Casino Royale (movie review)

This was Tara's first Bond movie, and she worried at first she'd need more of the back story. I whispered the basics, about the Brits and their double-oh mythology -- not much to know.

I actually read some of the Ian Flemming books in my youth, and Casino Royale rings a bell as one of his first and mine (as a reader). Sure enough, Bond is just earning his wings in this movie, trying to impress his MI6 boss. Yet the timeline starts post 911, somewhat subverting the earlier films. Batman Begins seems kinder to its less proficient sequels.

The club (as in the card suit) does look a bit like a Mandelbrot Set -- I hadn't made that connection. I caught the global matrix motif (red hexagons) as Bond zoomed in on the villain's powerboat's location in Nassau, using M's computer.

Tara'd been asking about Venice. That's the fun of Bond movies, getting to see the backdrops, and in a mode that'd blow the average tourist budget in a heartbeat. Interesting touch to have a defibrillator in the car (is Bond finally showing his age?).

The Swiss bankers come off as a bit goofy, but still handle the money securely. Lots of brand placements per usual, though I can't remember any beyond the Sony Vaio at this point.