| Casino Royale (Collector's Edition + BD Live) [Blu-ray] | ![Casino Royale (Collector's Edition + BD Live) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P8DGLM%2BJL._SL160_.jpg) | Actors: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Tom Chadbon, John Chancer, Jesper Christensen
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $38.96
Buy New: $13.72
as of 7/30/2010 11:45 CDT details
You Save: $25.24 (65%)
New (26) Used (24) from $10.03
Seller: SourceMedia
Rating:  1212 reviews
Sales Rank: 2,666
Format: AC-3, Collector's Edition, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Blu-ray
Discs: 2
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Running Time: 144 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.5
MPN: COLBR24923
UPC: 043396249233
EAN: 0043396249233
ASIN: B001DSNF8C
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Release Date: October 21, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Genre: Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 21-OCT-2008
Media Type: Blu-Ray
Amazon.com
The most successful invigoration of a cinematic franchise since Batman Begins, Casino Royale offers a new Bond identity. Based on the Ian Fleming novel that introduced Agent 007 into a Cold War world, Casino Royale is the most brutal and viscerally exciting James Bond film since Sean Connery left Her Majesty's Secret Service. Meet the new Bond; not the same as the old Bond. Daniel Craig gives a galvanizing performance as the freshly minted double-0 agent. Suave, yes, but also a "blunt instrument," reckless, and possessed with an ego that compromises his judgment during his first mission to root out the mastermind behind an operation that funds international terrorists. In classic Bond film tradition, his global itinerary takes him to far-flung locales, including Uganda, Madagascar, the Bahamas (that's more like it), and Montenegro, where he is pitted against his nemesis in a poker game, with hundreds of millions in the pot. The stakes get even higher when Bond lets down his "armor" and falls in love with Vesper (Eva Green), the ravishing banker's representative fronting him the money.  |
For longtime fans of the franchise, Casino Royale offers some retro kicks. Bond wins his iconic Astin-Martin at the gaming table, and when a bartender asks if he wants his martini "shaken or stirred," he disdainfully replies, "Do I look like I give a damn?" There's no Moneypenny or "Q," but Dame Judi Dench is back as the exasperated M, who one senses, admires Bond's "bloody cheek." A Bond film is only as good as its villain, and Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, who weeps blood, is a sinister dandy. From its punishing violence and virtuoso action sequences to its romance, Casino Royale is a Bond film that, in the words of one character, makes you feel it, particularly during an excruciating torture sequence. Double-0s, Bond observes early on, "have a short life expectancy." But with Craig, there is new life in the old franchise yet, as well as genuine anticipation for the next one when, at last, the signature James Bond theme kicks in following the best last line ever in any Bond film. To quote Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin, now I know what I've been faking all these years. --Donald Liebenson Stills from Casino Royale (click for larger image)
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 1212
Great Renewal of Classic Series July 27, 2010
One Critical Cat
I have to admit that I have seen every James Bond movie. I used to watch the marathons on TBS during summer vacation when I was in elementary school. (Marathons also watched include...Elvis musicals and Frankie Avalon beach movies.) Casino Royale has changed the texture of the Bond genre. Gone are the tired cliches of the classic James bond movies, we now get to see a little bit into the mind of James Bond (He has a mind?) and begin to understand his motivations. I have to applaud the film makers in picking this particular book as a platform for the new James Bond, Daniel Craig, it allows Bond to start over in film and in person.
I have read the book, and while the film is different, I didn't like it any less. Daniel Craig brings a realness to James Bond that hasn't been seen for a long time. It was great to see all of the cheesiness removed and a physically fit and young guy play the lead! I highly recommend this film to all Bond and non-Bond fans.
 the version to own for good HD SOUND July 14, 2010
A. Rizi (Canada)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Amazing version of Casino Royale , i am a big home theater buff and this one is the better version of the 2 since it includes Dolby Digital true HD track instead of the other version PCM multichannel sound.It also include a bonus disc , this movie is awesome prepare to test your home theather and be dazzled by an amazing story , WAY better than the second one (QUANTUM OF CRAP) , which i don't like and will never buy...
Daniel Craig is no Sean Connery... but who is? July 13, 2010
Robert Schmidt (Honolulu, HI USA)
"Bond. James Bond."
With that introduction, you expect a good adventure thriller. In Casino Royale, we are introduced to yet another actor attempting to replace Sean Connery. In this, Daniel Craig fails. However, Daniel Craig does develop his own character, an early 007 in today's world.
He's not a funny, witty man. And in this version. he is successful because he doesn't try to be a witty, funny 00.
And that ending? You knew life was just too good to last, didn't you?
Class meets Grit. June 28, 2010
David P. Jones (California)
Daniel Craig delivers a gritty performance that redefines the bond franchise for todays audience. Where the Bond's of past got out of jams with gadgets and bravado, Craig wills his way through chases, fights, and villains all the while keeping you emotionally invested. Eva Green excels in her role as a female counterpart to James. Worth getting on BD at around $20.
Casino Royale (Collector's Edition) (Blu-ray) June 23, 2010
Tony Khamvongsouk (Frisco, TX)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Movie - 5.0
Growing up I was a casual Bond fan, maybe a little more than casual, but not quite die-hard. I appreciated the franchise for its style, sleek atmosphere, British charm, and sex appeal with all those girls. Somewhere down the line my tastes developed into something a little beyond the flash and pizazz that I started to grow weary of. And by the time Pierce Brosnan starred in his final film as Agent 007, I'm afraid to say I was starting to lose interest in the same old formula and presentation. Then came Bond 21, Casino Royale, starring a complete newcomer I'd never even heard of in Daniel Craig. Suffice it to say, Casino Royale is a much needed reboot of the classic character. Not only is there a new actor, but also a new tone that completely rejuvenates the franchise from square one. Here we see Craig portraying Bond as a rookie hotshot who's just earned his Double-O status. He's young, brash, full of energy, and borderline uncontrollable acting on impulse and emotion, though with just enough of that cool, collected debonair most of us are probably accustomed to seeing. However, as many young and overconfident hotshots often realize soon after, there needs to be a lesson of moderation learned. Enter Vesper Lynd who allows us to see a side of Bond that is so much more down-to-earth and actually humanized that one would never have thought possible. But with this being Bond, we certainly can't expect such a happy ending. Soon after their relationship really starts to blossom betrayal ensues and Bond is livid to conclude things the only way he knows best -- with cold, brutal efficiency. To be continued in Quantum of Solace. To really appreciate these movies for their writing I recommend you watch both, not as a movie and its sequel, but two parts of one long and personal narrative. I don't want to spoil the journey Bond makes between here and there, but read both reviews and you'll understand.
Video - 4.5
From the black and white flashback to the African Rundown to the lush and beautiful landscapes of the Bahamas, Italy, etc., every single frame is full of depth and color vibrancy. Skin textures are very fine and especially detailed with just enough film grain to give it that gritty, atmospheric feel reflected in the films' writing. Contrast and black levels are strong as well during the night and dimly-lit scenes. My favorite shots are from the poker game. Not only is there a great degree of sharpness to the face shots of the players, but the poker chips and various colors of tables, clothes, and drinks really stand out, only adding that Bond-level of material extravagance to the film's overall temperament. While not the most exciting reference scene I would recommend, it's certainly a very good part to watch, though you could easily use any of the overview shots of landscapes or grandiose action sequences as well. On the downside, I did notice a few minor instances of artifacts and debris, especially in the scene where Bond is talking to M in the Bahamas where this inexplicably large speck flashes on the screen, but other than that, everything else looks relatively flawless.
Audio - 5.0
To this date, Casino Royale remains atop my "loudest movies" list up there with Hellboy II, Fight Club, and The Bourne Ultimatum. The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track here is as amazing as the video transfer. From the very get-go in the opening flashback scene we're surrounded in this pool of sound filled with tough, gut-thumping effects and immersed in a masterful soundtrack by David Arnold. I wanna' say that in addition to the very active sound field, I'm especially enamored with how well the music is separated and integrated evenly through each speaker. With that said, directionality and dynamics are exuberantly punctuated when the more hellish scenes with gunfire and crashing objects are on screen. LFEs, particularly through the music, will rock your room, if not your house. Explosions, crumbling environments, and all the sort have a great depth of bass. Dialogue (a large majority of the film) is crisp with no disparities at any point in the film, making for yet another title of reference quality. No-brainer demo material would be either the African Rundown at the beginning of the movie or the Collapsing Palazzo at the end.
Extras - 5.0
Owning the initial release from '07, I gladly double-dipped for this Collector's Edition when hearing there would be a separate BD containing many new special features. Of most interest were the vignettes talking about the history and stigma that were carried by this particular novel, how the rights remained in limbo for so long, and how it all came about in the first place up to where the idea of the movie was reconceived as the new starting point for the franchise. I have to say, I was amazed at just how complicated the entire ordeal turned out. In addition, there are also many, many other features that cover production design, shooting logistics, cast and crew interviews, and a somewhat brief look back on the iconography of Bond up to this newest installment. Time-wise, I'm pretty sure there are at least three plus hours of Extras between the new and old stuff from the previous release, of which most are in HD. Of course, most of this material is covered in the equally informative commentary if you don't mind watching the movie again. Big thanks to Sony for giving this fine film the set of extras it deserves.
Overall - 5.0
So yeah, Bond was starting to become stagnant around the end of the Brosnan era for me. And of all the novels to be filmed, the very first, albeit troubled, one in Casino Royale was picked. Not only did it revitalize the franchise by taking things back to basics and creating a darker, grittier atmosphere, but it did so in such stunning fashion thanks in huge part to the superb effort given by Daniel Craig and veteran Bond director Martin Campbell. A wonderfully written, photographed, and coordinated film, Casino Royale along with its direct sequel Quantum of Solace, which for all intents and purposes is just the third act of a very long film (again, read the review for my interpretation), are currently my top action/drama/spy/thriller titles of all-time. Presented with reference A/V specs by Sony and a long-awaited, very thorough, package of special features, this Collector's Edition is a must own piece of film-making for any Bond fan or movie aficionado alike.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 1212
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