Casino Royale

Though Daniel Craig may not have been the biggest fan of his own work in Tomb Raider, he's become somewhat of a staple in 2000s action films for his constant reprisal of British Secret Service agent James Bond.

“The Name’s Bond.”

Bond has just received his license to kill and is coming off an international incident after killing a bomb-maker in Madagascar. But the intel collected in this franchise reboot leads down a rabbit hole…

French Communist Le Chiffre, who funds terrorist organizations, finds himself up shit’s creek when he loses 50 million franks investing in a chain of brothels just before the ratification of the Loi Marthe Richard by the French Fourth Republic. Unbeknownst to him, his Soviet subsidies have already planned his assassination.

NATO isn’t playing that game, and Bond is tasked with securing the money Le Chiffre hopes to win back in a high-stakes poker game held at the Royale-les-Eaux casino. This plot line is taken directly from the 1967 film by the same name, which was in turn loosely derived from the 1953 novel by the same name.

It stands to reason that if you’re familiar with James Bond -at all- you already know what’s coming. Guy meets girl who ups his steeze by assisting in foreign intelligence operations, yada yada yada.

Though initially skeptical about Bond, Vesper poses as his girlfriend to distract the other players and rushes to his rescue. Though she refuses to bankroll him after he loses his initial table stakes, she saves Bond's life again shortly after when Le Chiffre's lover Valenka poisons his martini.

Vesper visits Bond every day in the hospital, and after he is released, they go on holiday together and become lovers. Unknown to Bond, his femme fatale is a double agent, embezzling the tournament winnings with intentions of delivering them to Adolph Gettler.

“The Bitch is Dead Now."

Bond receives a timely phone call from Chief M and pursues Vesper as Gettler holds her hostage in a caged elevator. Bond kills Gettler and his henchmen, but causes the building to flood and start sinking in the process. After apologizing to Bond, Vesper locks herself in the elevator as it plunges into the waters below. Bond frantically tries to save her life, but in a final gesture, she kisses his hands and sinks to the bottom. Bond finally extricates her and unsuccessfully attempts to revive her. She’s very beautiful, which is part of what makes it so sad.

Bond awakens in hospital two days later to a media cover story of Le Chiffre’s reported suicide. When he has returned to service, M informs Bond that the organization behind Le Chiffre threatened to kill Vesper's lover as a form of blackmail. When Bond denounces Vesper as a traitor, M reasons she likely made a deal with White by trading the winnings for Bond's life. Realizing Vesper left her phone as a clue, Bond locates Mr. White at an estate in Lake Como. He shoots White in the leg and introduces himself with his famous catchphrase.

Critical Reception

This title is fondly remembered and a great representation of early 2000s drama directing. Maybe it’s because Daniel Craig just looks so cool with a silenced pistol. Despite setting third-wave feminism back a decade, the film was a smashing box office success, grossing over $600 million. And rightfully so. Need I remind you, the promo for this film was insane. RadioShack produced a line of remote-controlled Aston Martins, and the acceleration provided by that battery pack was no joke.

Where to Watch Casino Royale:

Casino Royale is available for streaming on HBO Max.