Decision ‘08

Casino Royale: The Decision ‘08 Review

Okay, I’m late to the party on this one; I’m sure many, many of you have already been. Tonight was the night for me; the short version: if Daniel Craig is not the best James Bond ever (and sorry, Sean Connery fans, I happen to think he is), he’s certainly a James Bond for our times. The movie was rip-roaring fun, and Craig is spectacular as 007.

Does that mean the movie is flawless? No, no, it’s got flaws, all right, huge flaws. For one, it suffers from the most common affliction of big-budget blockbusters - it’s too long by 45 minutes. For another, the screenplay (by the ubiquitous Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby, Crash, Flags of our Fathers)) is not nearly as clever as it thinks it is. Here’s a little tip: when plot points that have already passed by have to be explained in expository speeches by minor characters, that’s a good indication that the plot point was perhaps too subtly conveyed, or ill-conceived, to begin with. There is also a cartoonish aspect to the violence at times, a point about which I am ambivalent - it’s alternately cheesy and charming.

My biggest plot gripe follows, and it is a spoiler - so don’t read further if you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want to ruin what little suspense there is. Okay? Okay…

The plot telescopes what should be the biggest surprise of the film by completely going off course. Naturally, everyone in the theater knows that Vesper (played quite fetchingly by the breathtaking Eva Green) is going to double-cross Bond, because the movie, a straightforward action film to this point, veers off into a romantic potboiler with the most stilted love scene dialogue this side of the soaps for a good twenty minutes. So not only is the bloom off the rose, so to speak, by the climax, but the wrong denouement is chosen - Bond should not have been fooled, he should have DONE the fooling - as Vesper left for the bank, a well-timed shot in the back would have been genuinely shocking - and made much more sense in the context of what has come before.

Nevertheless, the movie is a fine addition to the series, and instantly becomes a classic of its kind through the sheer force of Craig’s Bond, and from spirited performances by the other players. The movie has a very, very polished feel, and in this case, that’s not a bad thing…the whole production screams ‘big money’ and it delivers, for the most part.

A job well done, but next time, give the script-writing chores to someone else - Haggis is quickly wearing out his welcome…

One Response to “Casino Royale: The Decision ‘08 Review”

1 Decision ‘08 » Blog Archive » Oscar Musings Says:
February 25th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
[…] UPDATE 8:55 p.m.: Alright, The Departed gets one - Best Adapted Screenplay…The Departed was my fourth favorite film of the year…and considering Casino Royale rounded out the top five, I consider that a pretty damn good year at the flicks… […]