But beyond duty and hedonistic desire, this is a genuine instance where he cares about his female counterpart. Usually, he would either be flirting, bedding or just being generally smarmy towards the female characters he encounters. The atypical “Licence to Kill” is no longer a cutesy phrase.Īt the same time, the shot is a subversion of our expectation of Bond himself. This fundamental change in perspective is what grounds Royale in the realm of genuine pathos and empathy. But it’s now seen through the eyes of someone who has no exposure to those acts. Sure there’s been moments sprinkled throughout the franchise of Bond committing cold murderous acts. It’s also postmodern, with Vesper’s reaction illustrating a collective terror that we have at seeing Bond kill someone in cold blood. The above shot of Bond comforting a traumatised Vesper (Eva Green) is a statement shot that proudly proclaims this ethos of Casino Royale.

Instead, it’s about trying to make you feel like Bond insofar as the tougher aspects of his occupation. It’s no longer about making a heightened and exotic lifestyle with 007 existing as an avatar that audiences can live vicariously through. For the most part, they’ve existed as incidental moments that may appear as odd record scratch moments to audiences.īut with Casino Royale, this dynamic is entirely reversed. In fact, there are very few times within the franchise’s near 25 movie history where the character is truly human. Suave, cool and deadly are just some of the words that have become synonymous with James Bond.

Eva green character name casino royale