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Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven, Orson Welles, Woody Allen ... see more see more... , Joanna Pettet , Daliah Lavi , William Holden , Charles Boyer , John Huston , George Raft , Jean-Paul Belmondo , Terence Cooper , Barbara Bouchet , Angela Scoular , Gabriella Licudi , Tracey Crisp , Jacqueline Bisset , Anna Quayle , Derek Nimmo , Ronnie Corbett , Colin Gordon , Tracy Reed , Duncan Macrae , Graham Stark , Richard Wattis , Percy Herbert , Alexandra Bastedo , Geoffrey Bayldon , John Bluthal , Bernard Cribbins , Kurt Kasznar , Deborah Kerr , John Le Mesurier , Chic Murray , Peter O'Toole , Jeanne Roland , Vladek Sheybal , Elaine Taylor , John Wells

Retired after years of international espionage, Agent 007 is lured back into action to battle the evil spy organization SMERSH in this notoriously incoherent parody of the James Bond films. David Nive... read more read more...n portrays the aging Bond, who atypically rejects the advances of a variety of women, and agrees to battle SMERSH's hold on the lavish Casino Royale only after organization head M is murdered. Also mixed up in the affair are several other secret agents, all named James Bond, played by everyone from Peter Sellers and Woody Allen to a chimpanzee. Despite a star-studded cast, a large production budget, and a hit score by Burt Bacharach, the film was universally panned as a muddled, overlong failure, with the occasional amusing sequence lost in the unintelligible surroundings. The participation of several screenwriters and five different directors, including John Huston, only adds to the confusion. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Flixster Users

43% liked it

31,563 ratings

Critics

31% liked it

32 critics

DVD Release Date: October 15, 2002

Stats: 1,293 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,293)


  • February 28, 2012
    Okay, I've only rated one film on this website at 0.5 stars, and that was "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." In my opinion, it's the worst mainstream film ever made. This film is a close second. For those of you who are confused by the idea of a "Casino Royale" film in the 60... read mores, here's a brief history. Basically, 2 production companies had the rights to different Bond books to adapt to the screen. One was run by Albert Broccoli who made "Dr. No" and cemented Sean Connery as a sexy sexy man. The other was still in the process of developing "Casino Royale" and seeing that they couldn't directly compete with Sean Connery, decided to make their film into a spoof of Bond. The result is this disaster that manages to star some of the most talented minds in Hollywood (Peter Sellers, Woody Allen, and ORSON WELLES) and ended up being a money blackhole. So, what exactly is wrong with it? IT'S THE MOST INCOHERENT THING I'VE EVER SEEN (And I'm a fan of Terry Gilliam). It feels like 5 different movies stitched into one film (which it essentially is, considering it had 5 different directors, most who went uncredited at the fear of the film's reputation destroying there careers). Speaking of uncredited crew, you ever heard the expression "Too many cooks spoil the broth?" This film is the embodiment of that. Only 3 writers receive credit. The other SIX didn't want to be associated with the film. You read that right. This film had NINE writers during its development, including Hollywood legend Billy Wilder (Sunset Boulevard and a million other movies in the 50s and 60s). Some people really think this is funny considering the time period. This isn't an excuse. "The Silencers" was a James Bond spoof released one year after this film and its infinitely funnier. In fact, it has one gag that had me on the floor laughing. "Casino Royale" only made me laugh twice during its TWO-AND-A-HALF-HOUR RUNTIME. "The Silencers" was an hour shorter, and infinitely funnier. In total, this is one of the worst films I've ever seen. Only watch it as a retrospect on how badly the development of a film can go.
  • February 5, 2011
    Bizarre madcap comedy that isn't really that funny, but has a great taste. In the vein of later comedy masterpieces like Blazing Saddles, but with none of the humor. The cast is fantastic and everyone gives great performances, but the film itself just isn't very good.
  • December 11, 2010
    This movie is half good, but half bad too. There's an all-star cast, and the story is a spoof of spy movies at the time, so it has both of those things going for it. It has some really funny scenes, but then it has a lot of unfunny comedy scenes too. Overall this movie is okay... read more, you'll like it better if you enjoy Woody Allen's comedy and James Bond movies.
  • January 5, 2010
    Terribly uneven but there are things to enjoy. Most of the star cameos are fine if not outstanding. The clothes are wonderful. The women, especially Ursula Andress, are stunningly beautiful and the song "The Look of Love" is great. One question though, why did they dub Jacqueline... read more Bisset's voice?
  • December 17, 2008
    If you've ever wanted to see a train wreck of a movie then this is the one for you. Casino Royale was the lan Fleming novel that got away from Eon and with their success it was promptly made into the 1960's version of the Cannonball Run. The plot (?) is that the original James Bo... read morend (David Niven) has to come out of retirement to stop SMERSH from taking over the world. There's a bunch of other people who are also called James Bond and Peter Sellers and Orson Welles appear for about a quarter of the movie.

    This film had five directors. That's right five. They all had a segment. Then someone called for a linear story. No shit! Too bad its linear story leads right to the toilet. Let's throw in some Burt Bacharach and psychadelia to make the kiddies want to go see it and bam. This film is a mess that we can call Ian Fleming's Star Wars Holiday Special.
  • December 30, 2007
    1960s spoof of the Bond series, should be good, but the Carry-On style humour just doesn't work for me.
  • July 11, 2007
    The 'other' Casino Royale. Yup. Directed by different directors. James Bond acted by different actors. The story is a jumbled mess. There's semi-funny scenes. I liked Orson Wells cheating at the Casino. David Niven was a good James Bond; it probably earned him his role in "Murder... read more by Death". Woody Allen was a complete goof. Parts of this were like Doctor Strangelove. The ending was sucky. After all the trouble they invested in this movie, I'm glad they didn't simply shelve it. Maybe some insane person can explain it so I'll understand. It has a great title song and set design. This is a farce which I like watching when I'm in a silly mood.
  • March 2, 2007
    Bizzare, fragmented, and absurd. A schizofrenic, rambling excuse for a plot... and as a satire, it works beautifully. A simple delight to watch, and given its broad (or rather, totally erratic) range of humor, there is likely to be at least some humor that fits your tastes. Just ... read moredon't try to appreciate its finer, subtle points.
  • February 12, 2007
    I thought it was pretty stupid. i don't really like Woody Allen though.
  • January 16, 2007
    Wacky comedy extravaganza of James Bond spoof.

Critic Reviews


October 13, 2008
TIME Magazine

Poor 007 is now lost in a hall of distorting mirrors. Full Review

Variety Staff
August 15, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

Peter Sellers has some amusing gags as the gambler, the chance of dressing up in various guises and a neat near-seduction scene with Ursula Andress. Full Review

Dave Kehr
August 15, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Out of five directors -- only McGrath manages to connect with this brontosaurian James Bond parody. Full Review

James Berardinelli
November 5, 2006
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

The few good aspects of this farce are vastly outweighed by the bad. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 9, 2005
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

It's the sort of reckless, disconnected nonsense that could be telescoped or stopped at any point. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

...a definitive example of what can happen when everybody working on a film goes simultaneously berserk. Full Review

Charles Cassady
December 14, 2010
Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media

Silly 007 spoof tamer than Austin Powers. Full Review

Kim Newman
October 13, 2008
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine

Despite being not officially a Bond film this is good solid, entertaining action. Full Review

July 22, 2008
Film4

Chaotic and astonishingly unfunny. Full Review

Stefan Birgir Stefansson
February 12, 2008
Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is

Surrealisticly bad

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts


    • Jimmy Bond/Dr. Noah: My doctor says I can't have bullets enter my body at any time. [Woody Allen as Jimmy Bond]

Casino Royale : Watch Free on TV


Casino Royale Trivia


  • The movie " Casino Royal "'s tagline is ...  Answer »
  • what was the name of the character eva green played in casino royale 2006 version?  Answer »
  • In "Casino Royale," (2006) what reason does James Bond give to Vesper Lynd after telling her she's not his type?  Answer »
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