The “Casino Royale” scenes in Miami (weren’t actually filmed here)

“Casino Royale” is not your ordinary James Bond flick. Directed by Martin Campbell, the film does not conform to the image of the polished, invulnerable spy portrayed by Pierce Brosnan and his predecessors. Here, James Bond bleeds, and is deeply in love with 1 woman through the entire film, for whom he is ready to sacrifice his career as a spy. There are no sexy gadgets, and the new Bond, more often than not, uses his bare hands to overpower his enemies. The film portrays James Bond as a talented agent new to the business of spying. It is primarily based on Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel by the same name; and the fact that “Casino Royale”  has become the highest grossing Bond film ever, reveals its box office success.

Daniel Craig, as the new James Bond, portrays the character very well. The initial discomfort in getting into formal wear is funny to watch. The main villain, Le Chiffre, is not the megalomaniac we encounter in previous Bond movies, though he is equally malicious. Eva Green as the alluring, intelligent Vesper Lynd also delivers a fine performance.

A New Type of James Bond

The film begins early in James Bond’s career, before he is a 00 agent.

Unlike other Bond films, the movie starts with a documentary-style scene shot in black and white, where Bond questions a double agent who is accused of selling government secrets. The agent says to Bond, “if M is so sure, then, she would have sent a double-0 agent to kill me”. Bond replies that he has already killed one and needs to kill one more to become a double-0. The agent tries to outsmart Bond in vain. Bond reacts by saying, “I know where you keep your gun”. Bond then shoots the agent to earn his double-0 status (insert theme music here).

What Does This Movie Have To Do With Miami?

Bond’s mission leads him to Madagascar, Italy, Bahamas, England, The Czech Republic, and finally to Miami where the main villain is attempting to blow up a jumbo jet at Miami International Airport. The production team converted Prague International airport to look like exactly like the airport in Miami. They even planted palm trees and changed all the airport signs, which must have been difficult because the signs at Miami Airport are almost impossible to comprehend.

Another Miami-related scene takes place at the Body World Exhibit, although the actual location for filming was in Prague.

Although Daniel Craig and Eva Green have been criticized for lacking chemistry during the love scenes, Craig has effectively silenced his critics who said he would not fit into the classic mold of James Bond. I think the betrayal Bond suffers by his love interest, leads to the creation of the familiar Bond, an emotionally detached womanizer.  Eva Green as Vesper Lynd, and Mads Mikkelsen as the villian also give strong performances. The cinematography by Phil Meheux is good; and Casino Royale’s nomination for Best Cinematography at the BAFTA awards confirms it. Daniel Craig was also the first actor to receive a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor for his performance as James Bond.

The Cast:

Daniel Craig as James Bond
Eva Green as Vesper Lynd
Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre
Judi Dench as M
Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter
Isaach De Bankolé as Steven Obanno
Jesper Christensen as Mr.White
Claudio Santamaria as Carlos
Giancarlo Giannini as Rene Mathis
Ivana Miličević as Valenka
Sébastien Foucan as Mollaka
Simon Abkarian as Alex Dimitrios
Caterina Murino as Solange Dimitrios

The Crew:

Director: Martin Campbell
Producers: Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson
Screenplay: Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, Paul Haggis
Cinematography: Phil Meheux
Editor: Stuart Baird
Special Effects Supervisor: Chris Corbould

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