he's giving Le Chiffre a name he already has in exchange for more vital information about him. In the original novel it is stated that Bond's cover didn't matter as far as Le Chiffre was concerned, he already knew who he was and if he didn't he was going to as soon as they sat down to play cards with each other, but it was important to keep up appearances so as to keep his identity as a SECRET agent a secret from all the other guests and players.

* [[Downer Ending]] -: {{spoiler|"The bitch is dead." The line's from the original novel, more or less. Interestingly, M's response to this line provokes a change in 007 that was not there in the novel. Rather than turning hard and misogynistic, he becomes obsessed with revenge. (Of course in either case Bond was simply covering his feelings, showing hatred and contempt instead of the sadness he felt at being betrayed by and losing the woman he loved)}}.

* [[Drop-Dead Gorgeous]] - : {{spoiler|Vesper Lynd does a [[Wet Sari Scene]] as a corpse}}.

* [[Dungeon Bypass]] -: Bond's answer to Mollaka's [[Le Parkour|freerunning]].

* [[Fake-Out BritMake-Out]]: -Fails when a Evaguard Greenspots isBond's Frenchearpiece.

** [[The Big Bad]]: Le Chiffre .

** [[The Dragon]]: Leo.

** [[The Evil Genius]]: Alex Dimitrios.

** [[The Brute]]: Kratt.

** [[The Dark Chick]]: Valenka.

** [[Bigger Bad]]: Mr. White.

* [[Freeze-Frame Bonus]] -: When Dryden is shot, there's a brief shot of him with his family, emphasizing the fact that no matter how you paint him, Bond is a killer.

* [[Hoist by His Own Petard]]: In one scene, a mook tries to blow up a plane via remote detontatordetonator, only to find that Bond somehow clipped the bomb to his belt...

** In the book, it's stated that the inhaler is benzedrineBenzedrine. It might not necessarily be for asthma, though; perhaps he's using it as a stimulant.

* [[Hostage Situation]] -: Somewhat reversed, in that the hero is the one taking the hostage. Subverted ''again'' in that {{spoiler|when the eye-patched villain tries to take Vesper hostage, Bond doesn't care what happens to her, because he thinks she's a double agent.}}

* [[Image Song]] -: Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name", which also has cues in the score to act as the [[Leitmotif]] before the final scene.

{{quote| '''Vesper:''' Hello.<br />

'''Mathis:''' I suppose I [[As You Know|don't have to tell you]] how beautiful you look. [[Hello, Nurse!|Half the people on that table are still watching you.]] }}

* [[It Gets Easier]]:

{{quote| '''Dryden''': How did he die?<br />

'''Bond''': Your contact? Not well.<br />

'''Dryden''': Made you feel it, did he? Well, you needn't worry. [[Killed Mid-Sentence|The second is]]--''(gets shot by Bond)''<br />

'''Bond''': [[Bond One-Liner|Yes. Considerably.]] }}

* [[Jack of All Stats]]: They make a point of establishing this about him early in the movie. He's athletic but can't match the [[Le Parkour]] skills of his quarry and has to use his brain, working the environment, to make up the difference.

* [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]: Craig's Bond is shown initially as a cynical and tough guy. However that doesn't mean he has no humanity or he doesn't feel compassion or pity. The "shower" sequence says all.

{{quote| '''Dryden:''' ''[Discussing Bond's first kill]'' Made you ''feel'' it, did he? Well... not to worry. The second is-<br />

[[Boom! Headshot!|* pew* ]]<br />

'''Bond:''' ...Yes. ''Considerably.'' }}

* [[Kneecapping]]: ''[[Casino Royale]]'' ends with Bond locating and knee-capping {{spoiler|[[The Man Behind the Man]]}}.

* [[Fan Service|Manservice]] -: Bond climbing out of the ocean. Many jaws dropped.

* [[Meaningful Echo]] -: "Money isn't as important as knowing who to trust": What Le Chiffre says to Dimitiros when he reminds him what's important in their organization {{spoiler|and also the last sentence he hears before a SMERSH/QUANTUM agent kills him.}}

* [[Misplaced Wildlife]] -: An early scene has people watching a fight between a mongoose and a cobra... except the mongoose is actually a ferret.

* [[Mythology Gag]] -: Vesper's introduction to Bond references Miss Moneypenny, who does not appear in the film. Later in the film, a bartender asks him whether he prefers his martini shaken or stirred, but Bond is too frustrated at the moment to care and snaps, "Do I look like I give a damn?"

** When M chastises Bond early in the movie, she mentions "Christ, I miss the [[Cold War]]," a callback to her character's introduction in ''[[GoldeneyeGoldenEye (film)|GoldenEye]]'', where she chastises Bond (played by Pierce Brosnan) for being a "relic of the Cold War."

* [[The Name Is Bond, James Bond]] -: Avoided until the last scene. Complete with the [[Leitmotif]].

* [[Never Trust a Trailer]] -: You see Bond kissing Vesper in the sea in the poster up there? The scene, which also appears in the trailer, is not in the movie.

* [[Parking Payback]] -: Bond is mistaken for a member of the resort staff and ordered by a guest (with extreme condescension) to park his car. He does so -- by backing it forcefully into a parking barrier, setting off many car alarms. This is not just for kicks and giggles; it's a handy distraction as well so Bond can get a good look at the hotel's security footage. Gets a [[Brick Joke]] when the guest spots Bond later that night, double-taking in surprise.

* [[Pragmatic Adaptation]] -: While obviously more well-known and popular, Texas Hold-Em is also far more of a psychological warfare game than Baccarat.

* [[Product Placement]] -: Lots, especially for Sony. The most bizarre one has to be the hotel that stores its surveillance camera footage on Blu-ray discs...

* [[Race Lift]] -: Felix Leiter (a blond Texan in the novels) is black in this movie and in ''[[Quantum of Solace]]'' (played by Jeffrey Wright). Incidentally, before Wright the actor playing Leiter had [[The Other Darrin|changed with every film]]; only one actor (David Hedison) had ever reprisedreprized the role, and his two appearances were non-consecutive and 16 years apart. (Therethere was a black Leiter prior to Wright: Bernie Casey in the non-canonical ''[[Never Say Never Again]]''.).

* [[Rule of Cool]] -: {{spoiler|Bond wins the card game, against master poker players, not by outplaying them or by some great strategy, but because he gets a straight flush at the exact right moment in the ideal situation, where everyone else stays in because they all happen to have hands that are near impossible to beat (as opposed to folding when they realize Bond probably has a good hand, which would be the typical outcome), which has even more ridiculous odds. The only reason the audience does not question what is nearly mathematically impossible is that Bond getting a straight flush is flippin' cool.}}

* [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]]: It sure took a long time for Bond and Vesper to go to Italy just for {{spoiler|her to betray him and die.}}

* [[Shower of Angst]] -: [[Heroic BSOD|Vesper takes one fully clothed]] while Bond tries to comfort her.

* [[Show Some Leg]] -: To give Bond an advantage in the poker game, he gets Vesper a very low-cut dress. It backfires somewhat - Bond ends up [[Distracted by the Sexy|just as distracted]], especially since Vesper intentionally ignores his instruction to walk up behind him and instead approaches from the other side of the table so that he can see her coming.

* [[Staggered Zoom]] -: At the start of the airport chase sequence.

{{quote| ''[[Groin Attack|*thump*]] "Yeaaaaaargh!'' [[Casual Danger Dialogue|No! No! A little more to the right."]]}}

* [[To the Pain]] -: "You know, I never understood all these elaborate tortures. It's the simplest thing... to cause more pain than a man can possibly endure." (then comes the Groin Attack mentioned above)

* [[Tragic Hero]] -: The novel is written basically as a tragedy, showing Bond's downward spiral of failure and futility. As a spy, he's clearly in over his head and only succeeds in a technical sense through sheer luck and outside intervention. It's only after he loses everything, including Vesper, that he embraces his profession as a super-spy.

* [[Try and Follow]] -: Bond chasing after the bomber.

* [[Two Decades Behind]]: ''Definitely'' an example of [[Pandering to the Base]]. The recipe for the martini variant Bond names after Vesper Lynd is taken word-for-word from the novel. The problem is, Lillet stopped making one of its ingredients, Kina Lillet, in 1986, replacing it with a reformulated Lillet (''sans'' the quinine that gave it the "Kina" part of the name) called Lillet Blanc. But the film is set in the present-day, and mentions Kina Lillet by name. (Thisthis also shows up in ''[[Quantum of Solace]]''.).

* [[Villainous Breakdown]] -: Le Chiffre's "''You!'' Are '''SO''' ''WRONG!!''"

* [[Watch the Paint Job]] -: The effects crew managed to rotate Bond's Aston Martin ''7 times'' for the scene where it's totaled. Makes any car fan weep, and it set a world record in the process.

* [[Why We're Bummed Communism Fell]] -: "Christ, I miss the [[Cold War]]." (Consider too that this is the first Bond film explicitly set after 9/11 and world politics in [[Hollywood History]] terms is much more complex.)

* [[Xanatos Speed Chess]] -: Things take a sharp turn for the confusing after Bond and Vesper are rescued following the card game.

* [[Yank the Dog's Chain]] -: {{spoiler|Bond, [[Happily Married]]? A beautiful dream, not gonna happen. Especially since it ended badly [[On Her Majesty's Secret Service|the last time it happened]].}}

* [[You Look Familiar]] -: Poker game participant Madame Wu is played by Tsai Chin, who also played the Chinese girl Bond bedded at the beginning of ''[[You Only Live Twice]]''.

{{quote| '''Bond:''' "Don't worry, you're not my type."<br />

'''Vesper:''' "Smart?"<br />

'''Bond:''' "Single." }}

* [[Your Princess Is in Another Castle]] -: [[The Big Bad]] has been defeated, Vesper and Bond do it, all is good... {{spoiler|Vesper suddenly steals 120 million dollars to pay for her fiancé's ransom. And dies.}}