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Casino Royale (2006 film)

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For the novel and the 1954 television episode, see Casino Royale. For the 1967 film spoof, see Casino Royale (1967 film)
The theatrical poster for Casino Royale.
Casino Royale
James Bond Daniel Craig
Directed By Martin Campbell
Writen By Ian Fleming
Screenplay Neal Purvis &
Robert Wade,
and Paul Haggis
Music By David Arnold
Main theme
Composer David Arnold
Chris Cornell
Performer Chris Cornell
Distributed By Sony Pictures Releasing
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Released November 17, 2006
Running Time 144 Minutes
Preceded By
Followed By Quantum of Solace

Casino Royale, previously known by its working title Bond 21, is the 21st James Bond film produced by EON Productions, however it is the first in it's series, as it is a reboot series. Based on the 1953 novel Casino Royale by Ian Fleming, it will be the first Bond film to take its title from an Ian Fleming novel or short story since 1987's The Living Daylights and the first to be directly based on any of Fleming's writing's since 1989's Licence to Kill.

This film marks the third screen-adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel Casino Royale, which was previously a 1954 television episode and a 1967 film spoof; however, the 2006 release is the only official adaptation of Fleming's novel.

Contents

[edit] Plot

In Prague, James Bond corners and kills corrupt MI6 section chief Dryden and his underworld contact, earning his double-O status. Meanwhile in Uganda, a Mr. White arranges a meeting between a banker, Le Chiffre, and Obanno, the leader of a guerilla group seeking a safe haven for his funds. Le Chiffre assures the leader that there is "no risk in the portfolio", but his investments actually involve considerable risk: he short sells successful companies and then engineers terrorist attacks to sink their stock values.

In his first mission as Agent 007, Bond pursues an international bomb-maker named Mollaka in Madagascar. After a parkour chase across the city to the Nambutu embassy, Bond kills his target and blows up a part of the embassy to enable his escape. He obtains Mollaka's mobile phone and discovers that it has received an SMS from Alex Dimitrios, an associate of Le Chiffre in the Bahamas. Bond travels there, wins Dimitrios's Aston Martin DB5, and seduces Dimitrios's wife, Solange Dimitrios, who reveals that her husband is flying to Miami on business. Bond follows him to Miami, where he kills Dimitrios, and observes Le Chiffre's henchman, Carlos, leaving for the Miami International Airport. There, Bond foils Le Chiffre's plan to destroy the prototype Skyfleet airliner while managing to kill Carlos, leaving the banker with a major financial loss, since he had shorted and bought put options on Skyfleet stock, which then expired worthless.

Now under pressure to recoup his clients' money, Le Chiffre sets up a high-stakes poker tournament at Casino Royale in Montenegro. Hoping that a defeat would force Le Chiffre to aid the British government in exchange for protection from his creditors, MI6 enters Bond into the tournament. He meets up with René Mathis, his ally in Montenegro, and Vesper Lynd, a treasury agent, who is assigned to look after his handling of the government's $10 million buy-in. As the tournament progresses, Bond loses his initial stake and becomes enraged when Vesper refuses to authorise him to buy back in because she considers his play reckless.

Distraught over his failure, Bond prepares to assassinate Le Chiffre when he is intercepted by one of the other players, who introduces himself as CIA officer Felix Leiter, who is also out to get Le Chiffre. Leiter believes Bond has the skill to beat Le Chiffre and offers to supply him with enough funds to re-enter the tournament in exchange for allowing the CIA custody of Le Chiffre. Back in the game, Bond rapidly recoups his losses. When Le Chiffre and his associates attempt to poison him, Bond narrowly survives due to Vesper's intervention. Bond wins the tournament on a straight flush. Following her celebratory dinner with Bond, Vesper is abducted by Le Chiffre, who uses her to lure Bond into a near-fatal car chase and ultimate capture. Le Chiffre tortures Bond for the access code to the game's winnings and when it becomes clear that Bond will not yield, Le Chiffre prepares to castrate him. At that moment Mr. White enters and executes Le Chiffre and his associates for their failure. Bond and Vesper are left alive.

Bond awakens in a hospital on Lake Como and orders Mathis, whom Le Chiffre identified as a double agent working for him, arrested. Bond admits his love for Vesper and vows to quit the service before it strips him of his humanity. Accordingly, he posts his resignation to M and goes on a romantic holiday in Venice with Vesper. However, Bond soon learns that his poker winnings were never deposited into the Treasury's account.

Realising that Vesper has stolen them, he pursues her as she meets members of the organisation she is working for into a building under renovation. Bond shoots the floatation devices supporting the structure to gain access to the building, but as he does so the foundation starts to slowly collapse into the Grand Canal. After killing the henchmen in the building, Bond finds Vesper imprisoned in an elevator. Apologising to him tearfully, she locks herself inside as the elevator plunges under the rising waters. Bond dives in, breaks into the elevator and pulls Vesper onto the roof of the collapsed building. Despite his efforts to revive her, she has already drowned. Mr. White, watching from a balcony, walks away with the money.

M tells Bond that Vesper had a French-Algerian boyfriend who was kidnapped and held for ransom by the organisation behind Le Chiffre and White. Bond learns that she agreed to deliver the ransom money (his winnings) only if they would consent to leave Bond, as well as her boyfriend, alive. He discovers that Vesper has left Mr. White's name and number in her mobile phone for Bond to find. White, arriving at a palatial estate near Lake Como, receives a phone call and is shot in the leg. Bond appears, with a UMP in hand, Mr White asks who he is, and Bond replies "The name's Bond. James Bond."

[edit] Cast

[edit] Crew

[edit] Trivia

  • In 2004, American Quentin Tarantino was said to have lobbied EON to let him do a "proper" film adaptation of Fleming's novel, based on a screenplay he had written that would have starred Pierce Brosnan as James Bond and Uma Thurman as Vesper Lynd. Ultimately, the company assigned the film to someone else, and Tarantino claims his pursuit ended when he learned that Brosnan would not be playing Bond. Tarantino's proposed version would have been set immediately after the death of Bond's wife Tracy in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. [1]. However, since Tarantino does not belong to the Directors Guild of America he is unable to work with Sony or UA/MGM, so many see this as a publicity stunt on Tarantino's part.
  • Ever since the rights to Casino Royale were purchased by MGM, it was often speculated that a serious adaptation of the book could now be considered. At one point, Die Another Day was rumored to be an adaptation of Casino Royale.
  • According to a September 2003 article in the Daily Record, the title of Bond 21 was at one point going to be The Man with the Red Tattoo and be based upon Raymond Benson's final Bond novel from 2002. It is not known whether EON ever seriously considered this.[2]

[edit] DVD Release

The DVD Cover For Region 1.

The DVD for Casino Royale was released on March 13, 2007.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://jamesbond.wikia.com/wiki/Casino_Royale_(2006_film)"