This is a version of James Bond we’ve never seen before and a large part of this is due to The Bourne Identity. Bond is far more physical and the action sequences he’s exposed to are far more intense. I mentioned earlier the influence (or at least the influence I think) Batman Begins had on this movie and its style but you can’t talk about Casino Royale without also mentioning The Bourne Identity. Le Chiffre is hosting a high-stakes poker game to raise funds and Bond is tasked with not only winning the tournament but also apprehending Le Chiffre and toppling his organisation. Bond discovers that the bomb-maker was hired by Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) – a financier for the terrorists of the world. His first mission is to apprehend a bomb-maker and use him to gain access to the organisation he works for. Okay, basic plot: James Bond (Daniel Craig) is an up-and-coming MI6 agent who has just been promoted to “00” status. It completely revolutionised James Bond and breathed some much needed life into the character. Casino Royale, in my opinion, is an example of the origin story done right. Some of these worked well, others not so much. After the success of Batman Begins, Hollywood went through a stage of rebooting where dark, gritty origin stories became the order of the day.
