Product Description

Casino Royale introduces James Bond before he holds his license to kill. But Bond is no less dangerous, and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to "00" status. "M" (Judi Dench), head of the British Secret Service, sends the newly-promoted 007 on his first mission that takes him to Madagascar, the Bahamas and eventually leads him to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. "M" places Bond under the watchful eye of the Treasury official Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond's interest in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre's cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond could never imagine, and he learns his most important lesson: Trust no one.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #393 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2007-03-13
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .30 pounds
• Running time: 144 minutes

Amazon.com
The most successful invigoration of a cinematic franchise since Batman Begins, Casino Royale offers a new Bond identity. Based on the Ian Fleming novel that introduced Agent 007 into a Cold War world, Casino Royale is the most brutal and viscerally exciting James Bond film since Sean Connery left Her Majesty's Secret Service. Meet the new Bond; not the same as the old Bond. Daniel Craig gives a galvanizing performance as the freshly minted double-0 agent. Suave, yes, but also a "blunt instrument," reckless, and possessed with an ego that compromises his judgment during his first mission to root out the mastermind behind an operation that funds international terrorists. In classic Bond film tradition, his global itinerary takes him to far-flung locales, including Uganda, Madagascar, the Bahamas (that's more like it), and Montenegro, where he is pitted against his nemesis in a poker game, with hundreds of millions in the pot. The stakes get even higher when Bond lets down his "armor" and falls in love with Vesper (Eva Green), the ravishing banker's representative fronting him the money.

For longtime fans of the franchise, Casino Royale offers some retro kicks. Bond wins his iconic Astin-Martin at the gaming table, and when a bartender asks if he wants his martini "shaken or stirred," he disdainfully replies, "Do I look like I give a damn?" There's no Moneypenny or "Q," but Dame Judi Dench is back as the exasperated M, who one senses, admires Bond's "bloody cheek." A Bond film is only as good as its villain, and Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, who weeps blood, is a sinister dandy. From its punishing violence and virtuoso action sequences to its romance, Casino Royale is a Bond film that, in the words of one character, makes you feel it, particularly during an excruciating torture sequence. Double-0s, Bond observes early on, "have a short life expectancy." But with Craig, there is new life in the old franchise yet, as well as genuine anticipation for the next one when, at last, the signature James Bond theme kicks in following the best last line ever in any Bond film. To quote Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin, now I know what I've been faking all these years. --Donald Liebenson

Stills from Casino Royale (click for larger image)

Beyond Casino Royale on Amazon.com

On Blu-ray	CD Soundtrack	Why We Love Daniel Craig
The Amazon.com James Bond Store	Where Have I Seen Daniel Craig?	Bond on Set: Filming Casino Royale Book

Customer Reviews

"Do I look like I give a damn?"
Anyone who has followed the James Bond series over the last four decades knows that the new Bond has changed... In "Casino Royale," 007 do not identify himself with the classic words, "Bond. James Bond," and instead of playing Chemin-de-Fer or Craps, he plays Poker and he doesn't care whether his vodka martinis are shaken or stirred nor he drinks a Smirnoff vodka, or a five-star Hennessey, or a Dom Pérignon'52... He never pauses to take a finger of Caviar... He never enjoys a good cigar and is less preoccupied with matters of sex...

But he is a more trained Bond, a cold-hearted killer improvising, modifying, and overcoming, uttering to M in one decisive moment his most significant line, "So you want me to be half monk, half hit-man!"

In taking the part, Daniel Craig completely inhabited the character of the super agent 007... There is something empathetic about him and something human...He so lets you in behind his blue eyes and into his emotional life...

His opponent is the villain banker Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) who tries to get rich in supplying funds for terrorists... To continue doing so, Le Chiffre wants to win back his losses in a no-limit showdown Poker game with $115,000,000 in chips at Casino Royale in Montenegro...

Ivana Milicevic plays Le Chiffre's Bosnian bodyguard who nearly eliminates our hero... Valenka is harmful but not pure evil as her boss...

Simon Abkarian is the middleman Alex Dimitrios involved with Le Chiffre, who knew where to put his hands on weapons and people who could use them... He works with anyone who has money...

The Italian actress Caterina Murino (Solange) reveals her sexy side as the frustrated woman so upset in her marriage...

Jeffrey Wright plays the undercover CIA agent Felix Leiter 'bleeding chips at the poker tournament;' and Giancarlo Giannini plays the 'contact' Mathis...

Eva Green is Bond's love interest Vesper Lynd... Green and Craig have electric chemistry on screen together... Vesper's character seems ambiguous, impudent and complicated... One night--slumped in the shower fully clothed, radiating inner beauty--her quiet look is capable to melt Bond's cold heart and free his doubtful mind... In another, she disconcerts him with her pretty 'Algerian love knot.'

"Casino Royale" lacks the fundamental technology exhibition which plays an important part in any Bond films... The traditional "James Bond Gun Barrel Sequence" and the "James Bond Theme" disappeared... The only thin bit of continuity is Judi Dench's fifth return as the cool, scheming chief Lady M...

Directed by Martin Campbell, the movie has it all: spectacular locations from Prague, London, Miami and Nassau-- and amazing actions involving the superb Aston Martin DB5 coupe in a high-speed mountain chase; a rush to stop a fuel tanker at Miami Airport; a combat with an Ugandan terrorist; a pursue in a four-wheel bulldozer; a breathless foot chase across highest cranes; and an unexpected climax in one of the buildings on the canals of Venice...

Casino Royale a Winner
This 007 movie is a winner. The new James Bond (Daniel Craig) is spectacular and compliments the prior 007 movies. A must see and must have movie

Pretty Good
Although I used to be a big fan of the James Bond franchise, I had not watched any in several years prior to this one. They had just seemed to have lost some of the pizzaz for me.

This one features a new Bond (Daniel Craig) who does quite well. He is a bit more physical than we have seen previously. That is not necessarily a bad thing. This is actually a film version of the first Ian Fleming novel. Bond is not as sophisticated or seasoned as in others in this series as he is supposed to be newly promoted to 00 status.

It has many features that are common to the Bond flicks - action, suspense, and interesting technology.

This is a fun show and worth watching.