BurbleChaz

Casino Royale is not a Bond movie. Yes, it's got a character called James Bond in it, but that's as far as any similarity with the rest of the franchise goes.

The Bond in this movie lacks the understated, suave elegance that one expects in the role. James, no dinner jacket, however well tailored, will make you into a gentleman while playing Texas Hold'em. Gentlemen just do not play. Also, when one has messily bludgeoned a number of inconvenient walk-on thugs to death, one does not hide the bodies under the stairs for the staff to find. Simply not done. Dashed inconsiderate.

The James Bond portrayed in this film is not a very nice chap at all. That, in itself, is forgiveable. The problem I have is that he's uncouth.

The opening chase scene is one of the best in cinematic history. The business at the airport goes on too long. The poker game is long, tedious and inevitable. There are no spiffy gadgets - Q is missing entirely. The scenery is stunning, the violence is extreme, the one-liners are funny and the girls are pretty. The film is a self-indulgent three hours. A decent editor could have cut an hour and made a much better movie.

What with the 3-hour movie, all the restaurants had shut. World's Most Liveable City*. So we went home and cooked fajitas.

*Fridays only - some restrictions apply