Casino Royale (2006 film)

This article is about the 2006 film. For other uses, see Casino Royale.

Template:Infobox Film Bond Casino Royale is the 21st James Bond film produced by EON Productions and the first to star Daniel Craig as British Secret Service agent James Bond. Based on the 1953 novel Casino Royale by Ian Fleming, it was adapted by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis and directed by Martin Campbell, director of the 1995 Bond film, GoldenEye. Despite initial controversy over Craig's casting, his performance and the film received positive reviews. It currently has a powerful 8.2/10 rating on the IMDB, the highest rating for a James Bond movie.

After obtaining his 00-number and his licence to kill, James Bond sets out on his first mission, in which he foils a terrorist attack at the Miami International Airport. Soon after, Bond is sent to Montenegro by Her Majesty's government to compete in a high-stakes poker game against Le Chiffre, a money-launderer for various criminal enterprises and terrorist organizations.

This film marks the third screen adaptation of Ian Fleming's first Bond novel, which was previously produced as a 1954 television episode and a 1967 film spoof. However, the 2006 release will be the only official EON Productions adaptation of Fleming's novel. Casino Royale is the first official Bond film to be co-produced by Columbia Pictures, which had produced and originally distributed the 1967 non-canonical film version; this is the result of the 2005 Sony/Comcast consortium's acquisition of MGM, parent company of Bond film series rights co-owner United Artists.

Plot

The movie begins with a black-and-white pre-credits sequence, showing the two kills that give Bond his 00 status. Following the gun barrel shot and stylised opening credits (accompanied by Chris Cornell's theme song "You Know My Name"), the audience is introduced to Le Chiffre as he is introduced to new clients, the Lord's Resistance Army, by a Mr. White. Le Chiffre is a banker who specializes in taking care of questionable accounts such as those that belong to terrorists. However, his clients do not know that he also uses the money that he is given to manipulate the stock market. At the same time, Bond, in Madagascar, chases suspected bomb-maker Molloka via a construction site and an embassy. After killing him, Bond discovers the word 'Ellipsis' on his mobile phone. Despite M's outrage at the havoc at the embassy, Bond goes to the Bahamas and tracks down the originator of the text, Alex Dimitros.

Bond first humiliates Dimitrios by winning his classic Aston Martin and a lot of money in a game of poker. He seduces Dimitrios' wife, Solange, and on finding that Dimitrios has left for Miami, follows him. Bond kills Dimitrios when Dimitrios discovers Bond following him, and then follows his associate, a terrorist named Carlos, to the Miami International Airport. There he discovers that 'Ellipsis' is the code to enter the secure area there. Bond foils his attempt to blow up a new super jet, clipping the detonator intended for a refuelling truck to Carlos's belt-loop instead.

File:CRPic.jpg

Daniel Craig in action as James Bond.

As a result Le Chiffre loses over $100 million due to his stock market bet that the jetliner manufacturer would fail, and he allows Solange to be killed under questioning because of Dimitrios. Bond is sent to Montenegro to defeat Le Chiffre at Texas hold 'em poker (known in the film as Tenez Les Cartes ["Hold The Cards"]), as Le Chiffre attempts to recoup his losses. It is hoped that Le Chiffre would be forced to take refuge under MI6 for protection from his creditors when they discover that their money is gone. Vesper Lynd is a government accountant assigned to look over Bond's handling of the $10 million stake, although their relationship is initially frosty. Also allied with Bond is Rene Mathis, his contact in Montenegro.

Bond plays the game with Le Chiffre and other VIPs over the next few evenings. During the game, they are attacked by Steven Obanno and his henchman to whom Le Chiffre owes money, but Bond kills them and becomes closer to Vesper in the process of protecting her. During the game, Le Chiffre's henchwoman, Valenka, poisons Bond's martini. Bond staggers out to his med-kit-equipped Aston Martin DBS for the antidote. The other agents at MI6 attempt to give Bond instructions to revive himself but he passes out before he can wire up the defibrillator to restart his heart. Vesper, following Bond outside to find him, discovers his condition and rushes in to connect the defibrillator to save Bond's life. Bond returns to narrowly win the game, playing a straight flush of spades (4 to 8).

Following this defeat, which could cost Le Chiffre his life, he and his gang kidnap Vesper and Bond chases after him in his car, only to crash it to avoid running her over when she is left tied and gagged on the road. He is captured and taken to be tortured both mentally and physically by Le Chiffre for the password to his account. Mysteriously, Mr. White arrives to kill all but Bond and Vesper. Bond awakens in a hospital and has Mathis taken away, believing Le Chiffre's statement that he was working for him. The film is ultimately unclear on Mathis' allegiance, which will most likely be revealed in Bond 22 or Bond 23.

Bond receives his $115 million and reveals to Vesper the password for the transfer is her name. Bond tenders his resignation, professing true love to Vesper as the two go on holiday in Venice. But when Bond learns the funds are being withdrawn, he discovers Vesper taking the money to the mysterious organisation. Bond pursues them into a building being renovated. In the firefight, the fragile building collapses and Vesper commits suicide by asphyxiation after locking herself in an elevator underwater. Mr. White is then shown on an opposite balcony surveying the scene, and then walking away with the briefcase of money. Bond, feeling betrayed, learns from M that Vesper had an Algerian boyfriend who was kidnapped by the "mysterious organisation" for whom she negotiated the handover of money in order to save his life. Vesper had also left a clue in a mobile phone text message with Mr. White's number. Mr. White is next seen arriving at a palacial estate and answering his mobile. He asks who it is and is suddenly shot in the kneecap and falls, crawling desperately towards the villa. Bond reveals himself as the shooter, standing over him and uttering the iconic line "The name's Bond. James Bond". Template:Endspoiler

Cast

File:Casino-royale-still11b.jpg

Promotional photo of James Bond and Bond girls Vesper Lynd played by Eva Green (left) and Solange played by Caterina Murino (right).

• Daniel Craig as James Bond: The main star of the film is a recently-promoted MI6 double-O agent, a hard-edged, gritty but earnest rookie. MI6 implant a monitory chip in his arm during his mission against Le Chiffre.
• Eva Green as Vesper Lynd: An agent for HM Treasury assigned to watch over Bond and finance his exploits at the poker table. She is an orphan and initially wary of Bond, but soon falls in love with him.
• Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre: A shady and evil banker to the world's terrorists. Possibly from Albania, he is a mathematical genius and chess expert, skills which he uses when playing poker. His left eye is scarred, so it weeps blood.
• Judi Dench as M: The strict head of MI6. She feels she has promoted Bond too early, but supports him throughout the mission.
• Giancarlo Giannini as Rene Mathis - A member of the French Secret Service and ally of Bond, though he questions his loyalty.
• Simon Abkarian as Alex Dimitrios: A henchman of Le Chiffre, based in the Bahamas.
• Caterina Murino as Solange: Dimitrios' wife, whom Bond seduces.
• Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter: A CIA agent who befriends Bond and offers to finance him further whilst also playing against Le Chiffre.
• Ivana Miličević as Valenka: Le Chiffre's girlfriend and dangerous henchwoman.
• Sebastien Foucan as Mollaka: A bombmaker Bond pursues in Madagascar at the start of the film.
• Jesper Christensen as Mr. White: A mysterious and shady terrorist who is affiliated to an unknown organisation.

The movie features cameo roles by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, American hotel tycoon Jerry Inzerillo, and Brazilian supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio. Key members of the production also feature in cameo roles - producer Michael G. Wilson appears as a corrupt Montenegro police chief, while director of cinematography Phil Meheux features briefly as a treasury bureaucrat.

Development

The film is said to take James Bond "back to his roots" in a film that would be similar to Dr. No, where the focus was on character and plot rather than high-tech gadgets and visual effects, two issues that were most criticised in The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. Additionally, EON admitted that they relied too heavily on CGI effects and accomplished the stunts in Casino Royale "the old fashioned way." The move towards more action, bigger special effects and CGI in recent Bond films was in part due to a need to compete at the time with big-budget action films that dominated the 1990s box office. However, the success of less grandiose action films such as The Bourne Identity in the last few years has suggested the time may be right for the Bond series to scale back as it did during the Roger Moore era with For Your Eyes Only, which followed special effects extravaganzas such as Moonraker and The Spy Who Loved Me. This is an acknowledged gamble for the series, as many previous "real world" Bond films such as On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Licence to Kill, although they became fan favourites, underperformed at the box office when compared to the more lavish series entries.

Although the film deviates from time to time from the book, the main plot is faithfully followed. In the film, Le Chiffre is a private banker for anyone with enough money and, as in the novel, has lost a client's money. In the novel, the organization whose money he has lost was SMERSH. But in a draft of the film's script, it is the Lord's Resistance Army, although this is never referenced in the actual movie. Introduced to them by an older gentleman known as Mr. White, Le Chiffre is given several steel cases filled with neatly stacked American dollars. Unknown to his clients, Le Chiffre uses the money that he banks for them in several stock investment schemes of his own.

The film shows James Bond's origins in the 00 Section (which had never before been established), and is a retcon of the established Bond series. Examples of this include Judi Dench's reprisal of her role as M, who in the Brosnan Bond films was established as a successor to an earlier male M; however, in Casino Royale, she is the first M by whom Bond is employed. Bond also receives his famed Aston Martin DB5 in Casino Royale, first seen in Goldfinger. Bond wields a Walther P99, a gun he first adopted in Tomorrow Never Dies after Bond turns in his original gun, the iconic Walther PPK of previous films (Bond actually begins the series with his preferred .25 Beretta but is relieved of it almost immediately in Dr. No). Bond is also shown holding a PPK in some of the movie posters, with a suppressor attached. Felix Leiter, Bond's long-time CIA friend, whom Bond had previously first met (although he had heard of him) in Dr. No and who had been maimed in his last appearance in Licence to Kill, is introduced for the first time in Casino Royale, as in the book. Although Leiter has been portrayed by a wide variety of Caucasian actors throughout the series, this is only the second Bond film in which he is played by a black actor (Jeffrey Wright; Bernie Casey previously played Leiter in the film, Never Say Never Again, an officially licensed film that was not produced by Eon Productions and is, thus, not part of the series continuity).

File:Casino Royale Teaser.jpg

The first teaser poster released of Casino Royale in May 2006, an example of the general dark tone

Two major exclusions from the film are the characters of Q and Miss Moneypenny (although there seems to be a snide reference to her character during James Bond's initial conversation with Vesper Lynd). They were not included in the screenplay, which will make this only the third Bond film without Q (after Live and Let Die and Dr. No) and the first without Moneypenny. Thus, a new Moneypenny was not cast for this film following Samantha Bond's retirement from the role. Likewise, John Cleese did not make a return as Q. In October 2005, producer Michael G. Wilson stated that Moneypenny and Q's omission was due to the characters not appearing in the novel; Moneypenny, however, was in the novel and had one line of dialogue, although Major Boothroyd, which the films transformed into the character Q, did not appear until several books later.

Casino Royale is the first Bond film to take its title from an Ian Fleming novel or short story since 1987's The Living Daylights and the first to be directly based on any of Fleming's writings since 1989's Licence to Kill. It is also the first Bond film since The Living Daylights not to be adapted as a novelisation. Instead a film tie-in edition of Fleming's original novel was published in the U.K. on October 31 2006.

Although the film is primarily based on the novel Casino Royale, Solange was the name of a Bond girl in Ian Fleming's short story "007 in New York", which is currently included in the collection Octopussy and the Living Daylights. It is believed the name derives from that story; however, the name is also mentioned (unrelated to the girl in "007 in New York") in the short story "From a View to a Kill", which is included in the For Your Eyes Only collection.

The search for the new James Bond

Highlighted by a flurry of unconfirmed reports from a variety of different sources, the quest for the actor to replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond attracted a great deal of high-profile media attention after rumours began to surface in the autumn of 2004 that Brosnan would not be re-signing with EON Productions to play agent 007 in Casino Royale. Brosnan confirmed this on October 14, 2004, stating "It's absolutely over," and that he considered himself "fired" from the role. A spokesperson for EON Productions issued a statement on April 17, 2005 that it would "definitely not be Pierce Brosnan." Despite this and numerous public denials that he would return, various media continued to report that Brosnan was still in contention for the role. Throughout 2004 and 2005, an endless stream of potential new "Bonds" — both unknowns and established Hollywood actors — were rumoured and even announced by some media. Some of the popular names mentioned to be in consideration by EON Productions, a list at one point claimed by Michael G. Wilson to be over 200 names long, were:

Christian Bale Eric Bana Orlando Bloom Gerard Butler Henry Cavill Jack Davenport

Colin Farrell Ralph Fiennes Rupert Friend Daniel Craig Ioan Gruffudd Hugh Jackman Jude Law Ewan McGregor

Julian McMahon Alex O'Loughlin Clive Owen Adrian Paul James Purefoy Jonathan Rhys-Meyers Colin Salmon

Dougray Scott Ewan Stewart Karl Urban Goran Višnjić Dominic West Sam Worthington

Names in bold indicate actors who confirmed that they auditioned for the role.

Of note, Eric Bana, Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman, and Daniel Craig were at one point confirmed to have been signed or to have been offered the role by various news outlets. More than any other candidate, Clive Owen had been a staying name while the search was continuing, likely due to his previous 1998 film, Croupier and his role in BMW's short film series The Hire, where in both he played a Bond-like character. Rumours surrounding Owen intensified in early 2005 after he was awarded a Golden Globe and a BAFTA and nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his 2004 film, Closer. However, there were unconfirmed rumours that Owen had turned down the role to avoid typecasting.

By July 2005, the list of names was down to a mere four, popularly known as "the final four," according to the tabloid, The Sunday Mirror. It was claimed that the shortlist had been whittled down to Henry Cavill (22), Alex O'Lachlan (28), Ewan Stewart (47) and Goran Višnjić (32). The list was premature and by September 2005 during a press junket for The Legend of Zorro, Martin Campbell claimed the list to have consisted of 8-10 names.

As early as April 2005 rumours began to swirl around Layer Cake star Daniel Craig. In May, Craig stated that MGM had assured him that he had the job, likewise Matthew Vaughn told reporters that MGM offered him the opportunity to direct, but for both EON Productions hadn't approached them. Later Craig claimed that the producers offered him the role, but when he requested to read the script first, they didn't have one for him to read so he turned it down. By August 2005, the 37-year-old Daniel Craig was still considered by many to be in the running and by some insiders, EON Production's preferred choice. On October 11 2005, the Daily Mail confirmed that Daniel Craig had been signed for the role; however, no official confirmation was made until October 14, 2005 during a news conference held by EON Productions and Sony Pictures Entertainment. The conference was held at noon in London at HMS President, a Royal Naval Reserve station at St Katharine Docks, on the banks of the River Thames downstream of Tower Bridge. Whether it was intentional or not, October 14 is former 007 Roger Moore's birthday.

Daniel Craig will mark the first time that 007 is portrayed by an actor under the age of 40 since 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Craig turned 38 during filming of Casino Royale. Craig is also the first Bond to be younger than the film series, having been born in 1968, between the releases of You Only Live Twice and On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Confusion in the media

The revelation by Martin Campbell that Casino Royale would be a reboot of the series and confirmation from screenwriters Robert Wade and Paul Haggis that Bond would be roughly 28-32 years of age, aided confusion in the media. Many believed that favourites such as Clive Owen and Hugh Jackman were automatically out of the running due to their ages. However, concurrent with rumours of "younger Bonds", older actors including Pierce Brosnan were continually being named in the media as still in contention for the role. Younger actors have been approached in the past, including George Lazenby, who was only 29 when he appeared in 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Prior to Lazenby getting the part, Timothy Dalton, who later played the role in 1987 was offered the role to replace Sean Connery while in his early 20s; however, Dalton didn't accept because he considered himself too young. Rumours of a younger Bond heightened with the release of SilverFin, a James Bond novel written by Charlie Higson in which Bond is a thirteen year-old boy attending Eton College; there were erroneous media reports suggesting a "Young Bond" series was planned, possibly in lieu of an adult Bond 21; 29-year-old actor Orlando Bloom was frequently linked with the part, even though the Young Bond of Higson's books is a teenager.

To a lesser extent, many other factors increased confusion in the media. Since Bond's film debut in 1962, James Bond had been portrayed as an ethnically British male. With this search, however, there essentially wasn't any criteria as far as the media was concerned. Most notably, Colin Salmon, a black actor best known for playing Charles Robinson in three previous James Bond films was considered to be in the running and was actually endorsed by Pierce Brosnan. Another actor, Goran Višnjić of ER fame, was claimed to be in "the final four", although Višnjić was Croatian by birth.

The search for Vesper Lynd

After Daniel Craig was announced as James Bond the media turned their attention to casting of the lead Bond girl, Vesper Lynd, exacerbated by the fact filming began without the role having been cast. Casting director Debbie McWilliams has acknowledged that Angelina Jolie and Charlize Theron were "strongly considered" for the role. Tabloids reported that both turned the role down, although McWilliams never confirmed they were offered the part. McWilliams also said that Cécile de France auditioned for the role, but her English "wasn't up to scratch." Audrey Tautou was also considered, but ultimately not chosen because of her role in The Da Vinci Code that was released in May 2006. Eva Green was finally announced as having been cast on February 16 2006.

Likewise with the search for James Bond, many actresses were named in the media as possible contenders or going so far as to have been confirmed in the media as being signed to the role. The first occurred in January 2006 when the Daily Mail identified Rose Byrne as Vesper, claiming an official announcement would be made soon. When no announcement was made, The Sun tabloid later claimed Thandie Newton had been signed, though she later denied this. Many other actresses had been connected to the role in the media including Sienna Miller (Daniel Craig's co-star in the 2004 film Layer Cake), Naomi Watts, Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Rachel McAdams, Scarlett Johansson, Rachael Stirling (Diana Rigg's daughter), and Vera Farmiga.

Bond girls

Picture	Name	Actress
File:Casino-royale-still15a.jpg	Vesper Lynd	Eva Green	An officer of the treasury, sent to Montenegro to finance Bond's poker game against Le Chiffre, she is able to intellectually spar with him, as Bond says she is the only person to not have a 'tell.' After he comforts her following a terrifying violent encounter with Le Chiffre's Ugandan pursuers, and their relationship is incited, Vesper 'strips away' Bond's emotional armor, and causing the agent to fall in love. However, love has not ended well for Bond in the past. Casino Royale is the only official Bond film so far in which none of the Bond girls survive.
File:Murino casino.jpg	Solange Dimitrious	Caterina Murino	First introduced to Bond as a woman riding a horse along the beach in the Bahamas, Solange is the wife of Alex Dimitrios. After Bond wins Dimitrios' car, he woos Solange, and she reveals that her husband has departed for Miami. Bond leaves her with room service to pursue Dimitrios. She is later found tortured and murdered in a hammock, retribution by Le Chiffre who recognizes that 'somebody talked.'

Production

Budget

The budget was originally reported to be a somewhat-low $72 million: about half the cost of Die Another Day. This was due to a mix up between the British pound sterling and the American dollar. It actually cost £72 million, about $130 million, which is still some $10 million less than the effects heavy Die Another Day.

Filming

File:CraigandCampbell.jpg

Campbell confers with Craig

Principal photography for Casino Royale commenced on January 30, 2006, and concluded on July 21, 2006. The film was primarily shot at Barrandov Studios in Prague, with additional location shooting in the Czech Republic (Karlovy Vary, where some exteriors of Montenegro were shot, eg. Hotel Splendid, Railway station etc.), The Bahamas, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Production returned to its traditional home of Pinewood Studios to complete the shooting schedule.

Initially, Michael G. Wilson confirmed that Casino Royale would be filmed and/or take place in Prague and South Africa. However, following problems for EON Productions in securing film locations in South Africa, the producers had to reconsider their options. On September 13, 2005, CommanderBond.net reported that Martin Campbell (director) and Phil Meheux (director of photography) were scouting Paradise Island in the Bahamas as a possible location for the film. On October 6, 2005, Martin Campbell confirmed that Casino Royale would film in the Bahamas and "maybe Italy." In addition to the extensive location filming, studio work was done at the Barrandov Studios in Prague at Pinewood Studios in England, where the film used several stages as well as the paddock tank and the historic Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage, and in Madagascar for scenes set in Uganda. Further shooting in the UK was scheduled for Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, the cricket pavilion at Eton College (although that particular scene was cut from the completed movie) and the Millbrook Vehicle Proving Ground in Bedfordshire.

After principal photography had commenced in Prague on January 30, 2006, the production moved to the Bahamas. Several locations around New Providence were used for filming during February and March, largely on Paradise Island and in the southern Coral Harbour area. The latter of these locales was used to double for scenes set in Uganda, with an abandoned Royal Bahamian Air Force base being a particularly important location for the production. Additional scenes took place at Albany House - an estate recently acquired by golfers Ernie Els and Tiger Woods.

The crew returned to the Czech Republic in April, and continued there, filming in Prague, Planá and Loket, before completing in the town of Karlovy Vary in May. A disused spa, formerly known as the Kaiserbad, in Karlovy Vary was used as the exterior of the Casino Royale, with the Grandhotel Pupp serving as the "Hotel Splendide" where Bond stays during his time in Montenegro.

The main Italian location alluded to by Campbell is Venice, where the majority of the film's ending is set. Other scenes in the latter half of the film were filmed in late May and early June at the Villa del Balbianello on the shores of Lake Como. Further exterior shooting for the movie took place at properties such as the Villa la Gaeta, near the lakeside town of Menaggio.

On July 30, 2006, a fire broke out at the Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage at Pinewood. The damage was significant, but had no effect on the release of Casino Royale as the sets were in the process of being taken down. The incident occurred one week after filming of Casino Royale had been completed. On 11 August, Pinewood Studios confirmed that no attempt would be made to salvage the remains of the stage, which would be demolished. A couple of months afterwards, it was announced that the 007 Stage would be rebuilt.

Bond products

• Aston Martin DBS - Bond drives the new Aston Martin DBS in Casino Royale. Daniel Craig personally visited the Aston Martin headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire on 13 January 2006 to view and test drive the car. The vehicle has no installed gadgets, although it does feature a medical kit complete with a defibrillator. A stunt was awarded a Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls in a car - created by an air-cannon, the record was set at seven. The stunt was performed by Adam Kirley using the Aston Martin DBS and a nitrogen cannon. The car rolled seven times beating the previous record of six accomplished the previous year by Top Gear.
• Aston Martin DB5 - Bond's famed Aston Martin DB5 which he wins in a poker game from Dimitrios, first featured in Goldfinger and later Thunderball, Goldeneye, and Tomorrow Never Dies, also features in Casino Royale in addition to the new DBS model. Both Astons are left-hand drive.
• Walther P99 - Bond's standard handgun used along with Bond's other pistol of choice, the Walther PPK.
• Heckler & Koch UMP - Bond wields this at the end of the film.
• Spirit 54 sailing boat built by Spirit Yachts of Ipswich, UK.

File:CRBnr1.JPG

Logo designed and used to promote Casino Royale.

• Cartamundi - Official Supplier of the Casino Playing Cards & Chips used in the Casino of Montenegro.
• Ford Mondeo MkIV - Ford's new 2007 Ford Mondeo is used by Bond in Casino Royale. The Mondeo's appearance in Casino Royale is brief; Bond uses it to drive to a hotel shortly after arriving in The Bahamas, on the trail of a terrorist cell.
• Fiat W190 bulldozer - Made by Fiat's construction equipment division New Holland, Bond drives this bulldozer in an action sequence taking place at a construction site while in Madagascar.
• Sony Ericsson phones: Sony Ericsson M600 in white, Sony Ericsson W900 in black and K790 and K800 in special silver colour.
• Nokia phone: Nokia 8801 is the phone Bond yields earlier in the film.
• Sony VAIO James Bond is seen using the Vaio TX and SZ series notebook laptops. M and Le Chiffre are seen using larger VAIO notebooks.
• Fiat Ferroviaria/Alstom Pendolino CD 680 - In the movie trailer the Czech version of this tilting train is shown, but it is used in a sequence that involves a train journey from Switzerland to Montenegro.
• Persol Sunglasses Models 2244-S and 2720-s
• Land Rover Range Rover Sport - After being mistaken for a parking valet, Bond is given keys to a Range Rover Sport, promptly driving it into a row of parked luxury cars in order to distract security guards.
• Sony Blu-ray Disc Player - When Bond is in the security office of the casino reviewing security camera footage, the footage in question is played back on a BD-ROM inserted into a Sony BDP-S1 Blu-ray Disc player. If you look closely, you can even see the player's "HDMI" light is switched on.
• Omega Seamaster 300 M Chronometer - Bond's standard watch of choice.

Soundtrack

Main article: James Bond music

Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli announced on July 26, 2006 that Chris Cornell, the Audioslave and former Soundgarden lead singer composed and would perform the title song "You Know My Name" for Casino Royale. Cornell collaborated with David Arnold who composed the film's score. Cornell was first reported to be writing and performing the song on July 20 2006 by the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat. "You Know My Name" is the first theme song since 1983's Octopussy to use a different title than the film, and Cornell is the first male performer since a-ha (in 1987's The Living Daylights). It is only the fourth Bond theme (after the opening medley of Dr. No, the instrumental theme from On Her Majesty's Secret Service and "All Time High" from Octopussy) to make no reference to the title of the film. The soundtrack was completed early in the morning on October 11th. The soundtrack was released on November 14, 2006.

Various names were reported in the media prior to the announcement, some reports going so far as to have the performers apparently claim they were working on the theme. This list includes Tina Turner who previously sang "GoldenEye" for the 1995 Bond film of the same name, and Tony Christie.

The Casino Royale title song "You Know My Name" by Chris Cornell is not featured on the soundtrack. This marks the first time that a Bond title track did not appear on the official soundtrack. Some cues for the movie which did not make the final selection of tracks for the soundtrack are available as bonus track downloads from iTunes. However, an instrumental version of the Cornell song serves as Bond's theme throughout the film. The traditional Bond theme builds throughout the film before appearing in its full form over the end credits. It is likely that "You Know My Name" will appear on Cornell's second solo album, due in 2007.

Track listing

1. African Rundown (6:52) 2. Nothing Sinister (1:27) 3. Unauthorised Access (1:08) 4. Blunt Instrument (2:22) 5. CCTV (1:30) 6. Solange (0:59) 7. Trip Aces (2:06) 8. Miami International (12:43) 9. I'm The Money (0:27) 10. Aston Montenegro (1:03) 11. Dinner Jackets (1:52) 12. The Tell (3:23) 13. Stairwell Fight (4:12)		14. Vesper (1:44) 15. Bond Loses It All (3:56) 16. Dirty Martini (3:49) 17. Bond Wins It All (4:32) 18. The End of an Aston Martin (1:30) 19. The Bad Die Young (1:18) 20. City of Lovers (3:30) 21. The Switch (5:07) 22. Fall of a House in Venice (1:53) 23. Death of Vesper (2:50) 24. The Bitch is Dead (1:05) 25. The Name's Bond... James Bond (2:49)

Total Time: 74:20

Release and response

Casino Royale premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square, the Odeon West End and the Empire simultaneously in London on November 14, 2006. It marked the 60th Royal Film Performance and benefited the Cinema & Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF), whose patron, Queen Elizabeth II, was in attendance with the Duke of Edinburgh. It was the third James Bond premiere that the Queen had attended following You Only Live Twice (1967) and Die Another Day (2002). Along with the cast and crew, numerous celebrities and 5,000 paying guests were also in attendance with half the proceeds benefiting the CTBF.

Release Dates:

Date	Countries
November 15	Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Kuwait, Oman, Philippines
November 16	Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Lebanon, Malaysia, Malta, Puerto Rico, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Syria, Thailand, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Qatar
November 17	Canada, Estonia, Iceland, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey, Republic of China on Taiwan, USA
November 22	Belgium, France, Switzerland (French Part)
November 23	Croatia, Germany, Montenegro, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland (German Part)
November 24	Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Romania, Spain, Sweden
December 1	Japan, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa
December 7	Argentina, Australia, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, New Zealand, Peru
December 8	Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela
December 15	Brazil, Pakistan
December 21	Central America, Hong Kong, Korea
December 25	Bolivia, Uruguay
January 5,2007	Italy, Switzerland (Italian language)
January 30,2007	China

Notably, Casino Royale has become the first Bond film to be released in mainland China.
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Critics

Reviewers gave a very positive response to the film, especially in terms of Craig's performance. Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a spectacular aggregate rating of 96%, the highest rating for a wide-release of the year. The Users' rating was 90%. The movie has also attained a weighted average of 8.2/10 from IMDB users (9,208 votes). The Daily Mirror (which had once run a front page news story critical of Craig, with the headline, The name's Bland - James Bland) and The Daily Telegraph compared him to Sean Connery, and the latter praised the script as smartly written, the former noting how the film departed from the series' conventions. The Times also compared Craig to Timothy Dalton, and praised the action as edgy, with another reviewer citing in particular the crane sequence in Madagascar. Paul Arendt of BBC Films went higher in his praise, acclaiming Craig as the first actor to truly nail Ian Fleming's character. Kim Newman of Empire and Todd McCarthy of Variety agreed. In North America, the movie was also tremendously well-received. MSNBC gave the movie a perfect 5 star rating.

A reviewer for The Sun praised the film for its darkness and Craig's performance although they felt "like the novel, it suffers from a lack of sharpness in the plot" and felt it required some editing. "Napoleon Solo" of AICN said the film would leave audiences excited for a sequel, and the character development of Bond is superb. However unlike previous Bond movies this one has more action, and Daniel Craig looks more of a action hero than a spy. A down note came from Tim Adams of The Observer who felt the film came off uncomfortably in an attempt to make the series grittier. Emanuell Levy agreed, feeling the film's terrorist villains lacked depth, and the ending was long, although he praised Craig and gave the film a B+ overall. Richard Roeper gave the film a 3/4.

Box Office

United States

Opening day estimates in the United States show it on top with $14,750,000. Opening weekend estimates in the United States put it in second place with $40,600,000, as well as earning another $42 million internationally. In the opening two days, Casino Royale was ahead of Warner Brothers production Happy Feet, though it is believed Happy Feet pulled ahead on the Sunday, actual box office figures haven't been released as of 18:06, 20 November 2006 (UTC), meaning Casino Royale could still dominate the box office.

United Kingdom

UK ticket sales for the first day of release were GB£ 1.7 million, the highest for any Bond film. The record was held previously by Die Another Day (GB£ 1.1million).. Weekend opening total in the UK was £13.4m, beating the previous record of £9.1m held by Pierce Brosnan’s Die Another Day. It became the third biggest opening weekend of all time, behind Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Worldwide

Casino Royale opened at #1 in 27 countries, with a weekend gross of $82.3 million dollars worldwide.

DVD release

Casino Royale's release on DVD has been reportedly scheduled for March 27, 2007 and will also be accompanied by releases on UMD and Sony's new Blu-ray high-definition format.

Other notes

• This is the first "official" Bond not to open immediately with the traditional gun barrel sequence. Casino Royale begins with the film's prologue where Bond completes the mission that earns him his double-0 status. The style of this shot is also unique among the other films in the series because the audience is made aware of the enemy that Bond is shooting; during the mission depicted in the prologue, Bond's opponent is able to grab his pistol after being disarmed. The next shot -- where Bond turns and fires at the opponent -- is point-of-view from inside the barrel of this weapon. The walk, quick turn, and shot are reminiscent of the traditional style.

Trivia

• When Bond finds Vesper cowering in the shower after having killed someone (supposedly for the first time in her life), she says "There's blood, but I can't wash it off." However, it is clearly visible that there is no blood on her hand, implying that it is only visible to her. This is a clear allusion to the Shakespeare play, Macbeth.

External links

• Official Sony Casino Royale Site
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• Casino Royale Card Shark Game
• Casino Royale Reviews at Metacritic
• Official Casino Royale Blog
• Casino Royale at IMDb
• Casino Royale at Rotten Tomatoes
• MI6.co.uk site
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