First Takes: Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace- going back to where it all began

CASINO ROYALE (2006)
Plot in simpler terms- Bond becomes 007 as he deals with Blofeld-esque villain Le Chiffre over a high stakes game of poker

Casino Royale is a film and a half. This, as Daniel Craig’s first outing as 007, has a very well crafted narrative that’s actually revisited in Spectre, with the performances from Craig and (a fully clothed for once) Eva Green showing that the Bond franchise doesn’t need gimmicks to make a great film. The action is insane, David Arnold’s music is flawless and veteran Martin Campbell (the man who directed GoldenEye back in 1995) directs this with ease. A solid first entry for this new look 007.

Smit Rating: 5/5

QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008)
Plot in simpler terms- Bond seeks revenge for the death of Vesper Lynd, leading him to a terrorist organisation known as Quantum

And how the mighty fall. Compared to the other 3 Daniel Craig films, this one falls flat on it’s feet. Marc Forster’s direction is OK, but there is too much reliance on CGI stunts. Admittedly, there is a brilliant car chase at the start of the film, and it’s shot very well, but there was no big narrative hook. Performances are as a whole very good, and David Arnold’s music delivers once again, but this is a turkey through and through. Audiences back in 2008 deserved better, and they got it with Skyfall. This is one of the worst films I’ve seen for a long time.

Smit Rating- 2/5