Bond’s character progression in Casino Royale
Vesper Lynd: “It doesn’t bother you, killing all those people?”
James Bond: “Well, I wouldn’t be very good at my job if it did.”
Three movies in, and Daniel Craig is proving more and more that he is the prime embodiment of Bond. Not that the performances of the five previous actors who donned the tux and Walther were any less memorable (Connery’s, in particular, is still deemed by many as the most iconic), but Craig’s take on the character is probably the closest to the Bond as envisioned by his creator, Ian Fleming. Even without the literary basis, though, there’s just something about a flawed hero that talks to the current generation of moviegoers; a hero who makes mistakes just as often as he reaps rewards.
If you think about it, every cinematic interpretation of Bond has been as a stone-cold killer. The only difference between him and the thugs he obliterates, in fact, is that he carries a government-sanctioned license to kill. Craig’s Bond, however, is a much more complicated character, and nowhere is this more evident than in his first outing, Casino Royale. Here, he isn’t hesitant about admitting his conscience-free proficiency and underlying satisfaction in ending the life of (admittedly evil) people. Yet at the same time, he isn’t exactly devoid of emotion, although he does try his best to hide it.
It’s rather fitting, then, that amidst the gunfights, fisticuffs, and parkour chases, the centerpiece of the movie is a battle of minds at the poker table. Poker is a game of deception. It’s a game that requires hiding your real thoughts while projecting something else. And it’s a game that, when circumstances are right, forces players to go all-or-nothing. It’s these aspects that are highlighted in both Bond and Le Chiffre’s tug-of-war, and the movie as a whole.
Poker is game that emphasizes control, where those without are fated to lose. As M says in the movie, Bond is more of a blunt object than a razor-sharp weapon: The ability is definitely there, but it’s more “impact” and less “efficiency.” It’s the same for him at the poker table, where his cockiness and propensity for making a splash was the cause of his downfall, if not for Felix Leiter’s saving grace.
Bond made full use of his second wind, though; and this second battle largely matches his progression in the movie as a character. “The more you understand about… the overall action and the possibilities, the more you will be ready to make essential options,” states a Betfair forum post about playing poker. This statement is as much about learning control as it is about learning moves, and it’s this lesson that Bond acquired both in the game and his mission.
Casino Royale was a reboot of Bond that sought to bring to the forefront the things that made the character tick, and it did so with aplomb. Skyfall may be the current darling of casual Bond fans, but most hardcore followers of the character’s mythos will agree that it’s the first of the Craig movies that’s still the one to beat.