 Casino Royale introduces James Bond before he holds his license to kill. But Bond is no less dangerous, and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to "00" status. "M" (Judi Dench), head of the British Secret Service, sends the newly-promoted 007 on his first mission that takes him to Madagascar, the Bahamas and eventually leads him to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. "M" places Bond under the watchful eye of the Treasury official Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond's interest in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre's cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond could never imagine, and he learns his most important lesson: Trust no one. Storyline: James Bond goes on his first ever mission as a 00. Le Chiffre is a banker to the world's terrorists. He is participating in a poker game at Montenegro, where he must win back his money, in order to stay safe among the terrorist market. The boss of MI6, known simply as M sends Bond, along with Vesper Lynd to attend this game and prevent Le Chiffre from winning. Bond, using help from Felix Leiter, Mathis and having Vesper pose as his wife, enters the most important poker game in his already dangerous career. But if Bond defeats Le Chiffre, will he and Vesper Lynd remain safe? Written by simon Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Greg Maltz, October 26, 2008 -- As excitement builds for the second film in the rebooted 007 saga, Quantum of Solace, Sony has revisited its prequel, Casino Royale. Boasting a two-disc release with a Dolby TrueHD audio track, the "Collector's Edition" also adds BD Live capability, picture-in-picture, more bonus content than you can watch in one sitting, and an e-Movie cash offer toward a Quantum of Solace ticket. But the best thing about the new edition Blu-ray release may not be the bevy of bonuses. It could be the different audio track (more on that later). Or maybe it's simply the celebration of the franchise reboot starring Daniel Craig, the actor many critics believe to be closest to the original Ian Fleming character. Of all the previous Bonds, Craig is the first to have the boorish personality and ruthlessness of Fleming's spy. The new Bond can still come off as charming or funny when the situation dictates it. But one cannot escape the more solitary, physical demeanor of Craig's 007. Humor, sophistication, and passion are not in his nature. Those attributes seem to come about by pure accident, unlike Sean Connery's Bond, or any of the other predecessors who focused more on charm than on the real characteristics of Fleming's spy. The rebooted series would do away with this suave charade once and for all and start the spy off where Fleming himself started: a little story named Casino Royale. The movie not only updates Bond, but takes his story to present day. The spy from 60 years ago is now brought firmly within the new millennium with cell phones, laptops, satellite surveillance and a plot revolving around the funding of terrorism. The film shows Blu-ray discs used to backup video surveillance at a security office, along with Ericsson phones and VAIO computers. At times, it seems like an extended Sony ad, but Sony's product placements are all in the flow of the story. Bond is simultaneously revved up with dizzying foot chases and brutal hand-to-hand combat scenes while being stripped down, with none of the gadgets, fancy torture devices or silly frills of the earlier films. After the credits roll, the opening chase scene featuring free-runner Sebastien Foucan, playing a bomb-maker, is hands-down the most ballsy, physically demanding action sequence in any 007 feature. One might expect the rest of the movie to be a letdown after that, but it isn't. The airport chase scene and brutal adventures in Venice, Italy prove every bit as riveting, while the epic scenes and vistas in the Bahamas and Montenegro are as gorgeous as any earlier James Bond film, and the psychology behind the card games make for good spectator sport. Even the villain of Casino Royale is better than the pretentious bad-guys from previous Bond movies. Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) is sinister by virtue of his business securing terrorist funds, his bleeding eye, cool demeanor and gambling skills. When it comes time for the showdown between Le Chiffre and Bond, Casino Royale does away with boring car chases, boat chases, plane chases, elaborate schemes and other frills that go nowhere and focuses instead on a stark torture scene that delivers insight into the characters. Some Blu-ray fans were upset that the Collector's Edition did not include the extended cut of the film or special packaging. The two discs are simply included in a standard plastic BD case with no booklet or other content of interest. While the extras are a clear step up and the video content is the same, I found the audio to be significantly better--particularly the score--which surprised me considering my usual preference for lossless PCM over Dolby TrueHD. Being audio-obsessed, I found the slight upgrade fully justified the double-dip for me, but it's more difficult to recommend the Collector's Edition to others. For the average Blu-ray collector who already owns the first Casino Royale release, I can't in good conscience recommend the new edition, knowing that it offers no video upgrade and that the initial release was a quality effort from Sony. Casino Royale reboots James Bond into a thick plot of terrorist brokerage crime, high-stakes gambling and of course international espionage. In the midst of it, we come to know the new 007 and his brand of action, brutality and loyalty. His relationship with Vesper Lynd shows him to be capable of love, but fundamentally distrustful of anyone--and that probably includes his own boss, M (Judy Dench). The new brand of violence and less sociable psychology of Bond highlight a welcome change. Previous incarnations of 007 were at their best when they emulated the wit and charm that made Sean Connery's Bond so popular. But he was not the scrappy, blue eyed Bond from Ian Fleming's spy thrillers. Daniel Craig is--or at least he comes far closer than any previous actor. And the virtual absence of any silly gadgets, contraptions, overelaborate torture schemes, tired car chases and other formulaic Bond fare make Casino Royale appear fresh and new. It retains moments of humor and levity, but overall has a darker, more serious aura. I recommend this new "Collector's Edition" reissue as a slightly better package to catch up on the newly rebooted 007. Familiarize yourself with it now. In Quantum of Solace, we are set to see the full wrath of revenge from Bond. I can't wait to see what Craig does with it. IMDb Rating (02/21/10): 8.0/10 from 165,063 users
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