Lots of stunts, per usual in Bond movies: animated opening credits sequence features shooting, stabbing, and falling, with bright red splotches for blood; film includes explosions by bombs, grenades, and missiles; car chases and flips; leaps on and off building scaffolding; corpse wrapped in a hammock; Bond's face and body are cut and bleeding repeatedly; bloody results from frequent shooting, knifing, and punching; poisoned, Bond sweats and gasps, nearly dying; a long, sad drowning sequence; fight scenes feature kicking, punching, falling/throwing bodies down stairs; one villain wields a sword; Bond is tortured by a villain whomping his genitals with a knotted rope.
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The usual upscale Bond paraphernalia: Liquor tie-ins include Heineken and Smirnoff Vodka, goodies include Aston Martin, Jaguar, Sony Vaio, Sony Ericsson, Omega watch, Bodyworld Museum exhibit; Virgin Atlantic airline (including airport cameo by owner Richard Branson); Coca-Cola.
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
Much drinking (champagne, martinis, brandy, Scotch) and oh yes, those liquor sponsored placements...)
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Bond beds two different women (all three characters show nude legs and arms while kissing and embracing passionately on beds and floors); Bond is naked for a torture session (you see everything but full frontal); joke about an undercover name for Vesper ("Miss Stephanie Broadchest").
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Villains are ruthlessly efficient and lethal in pursuit of money and power; Bond is also brutal, darkly pleased to best his opponents.
Positive Role Models
very little
James Bond in this film is played darker than in previous versions. He is angry, determined, and often motivated by revenge. Bond's position as a cultural icon is well known, but this version is considerably more gritty, and that means there is less to look up to in Bond.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Casino Royale is the much-hyped re-start to the James Bond franchise. The new 007, however, is darker than previous incarnations. His sly, barely perceptible smile suggests that he relishes revenge and takes pleasure in his violence. The film is full of violence, including spectacular explosions, intense physical fights, shooting, knifing, cars crashing, and drowning. Dead bodies show blood and vacant-eyed faces. A torture scene (featuring a naked Bond) shows him in obvious pain as his genitals are smashed with a large, knotted rope. One main character meets a sad demise. Sex scenes show Bond with two different women, in various states of undress. Lots of martini-drinking as Bond discovers his drink of choice (thanks to liquor sponsors Heineken and Smirnoff). The language is pretty mild. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
This movie is the best James Bond movie, especially for poker lovers! Lots of action and violence. My kids watched this movie and loved it. I think that it might be a little mature for under 12 year olds but still fine.
Starring Daniel Craig as Secret Agent 007, director Martin Campbell's CASINO ROYALE takes viewers back to James Bond's beginnings, when M (Judi Dench) elevates him to the extra-special rank of 007. Bond's early 007 adventures involve all manner of brutality and rule-breaking, as he fixes on his targets with unshakable ferocity. First he chases one man through the "Nambutu Embassy" in Madagascar, wreaking havoc and, as M puts it, violating "the only inviolate rule of international relations." Later, he beds a villain's wife (Caterina Murino) to extract information, leaving her open to terrible retribution. And then he destroys much of the Miami Airport in order to stop a bomb's explosion. All of this is warm-up for the big showdown with the requisite dastardly, damaged villain Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), which centers around a high-stakes poker game. Here Bond is aided by stunningly beautiful Bond Girl and British treasury operative Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), earnest CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright), and dapper MI6 agent Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini), though Bond gets impatient when they cramp his style.
This Bond is cunning and even elegant, providing the franchise with a much-needed shot of raw energy. But although the details are right, Casino Royale is bogged down by the plot, which spends too much time on the poker game and a montage sequence version of Bond and Vesper's inevitable romance. Such generic diversions detract from Craig's strengths, which are based in deft gestures, nuanced glances, and the deadpan delivery of the occasional joke. (Asked whether he wants his martini shaken or stirred, Bond looks annoyed: "Do I look like I give a damn?") This Bond -- fast, mean, and vulnerable enough to appeal to a new generation of fans -- will likely revive the franchise. By the time of the next installment, perhaps the script will keep up with him.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what makes Bond so appealing. What does his behavior in Casino Royale say about images of manliness?
How does the movie characterize this new Bond as both ruthless and charismatic? Who's your favorite Bond?
MPAA explanation:
intense sequences of violent action, a scene of torture, sexual content and nudity.
Last updated:
July 12, 2024
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