While Bond aficionados generally recognize the significance of Casino Royale, my impression is that Skyfall has largely superseded Casino Royale in the popular consciousness as the “serious” James Bond film. I would argue, though, that Casino Royale is the only true “hard reboot” in the franchise’s history. Readers following the Three Brothers’ James Bond 007 Retrospective this year will know that I described For Your Eyes Only and The Living Daylights as “soft reboots” (and Anders examined GoldenEye as a kind of reboot). That, in my estimation, is the film’s true achievement. Or was it? The tone was noticeably more serious, the acting more nuanced, the dialogue crisper and more about witty exchanges than one-liners, the small dramatic moments given as much attention as the big action scenes-but it was still recognizably Bond. From the black-and-white pre-credits sequence in which Bond ruthlessly makes his first two kills in order to acquire his 007 status, to the interruption of the climactic car chase with Bond crashing and then being tortured, this was James Bond as I had never seen him before. I remember sitting in a movie theatre in November 2006 and being stunned at the achievement unfolding before me, feeling sheer delight at how good this Bond film was.
It’s been nine years since Casino Royale was released and I can still recall the excitement and shock.
