randy_byers | Casino Royale (2006)

I probably wouldn't have seen this movie if

holyoutlaw hadn't asked if I'd be interested in seeing it with him. I'm glad he asked. I'm not a big James Bond fan these days (the last one I saw was the one with Michelle Yeoh, which I thought was awful), and I was dubious about all the hype on this one. Every review seemed to have the word "grittier" in it, which made them all sound like a studio press release. But this is in fact a very good James Bond, with an interesting take on one of the great pulp icons of the twentieth century. It actually makes a character out of him, and some of the action sequences (particularly the parkour chase) are outstanding. The final act seemed a little anticlimactic and drifty at times, but it got to an interesting place eventually and gives Bond an intimate motivation for future stories.

I liked that the fights and chases were bone-crunching and flesh-bruising. I liked that they made Bond a masochist, and that this was a survival trait in his job. The one thing I really didn't like was the theme song -- sung by Seattleite and former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell. Very bland! Not bone-crunching! Pretty cool credits though.