It is the best, IMO. Not only is Sebastien Foucalt bringing one of the best parkour runs on film, but the way Bond pushes himself and takes risks to keep up shows you everything you need to know about Craig's Bond. He will do anything to win (proud, perhaps vain), he will risk his life repeatedly for the mission and without hesitation (heroic, noble, strong), he doesn't plan on being alive very long (a tragic hero, gloomy). So you not only have the excellent physical choreography and opposed styles of movement between Foucalt and Craig, but every single sequence of the scene is showing you something about the character: that's what makes it the best. The only competitor is Trinity's introduction chase in The Matrix - which not only does it show you the 'rules' of the fantasy world, shows you the power hierarchy of Agents > Trinity > Humans, and similarly shows you Trinity's personality. The only reason her sequence loses marks IMO, is that it's too short - it gets full marks for what we see - but Craig's scene extended it to show us more.
Interestingly enough, there were posters (even on Netflix as of typing this) that feature him with the longer blonde hair before they cut it to the length on the movie
There was similar backlash with Brosnan for "being too much of a pretty boy", but Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies are still two of the best movies in the franchise
Fun Fact: For Daniel Craig's now iconic scene where he rises out of the sea in a pair of Speedos, many of the crew were out of camera range in boats fending off the paparazzi.
I remember taking my younger brother to see this at the theater. I was 21 at the time and my brother 11. When we were walking out of the showing, he turned to me, and said something I will never forget. He said: "Thank you *insert my name*. I finally understand why you love movies now." We saw The Departed earlier that year when I turned 21 and was able to take him to a rated R film on my own. Today, nearly 17 years later, I have a wife and family of my own, and my little brother who fell in love with cinema that fall in 2006 is now a script writer for a pretty famous TV show, as well as a foley artist. No big projects with his gift for sound effects yet, but he's amazingly talented do I'm certain that he will land a great project soon.
Personally I thought It demonstrated Bonds greatest strength, his intelligence. The guy he's chasing is clearly faster, and yet Bond consistently uses his intelligence and quick thinking throughout the scene to use things to his advantage to keep up. Excellent intro scene to the new Bond if you ask me!
I remember seeing this opening night and, the audience, holy shit! we were ALL loosing our minds lol the opening scene and the tour scene really solidified a very different kind of Bond than its predecessors. It's laughable now when everyone was saying Daniel couldn't do it because he was blond lmao
Casino Royale is the greatest James Bond movie. It's a pure perfection with amazing script, brilliant acting and awesome stunts. Perfect movie. PS: Eva Green was stunning in that movie.
I totally agree! I wish we would see Eva Green in more movies. She is an incredible actress! She should have won an Emmy in Penny Dreadful TV series where she is in padded room. I don't rem3mber the episode but it was either the last season or 2nd to last season.
Connery's introduction in Dr. No was directly lifted from Cary Grant's introduction in Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious, in which Grant plays the best (unofficial) version of Bond in all of movies. Check it out. Hitchcock was heavily sought after to direct the Bond films, as he was pretty much the creator and preeminent director of the spy film genre.
This scene really cemented the importance of "show, don't tell". I don't normally care for chase scenes but this one really did everything right. I think the thing that really makes it stand out, and the thing I've found myself rooting for the most in action films these days is that it's a showcase of an actor's talents, but in a way that serves the story and feels organic, and realistic. And it's good to see Bond chasing a person who's actually physically a match for him. The guy really gives him a run for his money (pun fully intended).
When he ordered a Martini, and the bartender asks “Shaken or Stirred?”, and Bond replies, “Do I look like I give a damn?” - also a clear reset and introduction of a great new Bond. 😎👍
I was honestly just thinking about this movie last night along with the entirety of the first 20 minutes. Such a beautiful way to reintroduce/introduce bond to a new generation that serves with the greatest impact.
I agree. Daniel Craig and Casino Royale was exactly what it took and it was executed in such a perfect way to bring James Bond into the 21st century and keep him relevant. And they closed Craig's arc in a unique way for franchise to keep a whole lot of people itching to see how it will live on.
@@melisagalvalizi6982 Going out like a boss by calmly watching the attack he called in to finally end the threat posed by the bad guys? The main personal conflict through the story, and indeed through the Craig films, was that Bond was someone who could never lead a normal life, regardless of how hard he tried, and that his very existence would be a threat to those he loved, because of who he was and what he had done. The film pretty much screamed that from the very beginning. This was a man who was never going to have a happy ending living into old age, and he knew it. The film simply took what was metaphorically the case and made it literally true with the nanotech: as long as Bond existed, he would be a threat that would eventually end in the death of his loved ones, no matter how hard he tried. So he sacrificed himself not to save the world, but a single little girl. He might not see his daughter grow up, but she _would_ grow up. In terms of storytelling, in terms of this character, that was a perfect ending.
Just a note on Sebastien Foucan's inclusion in the movie for the parkour stunts - the bond franchise has a history of picking a thing that is revolutionary or new, and instead of getting a stunt person trained in said thing, they just find the original creators and get them.
I even liked the very beginning where he’s talking to that rogue agent about how it’s difficult doing the first kill. Then shows how even during his first kill he shows little remorse and is brutal. This quickly showed me that we were dealing with a different animal here
This opening action sequence is just so incredible. Everything from the parkour, the way that we as an audience completely understand that this Bond is gonna be so different with how he’s depicted in the past as well as all around being an amazingly crafted action scene is damn great. Casino Royale is just the most goated introduction Craig could’ve had.
Other Bond introductions that I love, but not necessarily for the same reasons: The Living Daylights: It's not quite as flashy as other Bond set pieces, but that's part of its charm. It relies more on pure espionage tension than on action, and it establishes Bond as a quick thinker who can solve a situation under pressure. Goldeneye: Those two bungee jumps are still stunning stunt work. And while it does a good job presenting Bond as someone who uses humor to cope with the pressure of his job, what stands out to me is how it introduces Trevelyan: coming out of the shadows to foreshadow his turn into villainy and his psychopathic nature.
That's why I think pretty much all the Bond introduction work really well, each one feels very unique and different, and tell you exactly what kind of character this version of Bond is: Connery: suave, cool, possessing a detached air of arrogance and confidence Lazenby: more of a fighter, but also surprisingly noble and romantic Moore: incredibly witty, has a penchant for gadgets and puns, and way more of a womaniser than before Dalton: ruthless and efficient, very quick to anger, fights way dirtier than his predecessors Brosnan: playful with cheeky sense of humour, but can get very violent when angry or upset Craig: cold and calculating, way more of a brutal fighter, but also able to outthink his opponents
Nice one. The Craig Bonds are by far my favorite, for the reasons highlighed here. Glad you noted the debt they owe to the Bourne series, which revolutionised 'action movies' in the best possible way in my eyes.
Great video! Watching snippets of "Casino Royal" gives me goosebumps. Daniel Craig is such a force of nature in that movie. Best re-interpretation of a character I can think of. I wonder how Bond is going to evolve now, after "No Time to Die". One thing is for sure: "Casino Royal" will be very, very hard to beat.
There were hits and misses in the Craig era with some weak story decisions but I will always love Craig's depiction of Bond and Casino Royal with him is my favorite of all the Bond films. FYI, I started watching Bond as a kid with Roger Moore on cable in The Spy Who Loved me and my first in theater outing being For Your Eyes Only.
@@kennethfharkin That's funny. "The Spy Who Loved me" and "For Your Eyes Only" are the first Bonds I remember watching as a kid, back in the eighties living in England. Great movies! I agree about the Craig era. Story-wise, there's definitely more than enough stuff in there, that isn't doing the series nor Daniel Craig's incarnation justice. However, "Casino Royal" is clearly on the top of the list of all Bond films, if not movies in general. To me, it's one of those rare lightning in a bottle movies. Never gets old.
Me and my dad are both huge bond fans and doubted Craig, but that scene where he got poisoned and restarted his own heart just to sit back down and play cards. We were both like yeah this is Bond
Great analysis. Only thing I would add is that they did try to return to the parkour style in the Quantum foot chase. In Skyfall they did a variation of it in the opening, parkour with motorcycles. Love your content, keep up the good work!
I only remember this as my favorite scene of my favorite action movie at the time when I was a kid. I didn't understand it's plot back then but I was well aware that it was the classic hero James Bond movie.
This was so iconic, my dad and I were talking about James Bond movies not so long ago. I told him I started watching James Bond when Daniel was introduced and he literally said "the movie with the guy who runs?" 💀
i just watched a video on why casino royale is the best bond movie - on her majesty's secret service is my personal favourite - and then my favourite RUclips channel blesses us with this gem. Is this what they call resonance? Love your vids man, keep on talking about anything and everything. Love it!
Casino Royale is still my favorite Bond Movie, and the best one, in my opinion. Everything was on point: Casting, script, action, suspense, drama, VFX, Camerawork, stunts.
I will always remember the brutal bathroom fight contrasted with the cold execution of Craig's two 00-qualifying kills, leading straight into Chris Cornell's explosive _You Know My Name._ _Casino Royale_ was excellent from the first scene, and all the way through.
Much is made of the post-credits parkour scene, and rightfully so. It is one of the best crafted, most electrifying actions scenes in the history of all films, much less Bond films. But let's not forget that this was preceded by the actual black and white intro scene, which in its own way was equally amazing, and then the credit sequence featuring perhaps the second best Bond song ever written. All in all, perhaps the most satisfying opening ten minutes in all of film. And as you say, l think the filmmakers knew they could never replicate it, so they just went in other directions. It speaks volumes that the entire opening is so perfect that even the Bond Machine never attempted it again.
I really wished they would have kept this darker, more brutal version of Bond. It was cool to see the "suave, jokey" guy just be a mask over the serial killer for the government.
No mention of perhaps one of the best opening theme songs in the entire franchise? When Chris Cornell belts “You know my name!” and the camera focuses on Craig’s steely blue eyes? Cinematic perfection!
I am child of the 90s so the reason I got into Bond was because of Pierce Brosnan, Judi Dench, and Sean Bean. Goldeneye was such an immersive experience that I thought being a spy was the coolest job in the world. Thank you, Homeland, for ruining those dreams. Because I really enjoyed the Brosnan era and the bond girls, I can only applaud everything that was done in the Craig era. The opening scenes of Casino , Quantum, Skyfall and Spectre have been recorded in my mind. They are fun, sleek, beautiful and more importantly memorable. The parkour scene up to this point is the best action sequence of the franchise.
By far the best description of why Casino Royale was one, if not the best, Bond movies yet. So mad I didn't see this in theaters when I had the chance.
Casino Royale was such an amazing film! I loved all the details, like just before he ran up the crane arm, he hit a lever so the crane would move in the right direction.
This isn't his introduction. He had a black and white opening showing his 2 kills that earned him the double-O status. Which, also, was an excellent intro.
The first-kill part and the chase are both introductory. The guy who struggled to drown one man in a sink isn't the same man who callously blows up a building full of people (and himself). All that remains to complete the character is to learn to move among the snobbish set, and to develop his emotionally burned-out detachment toward women, both of which comprise the rest of the movie.
You have a fantastic chase scene. It directly builds and shows you who Craigs Bond is, but all of those things you learn are then constantly referenced and called back to through the whole film. Probably the best example is the torture scene, he won't give Le Chiffre what he wants despite his threats and it actually makes sense for once in a movie, as we've already seen Bond not even flinch at gunfire, free climb up a tower block under construction, jump from crane to crane to rooftop hundreds of feet up and literally run through a wall all to complete his mission. When everything links like that it makes such a difference to how you perceive a characters actions later in the movie and the movie itself
I concur completely. Although the opening scene is actually the black and white scene in which he earns his 007 status which is also brilliant, the parkour scene is perfection. Daniel Craig is THE Bond and will be difficult to replace. They finally stepped away from what became rather cartoonish under Roger Moore to a three dimensional force to be reckoned with. Obviously partly due to the writers to be sure, Craig was able to be ruthless, intelligent but also vulnerable: picture him sitting in the shower with Vesper, just holding her while she weeps. Would Sean have done that? I think not. Or falling in love with her and then feeling utterly betrayed by her until M explains why she did it. Craig created a Bond that wasn’t “pretty”: he is handsome but with a craggy demeanour. Also, his Bond wasn’t the same sort of user of women that Sean’s was. I realize this attitude had a great deal to do with the times during which Dr. No etc. were filmed but you don’t get that same feeling that Craig’s Bond sees that every attractive woman in his bailiwick is sexual fair game. He respects Vesper even when he first meets her because he is an intelligent man. Well, I could go on and on, but to date, I think Casino Royale is still by far the best of the 25 films to date. And, yes. I am vastly interested to see with whom they will try to replace him. But … not holding my breath.
In my opinion the way Sean Connery was introduced was the best, followed by that remarkable opening in Casino Royale with Daniel Craig. Your analysis was excellent!
@@RyWalk24 So will be, OHMSS.. One of my faves.. Still , Casino Royale , (Not the Niven one, of course) still is my most rewatched. Grounded without all the gadgets.. I like that
Yes. The whole movie is an origin story. He goes into that black-and-white bathroom as a regular navy officer who wants to be a spy, and two hours (our time) later, he has become the guy Connery played. That's why the classic music isn't heard until then.
What??? This isn't how he is introduced. He was introduced in the black and white opening where he killed the agent selling information. Showing how he got his 00 agent status. The title of this video is misleading
Well right, but it was hard to tell from Bond's first kill that this was a newly reinvented "blunt instrument" version of him. Again, that was his very first kill, so it was bound to be messy and chaotic... but it did give you a HINT that something was different. The parkour scene fully broke down the differences though... in a kind of "oh Bond is different now? Show your work" type of way. The video points this out when it mentions how the bomb maker is seamlessly gliding through which ever environment he traverses, where as Bond is just brute forcing his way through whatever tries to stop him from his goal. Not to mention the end where Bond killed the bomb maker essentially out of malice... almost in a "you're gonna make go through all that and think I won't kill you at the end of it?" kind of way, even though Bond really should've kept him alive.
I totally agree, the black and white scene is the real introduction. The bathroom scene is truly brutal and feels "real" in a way so few action scenesbin any movie do. The second kill is cold, professional, and terrifying in a way that speaks to who Bond is. Watch this opening and M's poem from Skyfall and I think you will understand much of who Bond is supposed to be.
Excellent film but still my favourite opening sequence is in TSWLM. Ski escape from enemy agents, zooms off a cliff, parachute opens, Union Jack canopy and Monty Norman’s music score hits the soundtrack. Unbeatable! :-D
I was never a fan of bond movies growing up. Yes I watched some of them, most of them not even to completion. I always viewed them as just a step above action B-movies. Then sometime in 2005 I was on an online forum where the casting of Craig was a hot topic and people were split right in the middle, with very vocal detractors. It piqued my interest and thought Id watch it in the cinema. I was blown away, from the first opening scene right till the end. This was it. The perfect person to play Bond. Now I consider Casino Royale the best bond film, and among the best movies of all time. Addendum: no-make up Eva Green will always, ALWAYS be the best Eva Green. (That scene where Bond tries on his suit)
Excellent assessment. The beginning of Casino Royale was the best re-introduction of a new Bond. Particularly where Craig ruthlessly kills the bomb maker and hitman in the bathroom scene as Martin Campbell mentioned Ian Fleming wrote the character as a brutal, cold blooded killer. EON productions still has massive potential with the franchise provided they choose a young, athletic and imposing Brit to portray the iconic character.
This was and is the only James Bond I have ever really liked. I remember when this was coming to DVD and the mall by me had just opened up this large Bose store. They had this enormous TV with this incredible surround sound that played that scene on loop and people would just sit in there to watch it over and over.
Wow watching this back the amount of Craig stunt double used is insane. Even for things that look easy, like kicking the door open. Go back and rewatch it.
Thanks for a great video. I think Casino Royale has the best opening sequence especially if you add the fight in the bathroom and the Prague killing. The boat chase in The World is Not Enough is also pretty good and the opening to The World is Not Enough is right up there as well. My only minor criticism of the video is at 1:03, Bond is MI6 and not MI5.
Should be signed into law. I rewatch the 1995 Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers movie from time to time because-in addition to loving it as a kid and it having a killer soundtrack-, it has aged VERY well precisely because of the practical effects. In fact, the worst part of the movie are the Zords, which are CGI and already looked horrible when it came out. Other than that, the scenes shot *on-location* look great, as do the suits, and that goes not just for the Power Rangers but for the enemies as well. Those scenes look great because, even *if* something doesn't look real, at least it looks like *it exists* .
The foot chase in ‘Casino Royals’ ushered in a new level of physicality never seen before in the Bond franchise. Gone were the days of posing and preening, seen at their worst when Roger Moore portrayed Bond as a barely mobile clothes rack. Since seeing that opening sequence I’ve wanted to apologize to Daniel Craig for questioning his ability to play the part. After his turn as the psychopathic Connor Rooney in ‘The Road to Perdition’ I couldn’t imagine him as Bond . . .
Yeah It's an iconic scene this far into it's history as Craig's first outing as Bond. But for me personally, Casino Royale will always be the movie that introduced me to Eva Green. I've been in love ever since! Ha ha ha.
At a special screening of Casino Royale, I got to personally tell Martin Campbell that he made the best modern Bond film and perhaps the best Bond film of all time. Being a humble and personable man, he didn’t want to accept that as true. But the round of applause outvoted his humility.
Bond pulling a Kool-aid Man in that opening chase is what sold me on Craig's iteration. I only lament that Sam Mendes scrapped all of the characterization that Craig's Bond was given turning him into a smart, intuitive spy and not a gadget-toting, quipper.
God casino royale is so fucking good. Might be my straight-up favourite Bond movie. It’s pretty long but it moves at a blistering pace, it’s an exciting watch every time
Remember seeing "CASINO ROYALE" Opening Day. And thought to Myself how that Chase Sequence looked exactly like something Guy Hamilton directed. Especially with the long tracking shots.
Martin Campbell not only directed Casino Royale but also Pierce Brosnam’s debut Goldeneye. Both Casino Royale and Goldeneye are two of the very best Bond films made
This was also probably one of the best on foot chase sequences in modern action cinema.
Totally. While it wasn’t the intro (which were the two intertwined scenes before), was a very powerful chase scene for sure. Very memorable.
It is the best, IMO. Not only is Sebastien Foucalt bringing one of the best parkour runs on film, but the way Bond pushes himself and takes risks to keep up shows you everything you need to know about Craig's Bond. He will do anything to win (proud, perhaps vain), he will risk his life repeatedly for the mission and without hesitation (heroic, noble, strong), he doesn't plan on being alive very long (a tragic hero, gloomy). So you not only have the excellent physical choreography and opposed styles of movement between Foucalt and Craig, but every single sequence of the scene is showing you something about the character: that's what makes it the best.
The only competitor is Trinity's introduction chase in The Matrix - which not only does it show you the 'rules' of the fantasy world, shows you the power hierarchy of Agents > Trinity > Humans, and similarly shows you Trinity's personality. The only reason her sequence loses marks IMO, is that it's too short - it gets full marks for what we see - but Craig's scene extended it to show us more.
Easily
It's very good. I'm also partial to the foot chase in Point Break.
Best foot chase ever was 'Point Break' Keano Reeves Vs Patrick Swayze.
I remember the backlash Daniel got for being a blonde Bond. It quickly died after Casino Royale came out.
oh wow
I didn't even notice
Interestingly enough, there were posters (even on Netflix as of typing this) that feature him with the longer blonde hair before they cut it to the length on the movie
I kinda get the backlash but at the same time it doesn't make sense either cause Roger Moore was also blonde.
There was a backlash?🤷♂️
There was similar backlash with Brosnan for "being too much of a pretty boy", but Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies are still two of the best movies in the franchise
Fun Fact: For Daniel Craig's now iconic scene where he rises out of the sea in a pair of Speedos, many of the crew were out of camera range in boats fending off the paparazzi.
It's a near direct copy of Connery's Bond doing the same.
Ursula Andress in Dr no is the inspiration
Fun fact.. Daniel was meant to walk out of the water as he did… but it was to shalllow , hence thi iconic scene
Not a 'pair of Speedos' but trunks - possibly Orlebar Brown?
I saw that scene as my inspiration to be real man
I remember taking my younger brother to see this at the theater. I was 21 at the time and my brother 11. When we were walking out of the showing, he turned to me, and said something I will never forget. He said: "Thank you *insert my name*. I finally understand why you love movies now." We saw The Departed earlier that year when I turned 21 and was able to take him to a rated R film on my own. Today, nearly 17 years later, I have a wife and family of my own, and my little brother who fell in love with cinema that fall in 2006 is now a script writer for a pretty famous TV show, as well as a foley artist. No big projects with his gift for sound effects yet, but he's amazingly talented do I'm certain that he will land a great project soon.
That's the most wholesome thing I have read today. Fuck yeah.
thank you Bradley, i guess he said
That's an amazing story, well done dude
Wishing your little brother the very best!!
This is an awesome story. Made my day
Personally I thought It demonstrated Bonds greatest strength, his intelligence. The guy he's chasing is clearly faster, and yet Bond consistently uses his intelligence and quick thinking throughout the scene to use things to his advantage to keep up. Excellent intro scene to the new Bond if you ask me!
Then there's the parody by Johnny English.
Terrible without double entendre or any witticism. Not well. I never left. Of course, you are.
I remember seeing this opening night and, the audience, holy shit! we were ALL loosing our minds lol the opening scene and the tour scene really solidified a very different kind of Bond than its predecessors. It's laughable now when everyone was saying Daniel couldn't do it because he was blond lmao
The word "losing" only has one "o" in it.
Run Henry, the Grammar Nazis have found you!!!
@@exploringcolorado720 You are probably the only person on earth that doesn't understand that the extra O was intentional.
Casino Royale is the greatest James Bond movie. It's a pure perfection with amazing script, brilliant acting and awesome stunts. Perfect movie. PS: Eva Green was stunning in that movie.
I totally agree! I wish we would see Eva Green in more movies. She is an incredible actress! She should have won an Emmy in Penny Dreadful TV series where she is in padded room. I don't rem3mber the episode but it was either the last season or 2nd to last season.
OHMSS is the greatest Bond movie. CR is the best Daniel Craig Bond movie, though, by far...and is one of the best Bond films.
Facts
Goldeneye is the best!
Connery's introduction in Dr. No was directly lifted from Cary Grant's introduction in Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious, in which Grant plays the best (unofficial) version of Bond in all of movies. Check it out. Hitchcock was heavily sought after to direct the Bond films, as he was pretty much the creator and preeminent director of the spy film genre.
Totally agree. Hitchcock's movie set the perfect Bond movie baseline.
North by Northwest is considered as the perfect template for Bond movies. The aircraft chase is re-created in From Russia with Love.
@@muhammadharisbinmunir5379 Yes first time I saw North by Northwest it felt like a proto-bond film with Grant as a more light hearted take on Bond
This foot chase sequence has lived rent-free in my head since I was a kid.
This scene really cemented the importance of "show, don't tell". I don't normally care for chase scenes but this one really did everything right. I think the thing that really makes it stand out, and the thing I've found myself rooting for the most in action films these days is that it's a showcase of an actor's talents, but in a way that serves the story and feels organic, and realistic. And it's good to see Bond chasing a person who's actually physically a match for him. The guy really gives him a run for his money (pun fully intended).
When he ordered a Martini, and the bartender asks “Shaken or Stirred?”, and Bond replies, “Do I look like I give a damn?” - also a clear reset and introduction of a great new Bond. 😎👍
I swear AHAHA
I can only imagine Daniel Craig reading Casino Royals’s script and thinking “They want me to climb up what?!!!”
The intro in Spectre with the Day of The Dead in Mexico City still stands out to me. Absolutely incredible scene.
I was honestly just thinking about this movie last night along with the entirety of the first 20 minutes. Such a beautiful way to reintroduce/introduce bond to a new generation that serves with the greatest impact.
I agree.
Daniel Craig and Casino Royale was exactly what it took and it was executed in such a perfect way to bring James Bond into the 21st century and keep him relevant. And they closed Craig's arc in a unique way for franchise to keep a whole lot of people itching to see how it will live on.
there was no need to kill him off
@@melisagalvalizi6982 Going out like a boss by calmly watching the attack he called in to finally end the threat posed by the bad guys? The main personal conflict through the story, and indeed through the Craig films, was that Bond was someone who could never lead a normal life, regardless of how hard he tried, and that his very existence would be a threat to those he loved, because of who he was and what he had done. The film pretty much screamed that from the very beginning. This was a man who was never going to have a happy ending living into old age, and he knew it. The film simply took what was metaphorically the case and made it literally true with the nanotech: as long as Bond existed, he would be a threat that would eventually end in the death of his loved ones, no matter how hard he tried. So he sacrificed himself not to save the world, but a single little girl. He might not see his daughter grow up, but she _would_ grow up.
In terms of storytelling, in terms of this character, that was a perfect ending.
So proud to be part of stunt performer on this Action film, Casino Royale all the way from Africa in South africa
"Well done!" from England -
very enjoyable!
/
Just a note on Sebastien Foucan's inclusion in the movie for the parkour stunts - the bond franchise has a history of picking a thing that is revolutionary or new, and instead of getting a stunt person trained in said thing, they just find the original creators and get them.
I especially love the part where Bond busts through the wall and yells, "It's Bondin' time." There's a reason that the film sold a Bondillion tickets.
Ah yes. The Bond girls all loved Bondin time.
I wish my dad would bust through the wall and yell "It's bondin' time" :'(
I like the part where he Bonded all over the baddies.
Fun fact, I trained with Sébastian for 4 years doing parkour in London, he's a pretty cool guy
I even liked the very beginning where he’s talking to that rogue agent about how it’s difficult doing the first kill. Then shows how even during his first kill he shows little remorse and is brutal.
This quickly showed me that we were dealing with a different animal here
“Made you feel it did he?”
“Shame, we barely got to know each other”
This opening action sequence is just so incredible. Everything from the parkour, the way that we as an audience completely understand that this Bond is gonna be so different with how he’s depicted in the past as well as all around being an amazingly crafted action scene is damn great. Casino Royale is just the most goated introduction Craig could’ve had.
Craig was the most book-accurate Bond. That ending. "The b*tch is dead." Perfect line, perfect delivery, straight from the book.
Other Bond introductions that I love, but not necessarily for the same reasons:
The Living Daylights: It's not quite as flashy as other Bond set pieces, but that's part of its charm. It relies more on pure espionage tension than on action, and it establishes Bond as a quick thinker who can solve a situation under pressure.
Goldeneye: Those two bungee jumps are still stunning stunt work. And while it does a good job presenting Bond as someone who uses humor to cope with the pressure of his job, what stands out to me is how it introduces Trevelyan: coming out of the shadows to foreshadow his turn into villainy and his psychopathic nature.
I think that all Bond introductions except Live And Let Die were great.
That’s kinda what Fleming’s books were like it was more espionage than action there was action but it wasn’t over the top
That's why I think pretty much all the Bond introduction work really well, each one feels very unique and different, and tell you exactly what kind of character this version of Bond is:
Connery: suave, cool, possessing a detached air of arrogance and confidence
Lazenby: more of a fighter, but also surprisingly noble and romantic
Moore: incredibly witty, has a penchant for gadgets and puns, and way more of a womaniser than before
Dalton: ruthless and efficient, very quick to anger, fights way dirtier than his predecessors
Brosnan: playful with cheeky sense of humour, but can get very violent when angry or upset
Craig: cold and calculating, way more of a brutal fighter, but also able to outthink his opponents
Nice one. The Craig Bonds are by far my favorite, for the reasons highlighed here. Glad you noted the debt they owe to the Bourne series, which revolutionised 'action movies' in the best possible way in my eyes.
Great video!
Watching snippets of "Casino Royal" gives me goosebumps. Daniel Craig is such a force of nature in that movie. Best re-interpretation of a character I can think of. I wonder how Bond is going to evolve now, after "No Time to Die". One thing is for sure: "Casino Royal" will be very, very hard to beat.
There were hits and misses in the Craig era with some weak story decisions but I will always love Craig's depiction of Bond and Casino Royal with him is my favorite of all the Bond films. FYI, I started watching Bond as a kid with Roger Moore on cable in The Spy Who Loved me and my first in theater outing being For Your Eyes Only.
@@kennethfharkin That's funny. "The Spy Who Loved me" and "For Your Eyes Only" are the first Bonds I remember watching as a kid, back in the eighties living in England. Great movies!
I agree about the Craig era. Story-wise, there's definitely more than enough stuff in there, that isn't doing the series nor Daniel Craig's incarnation justice. However, "Casino Royal" is clearly on the top of the list of all Bond films, if not movies in general. To me, it's one of those rare lightning in a bottle movies. Never gets old.
Me and my dad are both huge bond fans and doubted Craig, but that scene where he got poisoned and restarted his own heart just to sit back down and play cards. We were both like yeah this is Bond
I always saw James Bond like Johny English, but after the scene I fell in love with James Bond
Great analysis. Only thing I would add is that they did try to return to the parkour style in the Quantum foot chase. In Skyfall they did a variation of it in the opening, parkour with motorcycles. Love your content, keep up the good work!
I only remember this as my favorite scene of my favorite action movie at the time when I was a kid. I didn't understand it's plot back then but I was well aware that it was the classic hero James Bond movie.
This was so iconic, my dad and I were talking about James Bond movies not so long ago. I told him I started watching James Bond when Daniel was introduced and he literally said "the movie with the guy who runs?" 💀
I remember loving this era in cinema where Casino Royal, redefined Bond and Batman Begins redefined Batman! Amazing time to be a movie fan!
i just watched a video on why casino royale is the best bond movie - on her majesty's secret service is my personal favourite - and then my favourite RUclips channel blesses us with this gem. Is this what they call resonance? Love your vids man, keep on talking about anything and everything. Love it!
Casino Royale is still my favorite Bond Movie, and the best one, in my opinion. Everything was on point: Casting, script, action, suspense, drama, VFX, Camerawork, stunts.
This analysis is too thorough of something I never really realized, well done.
I will always remember the brutal bathroom fight contrasted with the cold execution of Craig's two 00-qualifying kills, leading straight into Chris Cornell's explosive _You Know My Name._
_Casino Royale_ was excellent from the first scene, and all the way through.
They didn't REALLY get rid of the gadgets entirely because he has some down to earth stuff in his car like a defibrillator.
Much is made of the post-credits parkour scene, and rightfully so. It is one of the best crafted, most electrifying actions scenes in the history of all films, much less Bond films. But let's not forget that this was preceded by the actual black and white intro scene, which in its own way was equally amazing, and then the credit sequence featuring perhaps the second best Bond song ever written. All in all, perhaps the most satisfying opening ten minutes in all of film. And as you say, l think the filmmakers knew they could never replicate it, so they just went in other directions. It speaks volumes that the entire opening is so perfect that even the Bond Machine never attempted it again.
I really wished they would have kept this darker, more brutal version of Bond. It was cool to see the "suave, jokey" guy just be a mask over the serial killer for the government.
And don't forget the banger of a intro song!
Putting nostalgia aside, Daniel Craig is Bond in its best form
No mention of perhaps one of the best opening theme songs in the entire franchise? When Chris Cornell belts “You know my name!” and the camera focuses on Craig’s steely blue eyes? Cinematic perfection!
I am child of the 90s so the reason I got into Bond was because of Pierce Brosnan, Judi Dench, and Sean Bean. Goldeneye was such an immersive experience that I thought being a spy was the coolest job in the world. Thank you, Homeland, for ruining those dreams. Because I really enjoyed the Brosnan era and the bond girls, I can only applaud everything that was done in the Craig era. The opening scenes of Casino , Quantum, Skyfall and Spectre have been recorded in my mind. They are fun, sleek, beautiful and more importantly memorable. The parkour scene up to this point is the best action sequence of the franchise.
By far the best description of why Casino Royale was one, if not the best, Bond movies yet. So mad I didn't see this in theaters when I had the chance.
Casino Royale was such an amazing film!
I loved all the details, like just before he ran up the crane arm, he hit a lever so the crane would move in the right direction.
This isn't his introduction. He had a black and white opening showing his 2 kills that earned him the double-O status. Which, also, was an excellent intro.
The first-kill part and the chase are both introductory. The guy who struggled to drown one man in a sink isn't the same man who callously blows up a building full of people (and himself).
All that remains to complete the character is to learn to move among the snobbish set, and to develop his emotionally burned-out detachment toward women, both of which comprise the rest of the movie.
Never been a Bond fan, but when I watch that scene I say, wow this is one of a kind.
You have a fantastic chase scene. It directly builds and shows you who Craigs Bond is, but all of those things you learn are then constantly referenced and called back to through the whole film. Probably the best example is the torture scene, he won't give Le Chiffre what he wants despite his threats and it actually makes sense for once in a movie, as we've already seen Bond not even flinch at gunfire, free climb up a tower block under construction, jump from crane to crane to rooftop hundreds of feet up and literally run through a wall all to complete his mission. When everything links like that it makes such a difference to how you perceive a characters actions later in the movie and the movie itself
I concur completely. Although the opening scene is actually the black and white scene in which he earns his 007 status which is also brilliant, the parkour scene is perfection. Daniel Craig is THE Bond and will be difficult to replace. They finally stepped away from what became rather cartoonish under Roger Moore to a three dimensional force to be reckoned with. Obviously partly due to the writers to be sure, Craig was able to be ruthless, intelligent but also vulnerable: picture him sitting in the shower with Vesper, just holding her while she weeps. Would Sean have done that? I think not. Or falling in love with her and then feeling utterly betrayed by her until M explains why she did it. Craig created a Bond that wasn’t “pretty”: he is handsome but with a craggy demeanour. Also, his Bond wasn’t the same sort of user of women that Sean’s was. I realize this attitude had a great deal to do with the times during which Dr. No etc. were filmed but you don’t get that same feeling that Craig’s Bond sees that every attractive woman in his bailiwick is sexual fair game. He respects Vesper even when he first meets her because he is an intelligent man. Well, I could go on and on, but to date, I think Casino Royale is still by far the best of the 25 films to date. And, yes. I am vastly interested to see with whom they will try to replace him. But … not holding my breath.
That moment where he casually catches the gun thrown at him to send it back to the other's face... I was sold right there and then.
Solid video. Nice insights... great editing. 👍 narrator is good stuff too. 👌
In my opinion the way Sean Connery was introduced was the best, followed by that remarkable opening in Casino Royale with Daniel Craig. Your analysis was excellent!
"This never happened to the other fella"
Lazenby will always be the underrated Bond
@@RyWalk24 So will be, OHMSS.. One of my faves..
Still , Casino Royale , (Not the Niven one, of course) still is my most rewatched. Grounded without all the gadgets.. I like that
I've always felt that James Bond wasn't introduced until the end of the film, and I don't think I'm alone in this.
Yes. The whole movie is an origin story.
He goes into that black-and-white bathroom as a regular navy officer who wants to be a spy, and two hours (our time) later, he has become the guy Connery played. That's why the classic music isn't heard until then.
@@stevenscott2136 he doesn't go as a regular navy officer, he goes as an intelligence operative. He's already ex-SBS at that point.
Lmao, I’ve been making this essay in my head for so many years…shoutouts to you.
What??? This isn't how he is introduced. He was introduced in the black and white opening where he killed the agent selling information. Showing how he got his 00 agent status. The title of this video is misleading
Correct, I've just watched it again and I remember it being a more brutal introduction as it didn't have the usual magnificent stunt.
That was a great opening scene
Well right, but it was hard to tell from Bond's first kill that this was a newly reinvented "blunt instrument" version of him. Again, that was his very first kill, so it was bound to be messy and chaotic... but it did give you a HINT that something was different. The parkour scene fully broke down the differences though... in a kind of "oh Bond is different now? Show your work" type of way. The video points this out when it mentions how the bomb maker is seamlessly gliding through which ever environment he traverses, where as Bond is just brute forcing his way through whatever tries to stop him from his goal. Not to mention the end where Bond killed the bomb maker essentially out of malice... almost in a "you're gonna make go through all that and think I won't kill you at the end of it?" kind of way, even though Bond really should've kept him alive.
I totally agree, the black and white scene is the real introduction. The bathroom scene is truly brutal and feels "real" in a way so few action scenesbin any movie do. The second kill is cold, professional, and terrifying in a way that speaks to who Bond is. Watch this opening and M's poem from Skyfall and I think you will understand much of who Bond is supposed to be.
Amen, and also he isn't a MI5 agent...
I love these analyses that add depth for the layperson! I didn't know that was the founder of parkour!
Excellent film but still my favourite opening sequence is in TSWLM.
Ski escape from enemy agents, zooms off a cliff, parachute opens, Union Jack canopy and Monty Norman’s music score hits the soundtrack.
Unbeatable! :-D
It's crazy how much better Daniel Craig got being Bond with each movie
Making Bond Bourne-levels of awesomeness was almost a necessity, since Mike Myers' Austin Powers satirized the Bonds before Daniel Craig's.
1:05 he’s not an MI5 agent, he works for MI6
Had me questioning my entire existence for a minute.
I was never a fan of bond movies growing up. Yes I watched some of them, most of them not even to completion. I always viewed them as just a step above action B-movies. Then sometime in 2005 I was on an online forum where the casting of Craig was a hot topic and people were split right in the middle, with very vocal detractors. It piqued my interest and thought Id watch it in the cinema. I was blown away, from the first opening scene right till the end. This was it. The perfect person to play Bond. Now I consider Casino Royale the best bond film, and among the best movies of all time.
Addendum: no-make up Eva Green will always, ALWAYS be the best Eva Green. (That scene where Bond tries on his suit)
Excellent assessment. The beginning of Casino Royale was the best re-introduction of a new Bond. Particularly where Craig ruthlessly kills the bomb maker and hitman in the bathroom scene as Martin Campbell mentioned Ian Fleming wrote the character as a brutal, cold blooded killer. EON productions still has massive potential with the franchise provided they choose a young, athletic and imposing Brit to portray the iconic character.
1:04 MI5? Thought it was MI6 :I
You are correct.
Sean Connery established the iconic character of 007,Daniel Craig took it to the dizzying heights with Skyfall.
This movie was wildly critically and commercially successful and I still feel like it's underrated
The dude Bond was chasing needs his own prequel film for the escape tactics he used😂😂🤞
Daniel Craig was first ridiculed when he was chosen to be James Bond. Five films later, he became one of the best James Bond ever.
Daniel Craig's Bond style made me rewatch the movies from time to time. Just pure brutal and unstoppable character as it would be if it was real
What an awesome video!! Thank you!!!
I love this chase. Helped make this movie one of my favourite Bond films
Martin Campbell said he wants to do the next bond film
So we will get to see the same man introduce 3 bonds in a row in 3 different ways
This was and is the only James Bond I have ever really liked. I remember when this was coming to DVD and the mall by me had just opened up this large Bose store. They had this enormous TV with this incredible surround sound that played that scene on loop and people would just sit in there to watch it over and over.
Try skyfall, it's nutz
They did the same shit at my local John Lewis, whenever my parents were just shopping for furniture I’d just witness this masterpiece on repeat
Wow watching this back the amount of Craig stunt double used is insane. Even for things that look easy, like kicking the door open. Go back and rewatch it.
I rewind him busting through that wall two or three times whenever I watch Casino Royale.
Thanks for a great video. I think Casino Royale has the best opening sequence especially if you add the fight in the bathroom and the Prague killing. The boat chase in The World is Not Enough is also pretty good and the opening to The World is Not Enough is right up there as well. My only minor criticism of the video is at 1:03, Bond is MI6 and not MI5.
PRACTICAL EFFECTS BEFORE CGI
That's my motto
Should be signed into law. I rewatch the 1995 Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers movie from time to time because-in addition to loving it as a kid and it having a killer soundtrack-, it has aged VERY well precisely because of the practical effects. In fact, the worst part of the movie are the Zords, which are CGI and already looked horrible when it came out. Other than that, the scenes shot *on-location* look great, as do the suits, and that goes not just for the Power Rangers but for the enemies as well. Those scenes look great because, even *if* something doesn't look real, at least it looks like *it exists* .
We needed at least one more Graig Bond movie.
Casino Royale is SO good. One of my favorite books, tied for my favorite Bond movie.
The next James Bond movie should be placed in the same weird Bizzaro Cold War Timeline that Sterling Archer is in.
The foot chase in ‘Casino Royals’ ushered in a new level of physicality never seen before in the Bond franchise.
Gone were the days of posing and preening, seen at their worst when Roger Moore portrayed Bond as a barely mobile clothes rack.
Since seeing that opening sequence I’ve wanted to apologize to Daniel Craig for questioning his ability to play the part. After his turn as the psychopathic Connor Rooney in ‘The Road to Perdition’ I couldn’t imagine him as Bond . . .
Yeah It's an iconic scene this far into it's history as Craig's first outing as Bond. But for me personally, Casino Royale will always be the movie that introduced me to Eva Green. I've been in love ever since! Ha ha ha.
Man..the Bond films really did have nowhere to go but down after this amazing movie did they?
HAPPY NEW YEAR, Nerdstalgic!!!
Happy new year!!
I thought he was re-introduced at the start of CR with the black-and-white sequence in the office and accompanying bathroom fight flashback.
Casino Royale is my fav James Bond movie!👍👍
At a special screening of Casino Royale, I got to personally tell Martin Campbell that he made the best modern Bond film and perhaps the best Bond film of all time. Being a humble and personable man, he didn’t want to accept that as true. But the round of applause outvoted his humility.
Think this shows Martin Campbell should comeback one last time to launch a third Bond, he’s clearly good at it.
IMHO, the best of them all.
This is good. Subscribed.
Bond pulling a Kool-aid Man in that opening chase is what sold me on Craig's iteration. I only lament that Sam Mendes scrapped all of the characterization that Craig's Bond was given turning him into a smart, intuitive spy and not a gadget-toting, quipper.
God casino royale is so fucking good. Might be my straight-up favourite Bond movie. It’s pretty long but it moves at a blistering pace, it’s an exciting watch every time
Is that Tyrone? Always with those funny angles
Best Bond movie and the best Bond actor.
i agree, it is my favorite bond film. largely because of this opening scene
Remember seeing "CASINO ROYALE" Opening Day.
And thought to Myself how that Chase Sequence looked exactly like something Guy Hamilton directed.
Especially with the long tracking shots.
The intro for Craig's Bond should be the B&W sequence that shows his first 2 kills as a 'Double-O.'
This made me see James Bond as a serious movies
Daniel Craig was honestly the best Bond of all time.
I'm really gonna miss him.
I remembered putting parkour in a mainstream movie back in 2006 was something groundbreaking.
Martin Campbell not only directed Casino Royale but also Pierce Brosnam’s debut Goldeneye. Both Casino Royale and Goldeneye are two of the very best Bond films made