longbough

I finally watched Casino Royale (in Blu-Ray on my 60" DLP screen) - I will have to say it kicks ass!
I agree this is on par with Sean Connery's Bond.

That being said I have only one big gripe ...

The only really big disappointment is that they changed Baccarat to "Texas Hold 'em." It may be a small issue to some but it smudged the sheen of elegance for me. I suppose this is an attempt to glamorize the game to boost the online gaming business, perhaps.

The game of poker has been filmed more convincingly in countless other films. Casino Royale didn't add anything to that old formula - In fact the portrayal was elementary and contrived to the point of embarrassment.

The use of "the tell" as a plot device is a tired one and has been done better in films like, "House of Games" and "The Cincinnati Kid" in which the game is depicted with more complexity, suspense and authenticity. It's not an entirely trivial issue because the whole plot of Casino Royale revolves around that card game.

Still, it's not enough to destroy the film for this viewer - I loved everything else about the film.

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"I do believe that, where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence. Thus when my eldest son asked me what he should have done, had he been present when I was almost fatally assaulted in 1908, whether he should have run away and seen me killed or whether he should have used his physical force which he could and wanted to use, and defended me, I told him that it was his duty to defend me even by using violence." - Mahatma Ghandi