Casino Royale

CASINO ROYALE (2006) - Nov. 13, 2006
This was a decent Bond film marred by extreme overlength (two and a half hours!). It's at least an hour too long. It's also much grittier than the last few Bond films, but at the same time the producers seem to want to have it both ways -- the film contains quite a few big action setpieces which were clearly shoehorned into the film's plot (the over-the-top conclusion set in a sinking building is a prime example of this). A direct adaptation of the book would have definitely been preferable. As for Daniel Craig, there's no doubt that he's a really good actor, but whether or not he's a good Bond is still a bit of a question mark. He doesn't quite seem to have the necessary charisma, but that may or may not be his fault. The guy playing Le Chiffre was appropriately sinister but somewhat bland (certainly not the most memorable bad guy, aside from the whole blood-tears thing). And did I mention how long it was? Sweet Jesus. **1/2