November 20, 2006

Memo to Eon Productions, Ltd.

Dear Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli,

What the devil have you done to your father's legacy?  He gave you strict orders before he left this world NOT TO SCREW IT UP!  How dare you disobey your parent's wishes and make Casino Royale the best James Bond film since 1963.  

I apologize for the way I began my opening sentence, but now that I have your attention perhaps I can continue to give you, and the production team behind the latest OO7 film, the kudos you so justly deserve.

Like the character of Bond, who tends to veer off from a direct order from his superior 'M', Eon Productions has done the exact same thing by leaving behind the easy route of the past and venture into uncharted waters.  This is not to say that this film does not have the familiar Bond formula, only that the formula literally has been shaken and stirred so that the audience enjoys a more robust viewing pleasure.  Gone is the invisible car and the juvenile double entendres, i.e.: Christmas Jones.  In its place is a raw story about a secret agent who is not too sure where he belongs in this dangerous, unpredictable world.  An arrogant man who is willing to change the course of events by his rules and not the rule of international laws.  This same man is flawed by his weakness for the opposite sex and judgment in long term relationships.  In short, James Bond is human for the first time in his 44 years on the silver screen.

Special kudos also goes to director Martin Campbell, who has probably directed his best film ever.  His ability to capture Bond's and Vesper's relationship to each other is masterfully done.  When they first meet on the train to Montenegro, Campbell frames them sitting opposite each other in the dining car.  Sparring off each other as they try to read each other's facial features and clothing styles.  A talent which Bond pretentiously throws off at Vesper as he tells her, "Vesper?  I do hope you gave your parents hell for that!"  Vesper shares the same talent as she flings her fiery observations back at Bond.  The sparring continues into the next scene as they travel by car.  A rare moment when both the Bond girl and OO7 have a scene where neither one is driving.  Once inside the Hotel Splendide, Bond continues to order Vesper around by having her sign for the hotel room.  Giving up, Vesper hops into a nearby elevator and informs OO7 that there is no room for her and his ego inside the lift.

A nice subtle touch in the film.  Vesper is always seen intimately with Bond on screen left.

Campbell does not stop there, he even gives us a brilliant John Fordian scene where Bond for the first time wears a tailor-made tuxedo that Vesper had ordered for him.  Bond is seen admiring himself in the bathroom mirror while Vesper looks onward through the doorway with a rewarding smile.

The famous torture scene from the book is slightly updated with Le Chiffre replacing the carpet beater with a knotted rope.  What could have been a brutal scene actually ended up less sadistic than an episode of '24'.  Campbell crafted the scene by increasing the sound effects and off camera violence to create the proper affect.  Extra credit goes to Daniel Craig who gives out the most blood-curling screams any actor could muster up.  

Recently there have been complaints that the poker showdown between Le Chiffre and Bond was too slow.  I completely disagree.  The way each poker scene is shot and edited, Campbell accomplishes moments of tension that rivals the best Texas-Hold 'Em games on ESPN.  When Bond returns to the table after literally facing death, the look on Le Chiffre's face is pure fun and perfectly timed when Bond says, "I'm sorry, that last hand... nearly killed me."  Unless you know the game of poker and the various ways a hand can be played, it can be confusing.  However, the card game is well shot and edited.

Mads Mikkelson as Le Chiffre.  Financial banker to the world's terrorist.

And speaking of editing, this film is a cut above the last several Bond films with the gifted Stuart Baird.  The fight scenes are some of the best in the series and rival the grand daddy of them all - From Russia with Love.  The foot chase through an African construction zone is a major highlight and will be remembered for years to come.  Baird's editing is so quick that one would need to study it carefully frame by frame when the film has its DVD release.  But Baird does not stop there.  The Miami sequence is also memorable and cleverly edited when Bond thwarts a terrorist attempt to blow up a new airliner.  The action is pure edge-of-your-seat right to the payoff when we see only Bond's face as he watches the unexpected terrorist annihilate himself.  Other films would have shown the villain being blown apart.

Personally I enjoyed the rare moments of editing when Baird allowed scenes to slowly dissolve into each other.  One such scene is when Bond invents his martini which he anoints 'The Vesper'.  He tells her and his French contact Rene Mathis that the drink is superb.  After Bond walks off Vesper decides to try the drink and apparently approves of its taste.  The scene dissolves slowly into the next and reminds me of the earlier films such as Goldfinger when Bernard Lee as 'M' has the last word while sipping his brandy during the meeting with Colonel Smithers.

Casino Royale is a visual masterpiece and more kudos goes to cinematographer Phil Meheux.  The photography in this film rivals 1967's You Only Live Twice.  From the beaches of the Bahamas to the moonlight car chase, Meheux makes each frame glow with ebullience.  Not to be outdone, but perhaps for the first time in any Bond movie the cinematographer also has an acting role.  Meheux plays the British Treasury representative who is seen standing, naturally, bathed in sunlight from M's office window towards the end of the film.

The photography is the best since 1967's You Only Live Twice.

David Arnold returns for a fourth time to compose the music score.  This time he has raised the bar and created a haunting melody that stayed with me all the way home, long after leaving the theater.  Something that I have not done in a very long time and I have yet to purchase the CD.  Chris Cornell's title song 'You Know My Name' is sensational with the added orchestration.  This song really works well in the context of the opening credits.

Another added credit where credit is due is Daniel Kleinman, the heir to Maurice Binder's credit sequences.  Kleinman has done the Bond films since 1995's GoldenEye.  Although I thought his GoldenEye sequence was dexterously produced, his later creations in Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and Die Another Day lacked the eye candy which his predecessor had so masterfully conveyed in earlier Bond title sequences.  However, his latest is unique with card motifs and roulette wheels flying throughout the screen while numerous faceless human targets are left to their demise.  There is only one moment when the audience can see the face of a woman in the title sequence.  When the Queen of Hearts face card wipes away into the image of Vesper.

Vesper trapped underwater in a doomed elevator.

Extra credit goes to the screenplay.  It has been 37 years since an Ian Fleming novel has been faithfully adapted for the screen.  Although certain liberties were taken to update the story from the Cold War, what remains is the love story and the arc that transforms Bond into the agent we all know and love.  I will admit that I was not pleased with the last two Bond films The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day, both written by Neil Purvis and Robert Wade.  I found the dialogue adolescent and more in line with half-baked teenage comedies such as American Pie.  However, kudos goes to the person who hired Paul Haggis to come on board at the last minute and rewrite what must have been another weak script.  Haggis recently won the Oscar for his brilliant film Crash and his contribution to Royale is unique in such a way that the dialogue is crisp between each character.  To put it in perspective, if Ian Fleming were alive today he would be proud with this adaptation.

Finally, I wanted to add my personal feeling about this film and the last 13 months.  As a long time Bond fan I had my doubts whether Eon Productions would ever be able to produce another Bond film that could rival the early days of the Connery films.  Thank God I was wrong.  You have not only produced a great James Bond film, but an artistically crafted film that may well be the best action film of the year.  Your choice of hiring Daniel Craig was inspirational and could only be proven to the rest of the world when the theater lights dimmed.  Mads Mikkelson, Eva Green, Jeffrey Wright, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino, Simon Abkarian, and Dame Judi Dench all contribute their great talents to the best Bond film in three decades.  I cannot wait long enough for Bond 22.  I only ask that you continue to bring unfilmed Fleming scenes into future Bond films.  

Congratulations.  I'm sure some where in heaven your father is beaming with pride.

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