Casino Royale (DVD, 2007)

Casino Royale

After a great deal of discussion--on the part of fans and producers alike--over Daniel Craig's (THE MOTHER, MUNICH) suitability for the role of James Bond, he more than proves himself in this explosive revamping of the franchise. Under the direction of Martin Campbell (THE MASK OF ZORRO) and with Paul Haggis (CRASH) helping with the re-writes, this addition to the Bond canon manages to hold true to the essence of the stories--the villainous villains, the fabulous sets, the beautiful women, the fast-paced action--while updating the formula with subtlety and humanity. Trading in the Cold War era for a new, post-9-11 landscape, the tale unfolds in locations that span the globe, including the Bahamas, Venice, and the Czech Republic. It opens in Madagascar, where Bond pursues a guerilla bomb-maker in one of the most breathtaking chase scenes ever--and it all takes place on foot. Botching that assignment, Bond goes to Montenegro to square off against terrorist baddie Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelson), an international loan shark who gambles with the money of his equally dangerous clients. Beautiful British Treasury representative Vesper Lynd (Eva Green, THE DREAMERS) supplies Bond's own funds, appearing on his arm in Montenegro, while M (Dame Judi Dench, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE) keeps a close watch on the action from headquarters. The extravagant poker game forms the centre of the action, with Jeffrey Wright (SYRIANA, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE) putting in an intense appearance at the table; interrupting the game are assassination attempts, poisoning, and other dramatic events that keep the adrenaline pumping. The flirtation that unfolds between Bond and Vesper Lynd is only in keeping with the spy's M.O. as a ladies' man. What differs here, however, is what sets this Bond apart from the rest: the romance is taken seriously, and it exposes vulnerability in Bond that he's never shown before. This, however, only makes him the tougher, as Craig's Bond is darker, less campy, more brooding and mysterious, than his past incarnations ever were.

REGION 2  (Europe, Egypt, West Asia, Japan, South Africa, Greenland, and French Guiana)

INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS WELCOME BUT PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR EQUIPMENT WILL PLAY REGION 2 DVDs BEFORE BIDDING.

VERY GOOD

Tested - Plays well.

GRADING INFORMATION

MINT Not a word to be used lightly. All DVDs will be damaged to some extent when they are used, even when great care is taken putting the disc in or taking the disc out of the player. I will only use this word to describe a disc I have reason to believe has never been used, this will usually mean it will be described as new, but the word mint is there just in case I need it.

EXCELLENT A disc that looks like it has never been used even though I know it has. Perfect, scratch free condition.

VERY GOOD As previously stated, all DVDs will be damaged to some extent when they are used, this usually means that the DVD has rubbed against the tray in the player causing light surface scratches or rub marks. These rarely have any effect on play, in fact any DVD that does have these marks will have been fully tested before it is allowed into the VERY GOOD grade. The best way to describe it is, if you found the DVD in a second hand shop or on a market stall and you checked the disc before buying, you would see the marks but you wouldn't have any doubts about the discs ability to play. A plus or minus sign (+ or -) indicates how close the disc is to being in the higher or lower grade.

GOOD If you found the DVD in a second hand shop or on a market stall and you checked the disc before buying, you would hesitate before buying a DVD with a GOOD grade without first asking for assurances and checking what the returns policy was. It looks like it will play but you wouldn't like to be the one to guarantee it. Rest assured, all DVDs that I put in the GOOD grade will have been fully tested and be guaranteed to work perfectly (and the return policy ain't bad either). A plus or minus sign (+ or -) indicates how close the disc is to being in the higher or lower grade.

ACCEPTABLE Looks like it won't play but will have been fully tested and is guaranteed to work perfectly.

POOR Everything else. I'll probably throw it in the bin, but if there is a reason I think this might still be of interest to someone I'll explain the problems and the reasons for bothering with it in the listing.

LL135