"This is like the game they play in Red Dead" "...Yeah, fucking Poker dude."

4:10 "They definitely hired a 'Parkourist'." They hired the guy who literally"invented" Parkour 😂

Can we take a moment to appreciate Chris Cornell's Bond intro and whoever did the backdrop? First-rate, among the best, which is saying something.

I truly appreciate that George recognized instantly what was going to happen during the torture scene 😂

Incidentally, that "chair torture" scene was done to him in the original novel, too. It wasn't some modern writer's sadistic idea.

The guy who does parkour is the guy who invented it

The "every legend has a beginning" is because Casino Royale was the first book Ian Flemming wrote. It also was the first TV-feature as an episode of Climax! in 1954. And later on as star studded movie parody in 1967.

So in case you didn't know, this movie is actually a complete hard reboot of the Bond franchise. So where the first 20 Bond films were all loosely connected, this movie completely wipes the slate clean and starts before Bond is even 007. There are still some references to older films and in-jokes for longtime Bond fans. For example, When Vesper says "I'm the money" and Bond replies" Every penny of it?", that's a tongue-in-cheek reference to the character Ms Moneypenny from the classic movies. The 1960's Aston Martin is also a returning character, as is Judy Dench's M, although she would be playing a different version of the character in this reboot.

Vespers final scene makes me cry every time🥺 Two gasps underwater….and then that horrified look of morbid realization that this is her death, and/or existential Terror on her face… It’s haunting. It’s so well acted. You can see the point where her eyes (while still open) go from aware and terrified…to blank and obviously lacking consciousness. Obviously dead….so effin haunting…

Everyone in the cinema burst into applause when the last line was his first use of the signature line 'The name's Bond, James Bond' and the Bond theme played for the first time. That was the point Craig became Bond!

"That poor woman" "I think she's fine" **dies 15 minutes later**

Ian Fleming who created the James Bond franchise actually based the character on a real-life person, the legendary Christopher Lee who was his step-cousin. Before finding fame as an actor Lee was part of British intelligence during WW2 and for a brief time was a Nazi hunter as well.

Pierce Brosnan was my first Bond, but I really like Daniel Craig’s take on the character

I like how this film takes a closer look at the more "thuggish" side of this very dirty business. Not since Connery has the series acknowledged that Bond, while able to move and operate in high society, is a brutal killer when he needs to be.

R.I.P. Chris Cornell. Such a badass addition to the long list of great Bond songs!

12:00 the skyfleet commercial plane was fictional but the biggest plane ever built in the world was the Antonov AN-225 Mriya, only one of her kind. She was unfortunately destroyed in Ukraine during the early days of the war at Hostomel Airport in February, 2022.

Thank you. A genuinely fun review for a fine movie. People often forget that Bond is, primarily, a killer, not a true spy; that's why casting is so important for the Bond character. Craig is absolutely believable, his Bond has true finesse, yet is still a cold-blooded killer (when he has to be).

Daniel Craig is my favorite James Bond. I started with Sean Connery being 007 when I was young, and he was my favorite until this series. Daniel Craig's version really does break several 007 stereotypes...and that's part of the reason I like it. That and the gadgets aren't quite so far fetched. I also think all of this series is well written.

This to me, was absolutely perfect Bond. I grew up with the earlier incarnations and always thought that, for a spy, he was portrayed as being way too casual, too cavalier. But this, this was gritty, dark, realistic. Craig's Bond was a serious guy, ready to kill to get the job done. Perfect Bond.

That thumbnail.... nearly killed me.

This was the Bond movie most faithful to the original books in decades. No wonder it was so good.

In a lot of ways, I feel like the last half hour of Casino Royale serves as the first half hour of Quantum Of Solace. I also really like that in this film, Bond is a monster that is let off the chain to do MI6's dirty work. He's suave, but it's a mask. Under that mask, he's a brutal killer, which makes way more sense for such a character.

Between shirtless Daniel Craig and Eva Green...being Eva Green, there was someone in this movie for EVERYONE in the audience to crush on back in '06.

As a cocktail guy, I should probably put in a word on the Vesper cocktail featured in this movie. It's straight out of the original Casino Royale book, published in the 1950s. As such, one major ingredient, Kina Lillet, is no longer in production. There's a version of Lillet, called Lillet Blanc, but they reformulated the recipe in (I believe) the 1970s, and it doesn't taste the same. The closest currently available product I've found to Kina Lillet is called Cocchi Americano (and since there's multiple Cocchi bottles, that's the white one). They're both aromatized wines, so it'll be shelved with the vermouths.

Casino Royale quickly became and remains one of my all-time favorite Bond movies. And yes, the guy Bond chased in the beginning is played by one of the pioneers of freerunning and parkour. I loved that even though this one is a full reboot, they kept Judi Dench on as M. She's just SO good in the role! "Christ I miss the Cold War!" is one of my favorite lines of the whole franchise, in no small part because of Dame Judi's delivery :)

The movies really move Bond into all the hyper gadgets that James Bond is known for, but in the Ian Flemming novels, he's described as a 'blunt instrument'. I've been a Bond fan since Roger Moore, but I think that Daniel Craig is the closest to the character created by Flemming. FYI, the explosives expert that Bond kills in the beginning was one of the founders of parkour, Sébastien Foucan.

Hi George and Simone, For George: games played with decks of playing cards are usually referred to as "Cards" and not poker. Like you'll hear "Lets play some cards" and its generally something like poker or blackjack. There are many types of games with cards and many variants within them. There's Go Fish, War, Blackjack, Poker, Baccarat, Kings, Spades, Hearts, Rummy, Maverick, and the list goes on and on and on... The most popular gambling card games tend to be Blackjack, Poker, and Baccarat. For Simone: yay 'Run DnD' shirt!

The jousting, interplay and raw charisma of Craig, Green and Mikkelsen is through the roof; it's what makes this film. And how it ends of course. It's my personal favorite 007 film. PS: Mads Mikkelsen and others were real life avid poker players when they made the film; he sometimes played for fun with various cast members and crew between scenes, at some mock-up poker table somewhere on the soundstages. :)

If you want to see a more accurate depiction of how an actual British Intelligence spy operates please check out Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It is a movie adaptation of a novel made by John Le Carre. He worked for British Intelligence during the height of the Cambridge Five or the Cambridge Spy Ring when Soviet moles infiltrated British Intelligence. His novels has been made into TV Adaptations and a Movie. The TV series is godly but the movie is amazing. The movie is stacked with powerful casts; John Hurt, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Ciaran Hinds, Toby Jones, Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch. Its like a gathering of talented British actors.

A little fun fact about that car crash: at the time that movie hit the theaters, they got the world record for the most canon rolls in a car. Stunt double Adam Kirley played Bond in the scene in which a nitrogen cannon blows the car through the air.

It's cool how you two know and see different things and support and complement each other! They play poker in the movie version. In the book (which is basically the second half of the movie), and in previous Bond movies, they play baccarat. Apparently it was changed because of the rising popularity of poker when this movie was made. The movie is so full of things I kind of wish it was divided into parts named by title cards. Even when I know that the last part is what it is, it still feels somewhat out of place. If you intend to watch more Craig Bonds, I recommend watching Quantum of Solace soon because it's basically an epilogue to this movie and can be quite difficult to follow if you've forgotten the details.

When this came out, I had little interest. I was surprised to find it the best Bond film, and I still think it is. Aside from adding a few opportunities for action set pieces, it follows the original novel shockingly closely, considering Bond films since the 70s have basically just used Bond titles, and made up their own stories. I think this and On Her Majesty's Secret Service are the films that best represent Fleming's novels.

19:00 Interestingly, although not directly mentioned in the films, in the books Bond doesn't use a cover. He uses his real name which is tied to working for "Universal Exports" (the cover company for MI6), and his cover story is basically a wealthy, playboy businessman.

The drink is called a Vesper, and is hard to make now since Kina Lillet was changed to Lillet Blanc and the recipe changed. You also need the Gordan's Gin from the UK not the US, yes, there is a difference. You can find lots of KZfaq videos discussing the issue. The car crash was the world record holder for the number of flips, the driver walked away. The guy who shot Le Chiffre was the one who introduced him the the warlord at the start of the movie.

The thing about Bond here is he is intentionally provocative to throw people off. If anyone's ever watched Leverage, alot of their cons involve their leader playing an utter bastard to make the mark angry, invested, and reckless.

Director Martin Campbell has a knack for reviving franchises. Hence, I recommend checking out GoldenEye (1995) & The Mask of Zorro (1998).

I'm saddened that you didn't feel in your soul the amazing machine that was the Aston Martin DB9, or the horror that most of us felt when the car rolled (and set a world record in the process). The drink is a Vesper Martini, which I enjoyed long before the movie was made, because I read the 007 books long ago. I recommend using less than the amount of Lillet Blanc (the only version of Kina Lillet available anymore) called for in the recipe, otherwise it will overpower the cocktail to its great detriment.

Quantum of Solace picks up minutes after Casino Royale ends; its the most direct sequel of the whole bond franchise. It's not the most well liked Bond movie, but it has grown on me over time.

I discovered Eva Green exactly with this movie ❤ (I watched it in theater when it came out, with my father, who's an old fan of the Bond saga): she has became one of my favourite actress and the movie itself is one of my favourites of the franchise. I'm really glad you guys watched it too and liked it 😉👍🏻

1:34 I think the part everyone misses when they watch that part is that he was actually going to say, 'Well, you needn't worry. The second is always easier' after he told Bond, "Made you feel it, did he?" Bond's saying "Yes, considerably," was in response to what he was going to say.

The bomb maker he chases in the beginning is not just any Parkourist. He is one of the two men who invented the sport.

this is THE BEST Bond movie for me, All subsequent movies have good villains but they all lack something. It has so much happening that it could have been cut in two movies and the would still be two good movies. Mathis was not a traitor, he was just framed by LeChiffre in revenge for interfering with his plans.

That's one thing I love about the Bourne movies. They're not in exotic or crazy ritzy places. Feels so... grounded.

The ball whipping scene explains why Bond never had kids in all of the movies lol Also all the male audiance when I saw this in the cinema had the same response as this guy watching it lol

Simone was insanely ON in this movie. She called the small bomb being moved to the bomb truck driver. She called the evidence of Mathis helping bond and it causing Le Chiffre to bleed from his eye. She deduced quite a bit that I never caught when I first watched.

George: I thought Poker was Generic. >> Next Movie needs to be “Maverick” with Mel Gibson, James Garner, Jodie Foster.

Interesting thing, that scene where Bond flips his car instead of running over Vesper held the record for most rolls in a movie scene for about 8 years if I'm not mistaken, I've forgotten what took the record from it.

I love all of the Daniel Craig Bond movies, but I think I enjoyed Skyfall the most. There are several beautiful, artsy shots that are just incredible.

37:20 I adore that David Arnold completely held back using the 'James Bond' stanza throughout the movie until Craig enters the immortal line here.

Given Simone's use of D&D related T-shirts I figure it might be appropriate to break down the opening chase/parkour sequence using D&D terminology. Parkour Guy: "I have maxed out dexterity and expertise in acrobatics!" *Proceeds to elegantly leap a gap and roll to his feet* Bond: "I HAVE HIT POINTS!" *Proceeds to leap a gap and land in a way that probably breaks bones but just ignores them because everything is a minor injury to him.*

Really great spot on the Mathis LeChiffre incongruence, and shows the writers and other staff were also paying attention to the details.

I hope this means you'll be reacting to more Bond; I'm dying to see Simone's facial expressions while watching old school Sean Connery and Roger Moore 007!

The writer of James Bond was stationed in Jamaica for some time, which is why so many stories are set in the Caribbean. And in one movie where Bond has to infiltrate the diamond trade, they did make the joke "I always wanted to go to South Africa." - "You're going to Amsterdam."

Fun fact about James Bond: Ian Fleming based the character at least partly on Christopher Lee, who you may know as Saruman from Lord of the Rings or Count Dooku from Star Wars. Fleming and Lee were friends and both worked for British intelligence during World War 2 (and possibly after the war as well: I'm not sure when they retired), and Fleming has specifically said that Lee was an inspiration for Bond. So the next time you see a movie with Christopher Lee, remember what an absolute real life badass he was. Hell, Peter Jackson tells a story from the set of Return of the King in the scene where Saruman was stabbed in the back by Wormtongue. Peter Jackson wanted Christopher Lee to scream out in pain, but Christopher Lee asked him something along the lines of "Have you heard what it sounds like when someone is stabbed in the back? I have." So instead of screaming in pain like the director originally wanted, he made a strange noise as if the air that was already in his lungs was being forced out, because he knew from personal experience that's what it sounds like when someone is stabbed in the back.

The town that made Simone say "Holy shit" is actually somewhat inexpensive to live in. It's the small town of Loket, Czech Republic. It's a spectacular place, but not a huge tourist draw and some of the buildings are still in disrepair from the Soviet days, though less every year. Very cool place to visit though.

Sébastien Foucan the actor at the beginning is basically one of the progenitors/founders of modern parkour/freerunning

MI6 Physician: "Push the button, do it now!" Simone: "HE'S TRYING!!!" My god that was hilarious and adorable all at once.

Love the shade being thrown at Edmonton, home of beloved actor Nathan Fillion, and...um...

16:03 - “How was your lamb?” - “Skewered.” 🤣🤣💀

When "M" (Judi Dench) threatens to kill Bond if he "utters one more syllable," it's because her name is a secret. In the Bond universe, the head of MI-6 (British Intelligence) is always called "M." The first "M," in the books and early movies, was "Sir Miles Messervy." (He was played by Bernard Lee in the Sean Connery films.) Judi Dench's character is eventually revealed to be "Olivia Mansfield," and another "M" is named "Mallory."

George doesn't know Cards and Simone doesn't know Planes. The universe balanced itself out and we all learned something 💯

After Skyfall, probably my favorite Daniel Craig Bond film. Although, No Time to Die was really good too. I just liked how they introduced this version of the character. Plus, Vespa is a great character to play off of.

My favorite opening theme. RIP Cornell.

Hurray!! I was hoping you would do the Daniel Craig Bond Series!! George, that version of the Martini is called 'The Vesper'

I don't really know what is more dramatic. Bond or Simones "Oh my god!!!".

I fear no man. But that thumbnail? It scares me, Dutch

2:08 - Gave me Lord of War memories - "Some sort of War Lord" - "Thank you but I prefer it my way"

Love Simone's T-shirt 🙂

The chap that Bond is chasing in the first scene is Sebastian Foucan, he's actually one of the inventers of parkour.

so lucky i saw this in theather. hell of a movie.

Rounders with Matt Damon, Edward Norton and John Malkovich, or Maverick with Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and the original Maverick from the tv series James Garner would be 2 good choices for Poker movies. Another great choice, though to be fair it's far less about cards, is Guy Ritchie's, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels!

I was so glad they touched on that trope right at the start when someone has to put their hand to their ear when listening through an earpiece. That guy at the start was so frustrating.

I'd definitely be on board for a Bond film where he tracks down his adversary in Cincinnati.

Fun fact: The 'roll-over' accident with the Aston Martin, became a Guinness World Record for most flips done by a car!!! Also, did you recognize the actor who was M's main contact, would go onto be one of the Starks in GOT!!!

Following this film are Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, SPECTRE and No Time To Die. Both this and the 60's version are adapted from the novel of the same name. Preceding Daniel Craig are Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore, George Lazenby and Sean Connery. The title song, "You Know My Name", is sung by the late Chris Cornell

George: "All card games are poker." Simone: **looks at regular 747** "Do they make planes THAT big!??!?"

Mads Mikkleson is one if my fave actors, his movie back catalogue is insanely brilliant! This is actually the most mainstream easy role he's every done. All his other movies roles are better than Casino Royale; Assassins blending in to a community usually, revenge killer, Viking fighter. Awesome actor.

I remember going to the theater, with very low spectatives and been blown away by the opening scene and then, Chris Cornell started to sing? Are You fucking with me?! I was sold by then.

George: “Doin alight Simone?” Simone: Smiling at Cheesecake (Daniel Craig on beach).

That hotel (the Casino Royale in Montenegro) is actually in Karlovy Vary (aka Carlsbad) in the Czech Republic. It's called Grandhotel Pupp. I think most of the scenes since the train till the torture were filmed in the Czech Republic. But Montenegro is really beautiful too, apparently :)

this film delighted me so much when i first saw it. the franchise was rebooted definitely for me because i hadn’t liked a bond film in YEARS. daniel craig never disappointed.

Daniel Craig mos def made Bond his own role--tougher, meaner, leaner, colder...The Fans voted this movie the no 3 best out of all of them in a recent poll...Man, he is gonna be HARD to replace (So cool he was mostly an unknown actor before he got the part)

Fun Fact: The Car flip scene is in The Guinness World Record Book for most flips in a car. I think it was something like 15 or 16. And yes they really did it, no CGI

I just love Madds Mikkelsen, if you want to watch an outstanding series with him, check out Hannibal, it's amazing

Incomplete without the criminally under-rated "Quantum of Solace"

My favorite Bond film of all time. This is a treat.

The thumbnails you craft for these videos are hilarious!

Let me state for the record: Eva Green is one of the most beautiful actresses of all time.

ATTN George: There is a fairly wide range of card games. You can invite someone to 'play cards' but that would be as informative as inviting someone to play 'sports'. Poker is the one you're most likely to encounter in films as it is synonymous with a lost of westerns, but there are other gambling games like Faro and Baccarat. Blackjack shows up in a few films, usually in relation to card counting (a specific skill that is generally against the rules of casinos). Away from movies, there are a whole range of 'patience' or solo games, with Free Cell, Klondike, Yukon, Gaps (aka Montana), Clock, and Pyramid possibly being the most famous. There are quite a few different families of games like trick-taking, bluffing, games based on runs and melds, on shedding your hand. If you've ever played Uno for example, that is an adaptation of a shedding game called Crazy Eights supposedly to clear out the house rules, but most people house rule Uno to death anyway! For both of you: If you want films in mundane locations, the UK has made a whole load of them, like The Full Monty, Brassed Off, Pride, Made In Dagenham, Cemetary Junction, Blinded By The Light, Bend It Like Beckham, Hot Fuzz, Attack the Block, 28 Days Later...

Man, George you absolutely slay that dress! And Simone you look jacked!

Her expression when Bond comes out of the water ha ha ha ha

So excited for you guys to get to the newer movies. They are so damn good

It has often been said that James Bond is a terrible spy. Warren Ellis’s take seems the best one to me. That the 00’s are blunt instruments whose purpose is to shock and disrupt. Because they’re not subtle they are short lived, which is why Bond in particular lives for the moment. He lives lavishly and wants the best food, clothes, drink and lots of sex (likely to relieve the stress of the constant danger he finds himself in).

It took me reading the book to realize "le chiffre" was French for "the cipher" because he's a mathematician. Also he, and several other early James Bond villains, worked for the Soviet Union in the books. Bond coming out of the water was a reference to Halle Berry coming out of the water in that one Pierce Brosnan movie. Him becoming the cold Bond at the end and calling her a bitch reflects the Bond of the books who just casually refers to women as "bitches" in his own inner monologue

"The power of love coming out of a gun..." OMG, they need to watch Zardoz!

I want to live in a world where I could be playing “Go Fish” with grandma and refer to it as playing Poker.

THE best death by drawing in any movie. Eva Green is unbelievable

I'm pausing another reaction video and promptly watching this instead. Without question.

One of the most amazing things about this film is that he comforts her in the shower and doesn't attempt to use that moment of vulnerability to sleep with her. As I understand it Craig wanted that in the movie and I think the sucking of the fingers was the compromise from the expected sex scene, which is a Bond classic move.

There are several games of poker, for example draw, and stud poker. The particular game they are playing in this film is called Texas Hold Um, which was very popular at the time the film was made.