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Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino ... see more see more... , Simon Abkarian , Isaach De Bankolé , Jesper Christensen , Ivana Milicevic , Claudio Santamaria , Tobias Menzies , Sebastien Foucan , Jeffrey Wright , Judi Dench , Malcolm Sinclair , Richard Sammel , Ludger Pistor , Joseph Millson , Daud Shah , Clemans Schick , Emmanuel Avena , Tom Chadbon , Dayo Ade , Urbano Barberini , Madame Wu , Charlie Levi Leroy , Lazar Ristovski , Tom So , Veruschka von Lehndorff , Daniel Andreas , Carlos Leal , Christina Cole , Jürgen Tarrach , John Gold , Jerry Inzerillo , Diane Hartford , Jessica Renae Miller , Leostránsky , Paul Bhattacharjee , Crispin Bonham-Carter , Simon Cox , Rebecca Gethings , Peter Notley , John Chancer , Pater Brooke , Jason Durran , Robert Jezek , Robert G. Slade , Félicité De Jeu , Michaela Ochotská , Michael Offei , Makhoudia Diaw , Michael G. Wilson , Martina Duravolá , Marcela Martincáková , Vladimir Kulhavy , Valentine Nonyela , Dusan Pelech , Phil Meheux , Alessandra Ambrosio , Veronika Hladikova , Regina Gabajová , Olutunji Ebun-Cole , Martin Ucik , Vlasta Svátková , Miroslav Simünek , Ivan G'Vera , Jiri Lenc , Jaroslav Jankovsky , Richard Branson

Actor Daniel Craig assumes the role formerly occupied by such screen greats as Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Timothy Dalton to set out on the character's very first 007 mission. James Bond has earned... read more read more... his "00" status by masterfully executing a pair of death-defying professional assassinations. Now assigned the task of traveling to Madagascar to spy on notorious terrorist Mollaka (Sebastien Foucan) for his maiden voyage as a 007 agent, Bond boldly goes against MI6 policy to launch an independent investigation that finds him traversing the Bahamas in search of Mollaka's notoriously elusive terror cell. Subsequently led into the company of the mysterious Dimitrios (Simon Abkarian) and his exotic girlfriend, Solange (Caterina Murino), Bond soon realizes that he is closer than ever to locating well-guarded terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), the man who has personally bankrolled some of the most prevalent terrorist organizations on the planet. When Bond learns that Le Chiffre is planning to partake in an upcoming high-stakes poker game to be played at Montenegro's Le Casino Royale and use the winnings to establish his financial grip on the globe, M (Judi Dench) assigns beguiling agent Vesper (Eva Green) the task of watching over the fledgling agent as he plays against Le Chiffre in a covert attempt to destroy the nefarious gambler's well-established monetary stronghold in the underworld once and for all. Bond will need more than his legendary gambling skills in order to win this dangerous game, though, and after allying himself with local MI6 field agent Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini) and CIA operative Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), the endlessly suave super-spy puts on his poker face for a high-stakes game of cards in which the stakes are not measured in dollars, but human lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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87% liked it

602,204 ratings

Critics

94% liked it

216 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: Martin Campbell

Release Date: November 17, 2006

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DVD Release Date: March 13, 2007

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Flixster Reviews (69,981)


  • May 16, 2008
    Daniel Craig revitalizes the Bond franchise the same way Bale saved Batman. This was a throwback to the good ol days of Connery Bond.
  • May 20, 2007
    Almost all the the good stuff i heard about Casino is true. It is indeed one of the best Bonds ever and I'm really looking forward to the next installment.

    Now - I hate when people say this but here goes - this movie was just too darn long. Don't even TRY to introduce a rom... read moreance two hours into a film.
  • May 24, 2012
    I have to start by saying I thought the previous film was awful. It was like a cheeseball pastiche of all the worst elements of the worst Bond films; overly formulaic with ludicrous gadgetry, lame innuendo and cliched, two dimensional characters. Casino Royale is similar in that ... read moreit also takes a lot of cues from the previous films (especially from Russia with Love and On Her Majesty's Secret Service), except it takes all of the BEST elements of the BEST Bonds and distills them into almost the perfect 007 outing. The new Bond begins a new era and resets the character back to the beginning with an opening that dispenses with the ridiculously overblown comic strip action of recent 007 outings and replaces it with gritty cold war thriller style sequence in which Bond busts his double O cherry by executing a man with his bare hands in a public toilet. It has an uncomplicated but cleverly written plot, gritty, breathless action sequences, a believable and fleshed out love interest and a charismatic, brutal and amoral villain (to match an equally charismatic, brutal and amoral Bond.) It was about time Bond was dragged kicking and screaming into the twenty first century and right from the stylishly animated credits which thankfully replace the campy soft-core formula of the originals, they've done a great job. The action sequences are superbly done with a physicality that Daniel Craig suits down to the ground; unlike recent Bonds he not only looks good in a dinner jacket, but also looks like he can rough house with the best of them. Connery will always be the archetypal 007, but bloody hell Craig is good.
  • fb729949618
    May 18, 2012
    fb729949618
    It's great to finally see a James Bond that is more human, rather than superhuman. Daniel Craig's James Bond is more vulnerable and carries much more personality and emotion than previous Bond's. Aside from these characteristics, this is one of the best 007's ever made. The actio... read moren, swagger, romance.......it's all there, and together they make one awesome film!
  • March 29, 2012
    Daniel Craig reignites the James Bond franchise in Casino Royale, one of my favorites in the long-running series. This film is grittier, more emotional than perhaps any before it, and I believe, the best since the first three in the early 1960s. The gadgets are always fun but no ... read moresubstitute for brawny action, and Craig delivers it. He's a physical action star as well as a skillful, versatile actor. This Bond seems extremely macho yet is vulnerable to feminine counterpart, Vesper Lynd. All of the actors playing Bond in the long running series have been able to pull of suave but not necessarily tough. Connery, of course set the standard, and I think George Lazenby could have continued it too. Craig is almost sadistically tough in this role. This guy doesn't give a damn if its shaken or stirred.

    All the cast contributed in this new-look film. Eva Green as Vesper was a cool, effective Bond-girl, atypical. Judi Dench as M is a likewise genius move; things have definitely been shaken up. LeChiffre, the criminal mastermind, is sufficiently creepy. The bleeding eye is a great touch. I didn't really like or buy into Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis; I didn't like him in Hannibal either. Also, my only real complaint is that at 144 minutes, it could have been cut to speed it up some.

    This film accomplished a rare feat; it presents a different side of James Bond and a return to his roots at the same time.
  • March 10, 2012
    What a great reboot of a dying franchise... especially after "Die Another Day". This was a fun flick. Daniel Craig has a natural talent in acting. One of the gripes about this movie is the score. I never enjoyed the upbeat "classical" feel of the 007's... this reboot is grittier ... read moreand much more hands-on than the other 007's so how come they kept the same music? I'm just nitpickin'...... and the poker scenes were just ridiculous, and still a bit too cheesy. Great movie nonetheless.
  • November 4, 2011
    Probably the best Bond movie in over 20 years. Starting out with the least spectacular beginning, followed by the coolest title sequence (including a great Chris Cornell song) and an excellent first half. The chasing of the acrobatic bomber and the airport sequence belong to the ... read morebest action scenes of Bond history. Unfortunately the movie can't top that at the end. The card game in the middle of the film feels a tad too long, but is still pretty exciting. The excellent dialogues with one of the most interesting and sexiest Bond girls ever (Eva Green) make up for it, though. And Daniel Craig probably shows the best acting performance of all the 007 actors so far. A worthy new beginning and not as hectic and Jason Bournesque as some made it out to be. It's still clearly a Bond film.
  • September 5, 2011
    A total surprise! Not only is this a great Bond movie, it may very weel be the best Bond movie. Truly, a great film!
  • August 3, 2011
    If you have seen CASINO ROYALE, I'll refresh your memory a little by saying there is a fantastic take on the classic gun barrel sequence used in all James Bond films (well, except for QUANTUM OF SOLACE, kind of). If you have not seen it, first of all, I pity you, and second of a... read morell, let's just say the gun barrel sequence has been officially fit into the plot.

    To keep it plain, simple, and within five one-syllable words: Craig is the best Bond. Dare I explain? I guess so: all the other Bonds are so unlike Daniel Craig is in CASINO ROYALE: Sean Connery is always smiling whenever he has a close-up shot or a profile image; it's so difficult and even ironic to imagine both George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton holding a Walther PPK (or, let's face it, ANY gun); Roger Moore has puppy eyes that make it look like a cute little chihuahua gunning down tons of people; and Pierce Brosnan just looks incredibly harmless and good-looking. So that leaves us to conclude that Daniel Craig isn't too good-looking (but he still has three Bond girls in just this installment), AND he actually comes across to us, the audience, as a trigger-fingered, killing spy who can actually wield a Walther PPK without hearing comments like, "Love your smile", "Umm...that's you?...holding a gun in front of my face?", "Aww...look at the cute little puppy with human features everywhere but his face...", or even "Bond? James Bond? You can't be serious; you can't kill me without feeling an overload of regret!"

    Another thing to add is that this film is where you'll find the best, sexiest, well-acted Bond girls. All three of them--Vesper Lynd, Solange, and Valenka--are portrayed by little-known actresses, but they were all casted in exceptionally great Bond girl roles.

    That said, CASINO ROYALE is probably the best Bond film (maybe behind 1973's LIVE AND LET DIE): it's got the most individual take on the classic barrel roll sequence, it's got the best Bond actor, it's got the hottest Bond girls...it's got it all.
  • June 27, 2011
    The Pawn. The Con. The Bond

    Saw it again! Excellent movie, it's my favorite Bond movie so far. I'm not a huge Bond fan, but I do enjoy them on a purely popcorn level and this was definitely one of the best in recent memory. The action sequences are brilliantly shot and edited fo... read morer maximum impact and are some of the best out of any Bond movie. Daniel Craig gives an excellent performance as Bond. It's hard to say whether he's better than any of the other Bonds: Connery and Brosnan felt right for the style of Bond movies they were in. Here, as suits the overall tone of the film, Bond is much more of a sadist, a cold-hearted killer with very little sense of empathy and Craig, with his piercing eyes, suits the role very well. He's charming and funny when required and totally convincing in the action sequences. The violence is less cartoon-like and flippant, too, with every punch, kick and shooting looking like they really hurt. Also, the story is just much more engaging than many a Bond film; the script's not going to win awards but it's consistently inventive and intriguing. Great directing and performances from everyone involved, along with excellent cinematography! Highly Recommended!!!

    The movie begins in the city of Prague, Czech Republic, where James Bond has tracked down an MI6 agent, Dryden, who was selling information to enemies for profit. They chat about what it takes to be a Double O agent (one of the requirements is making two kills) and Bond casually tells him his contact died, "Not well." Intercut with the conversation are black and white-filmed scenes of Bond in a men's room, fighting with Dryden's own contact, a man named Fisher. Bond eventually shoves the man's face in an overflowing sink and he falls to the floor, apparently dead.

    Dryden taunts Bond, asking him if he felt any remorse or guilt over killing Fisher. Dryden says that Bond "needn't worry, the second is--" at which point Bond shoots Dryden dead. Bond puts his pistol away saying "Yes, considerably." (Though not said explicitly, Bond found the killing of Dryden, his second such kill, "considerably" easier than the first.) In flashback, Fisher recovers from Bond's attempt to drown him and picks up his pistol. The frame instantly shifts to the series' iconic "gun barrel" sequence. Bond spins around shoots the man. Blood runs down the frame, prompting the opening titles.

    We next are in Uganda where a terrorist group is meeting with "Le Chiffre" who is a private banker to terrorist groups around the world. The broker for the deal is a Mr. White, taking their money and investing it and manipulating stocks so they get a 100% return on the investment. The terrorists, lead by a man named Obanno, agree to allow the money to be taken for Le Chiffre's nefarious purposes.

    In Madagascar, Bond, on his first mission as a "00", is working with another agent, Carter, monitoring a terrorist, Mollaka, who is gambling on a match between a cobra and a mongoose... Bond's inexperienced partner agent is exposed after Mollaka gets a cell call and the terrorist bolts from the scene. Bond chases the man, who is an experienced "free runner" (parkour) who leads Bond through a construction site, onto several sky cranes and finally to the Nambutu embassy where he seeks asylum. Bond charges into the embassy, in direct contravention of international law and his orders, and catches Mollaka. Bond fights his way thru the halls of the embassy and finally finds himself surrounded by armed guards. The ambassador appears and orders Bond to let Mollaka go. Bond shoots the terrorist and a nearby gas tank and escapes in the explosion. He also steals the backpack Mollaka was carrying. Searching through the backpack, he finds a cell phone and a bomb. Bond examines the man's messages briefly and keeps the phone.

    Back at MI6, M is furious that 007's violent actions were caught on tape at the Nambutu embassy. Bond later sneaks into M's home and hacks her top-level clearance so he can trace where the cell phone call originated from. When M enters she's startled and lectures him on proper protocol and conduct. She also tells him to go on a brief vacation until she can decide how best to deal with him. Bond had discovered that the call to Mollaka originated in the Bahamas and so Bond goes to their to find out who made the call and why. He ends up finding a middle man, Dmitrios, who was working for Le Chiffre and that he was hired to find someone who could carry out a task for Le Chiffre. Bond meets Dmitrios and plays poker with him, winning his 1964 Aston Martin. Bond uses the Aston to finagle a romantic evening with Dmitrios' spurned wife, Solange, to get information about her husband. She tells Bond that Dmitrios is going to Miami. Bond follows him there where he confronts Dmitrios. after seeing him put a bag away for someone to pick up later. Bond kills Dmitrios when he's held at knifepoint, however, the bag goes missing and Bond follows the man, Carlos, hired for Mollaka's job. Le Chiffre will have Carlos destroy the prototype for a large airline named Skyfleet. The prototype will be the largest aircraft in the world; it's public destruction will bankrupt Skyfleet causing their stock to plummet, an event that Le Chiffre thinks will earn millions. Bond foils the plot and Le Chiffre loses over $100 Million dollars. Now a marked man, Le Chiffre must find another way to earn the money back so his investors will not kill him. He sets up the high stakes match in Montenegro for 10 players with entry fees at $10 Million each + a $5 Million buy back should they lose all their money.

    M is taking 007 through a crime scene where Solange was found dead. M informs Bond of the poker game and agrees to let Bond continue the mission since he's the best poker player in the service. M also implants a homing device on 007 so she can track him anywhere. The British Government will be putting up the money and we are introduced to Vesper Lynd who is the government agent who is going to monitor Bond and give a go, no-go should he lose the money. They talk on the train about each other, Vesper commenting on his cold nature and Bond remarking on how Vesper is retentive. Upon arriving they are to pose as a married couple and meet Rene Mathis, their contact in Montenegro. Each poker player has their money in a Swiss bank in escrow while they play and each one has a password to keep the money secured. Vesper has the account number but only 007 knows the password. On the first hand, 007 loses a chunk of cash to figure out how Le Chiffre bluffs (his physical "tell" involves him placing his left hand near his wounded eye), however Vesper is not at all amused. After a lengthy round of hands, a break is called. Bond places a tracking device in Le Chiffre's asthma inhaler and takes Vesper back to their room. Le Chiffre goes back to his room only to be confronted by Obanna and his henchman, demanding his money back. They threaten to cut off one of Le Chiffre's girlfriend's, Valenka's, arms, however, Le Chiffre doesn't acquiesce. Out in the hallway, Bond hears Valenka screaming. He quickly grabs Vesper and forces her to kiss him in the stairway entrance, however Obanna notices Bond's earpiece and attacks them both. The fight takes them down the stairwell to the bottom floor where Bond kills Obanna and his henchman. Bond sharply orders Vesper to contact Mathis, who sets up a man to take the fall for the dead bodies by placing them in the man's car trunk.

    The next day, during the continuing poker game, Bond loses all his money to Le Chiffre after misreading a bluff and admits to Vesper that he made a mistake. Vesper won't give him the buy back money saying he's going to lose it. Furious, 007 goes after Le Chiffre but is stopped by one of the other poker players, Felix Leiter, sent by the CIA to the poker match to catch Le Chiffre. Leiter tells 007 that he's doing poorly himself in the game and that he'll back Bond to re-enter the game; Leiter believes that Bond can beat Le Chiffre. In return, Bond will give Le Chiffre to the CIA. Bond slowly builds his bank again and once again becomes a threat to Le Chiffre. Le Chiffre has Valenka poinson Bond's martini with digitalis, causing Bond to suffer severe tachycardia. Bond goes to his car distressed and, communicating with medical specialists at MI6 headquarters, is about to use the defibrillator when he sees the the connection isn't plugged in and passes out. Vesper arrives, fixes the defib kit and shocks him back to life. Bond, shaken, returns to the game. The final hand of the game is down to four players, including Bond and Le Chiffre, who go "all in", betting their remaining money, driving the "pot" well over $150 million. Two are eliminated when their hands are called, leaving Le Chiffre and Bond. Le Chiffre reveals a straight flush. Bond reveals he has a higher straight flush and wins the game.

    Bond has dinner with Vesper, who receives a call from Mathis stating that Le Chiffre has been apprehended by the CIA. Vesper leaves the dining room; seconds later, Bond realizes she's in danger. Vesper is kidnapped by Le Chiffre. Bond races after them in his Aston Martin, but has to swerve violently when he sees Vesper lying bound in the road. The car rolls several times, destroying it and injuring Bond, rendering him unconscious. Le Chiffre and his cronies take him, remove his homing implant and take him and Vesper to a nearby tramp steamer. Bond is stripped and bound to a chair with the seat removed, leaving his testicles exposed. Le Chiffre uses a large knotted rope, striking Bond's scrotum, demanding the password for the account the winnings have been secured in. Bond refuses, despite Le Chiffre's threats to kill him and Vesper. Le Chiffre finally draws a knife and is about to castrate Bond when gunshots are heard outside. The door opens and Mr. White, broker from the first scene with Obanna, walks in. Le Chiffre pleads with him, saying he'll secure the money, to which White replies, "Money isn't as important to our organization as knowing who to trust." White shoots Le Chiffre in the forehead, killing him.

    Bond wakes up in a hospital bed during a haze while he recovers. He talks to Mathis, whom he believes was responsible for his and Vesper's capture by Le Chiffre. MI6 agents appear, taze Mathis and drag him away.

    Vesper visits Bond and they confess their love for each other. The Swiss banker in charge of the winnings account visits and Bond gives Vesper the password to key in; the password is her own first name. Bond resigns from the service to go away with Vesper, and they sail to Venice, Italy where Vesper says she'll get the money and Bond will get the supplies for the trip. When M phones 007 about his resignation, she says that they need to talk about the money being returned to the British government first, which tips off 007 that Vesper was using him all along. 007 follows Vesper to a secret meeting where she turns the money over, in cash, to a man named Gettler. Gettler and a few of his men retreat to a building being renovated and a gunfight ensues. Bond shoots and ruptures the flotation bags that hold the building above water-level and fights with them all, killing them. He tries to save Vesper, locked in an old elevator, but is unable to after she commits suicide by drowning herself. Bond recovers her body and takes her above water but is unable to revive her. Mr. White, who'd been watching the scene, is seen leaving with the suitcase full of money.

    Sitting on the sailboat he and Vesper had been vacationing on, Bond talks to M, who informs him that Vesper had a boyfriend who was being held by Le Chiffre's organization. She had intended to pay off Le Chiffre's associates with the money to secure her boyfriend's release. M believes that there are no further leads, that the "trail has gone cold." Bond examines Vesper's cell phone and finds the phone number of Mr. White. At Lake Como in Northern Italy, White arrives at a palatial estate. After he exits his car, he receives a phone call from someone telling him they "need to talk." Asking who the caller is, White is suddenly shot in the leg by a sniper. He falls to the ground and crawls toward the house. As he tries to climb the stairs and the familiar Bond theme begins to play, Bond appears carrying a cell phone and an HK rifle. As White looks up defiantly, Bond says "The name's Bond. James Bond." The closing titles roll immediately.

Critic Reviews


Bob Mondello
October 18, 2008
Bob Mondello, NPR.org

Bond as a human being? Who'd'a'thunk? Full Review

Roger Ebert
August 17, 2007
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Casino Royale has the answers to all my complaints about the 45-year-old James Bond series, and some I hadn't even thought of. Full Review

David Edelstein
June 29, 2007
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

I hope Craig finds more moments like that in Bond. And I hope he gets to wear that tuxedo again and again and again. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
April 25, 2007
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

I consider Daniel Craig to be the most effective and appealing of the six actors who have played 007, and that includes even Sean Connery. Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
November 18, 2006
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

This, at last, is Bond stripped bare. Full Review

Tom Charity
November 17, 2006
Tom Charity, CNN.com

There's clearly life in the old dog yet. Full Review

James Berardinelli
November 17, 2006
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Welcome to the new world of MI6's most storied agent. Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
November 17, 2006
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

It's The Spy Who Came In From the Warmth. Full Review

Claudia Puig
November 17, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

[Craig's] portrayal feels grittier and more complex than previous 007s. This is also partly the result of a better script, by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Oscar winner Paul Haggis, as well as top-notc... Full Review

Peter Howell
November 17, 2006
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Gone or reshaped are most of the conceits that have made Bond movies seem like an exercise in parody and nostalgia. Full Review

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Facts


    • Vesper Lynd: So, as charming as you are Mr. Bond, I will be keeping my eye on our government's money and off your perfectly formed ass.
    • James Bond: You noticed?
    • James Bond: Oh I'm sorry, that last hand nearly killed me.
    • James Bond: I won't consider myself to be in trouble until I start weeping blood.
    • M: Go and stick your head in the sand and think about your future.
    • James Bond: The job's done and the bitch is dead.
    • James Bond: Now the whole world's gonna know that you died scratching my balls!

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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 »
  • Including Casino Royale, how many bond films have there been altogether?  Answer »

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