With the new James Bond film Skyfall which broke box office records in the UK, and with Daniel Craig as Bond, one’s mind naturally go back to the earlier James Bond movies like Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.
Casino Royale, released in 2006, is one of the best casino movies of its genre ever made. Casting Craig as Bond had been a brave move. In every way he was very different from other Bonds, and he played the part very differently. However the plot goes back to the start of Bond’s career as a spy, which gives Craig, and director Martin Campbell, something of a black canvas on which to paint an entirely different character.
Bond is sent to the Bahamas to chase down Mollaka – an international bomb-maker who he assassinates. Bond then finds a message to Alex Dimitrios – a contact of Le Chiffre, a banker to international terrorists. Bond visits Dimitrios’ home in the Bahamas and seduces Solange – Dimitrios’ wife. She reveals that Dimitrios is travelling to Miami so bond follows him and kills him too. Le Chiffre makes his money by short selling shares in major projects and then ensuring that the projects are failures. This time it is the destruction of the Skyfleet airliner, but Bond foils his plot. This results in a huge loss for Le Chiffre.
Le Chiffre organises huge poker game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro which he needs to win in order to make up his loss and Bond’s new role is to ensure that he doesn’t. The game is Texas Hold’em – the same version as you will find at an online casino such as www.riverbellecasino.com/.
Bond doesn’t get off to a very god start in this $10 million buy-in game of Texas Hold’em and loses his chips. To continue playing he needs to re-buy at $5 but Vesper Lynd, the treasury agent, refuses to refinance him. However Felix Leiter, a CIA agent also after Le Chiffre, agrees to as long as he can take custody of Le Chiffre.
The story develops from there and there is a stunning poker showdown between Bond and Le Chiffre which Bond wins. However Vesper makes off with the winnings, but we won’t say what happens next.
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