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ローゼンメイデン 
December 15, 2006 | 
16 Comments
Chris Cornell - You Know My Name (23.8MB, for PSP/Quicktime) | YouTube version | Casino Royale trailer
I realise that this is quite late but I haven't had the chance to write this up till now. Besides, I believe several countries still haven't had the chance to see this film. If this applies to you then this entry is spoilery for you. The rest of you are probably aware that You Know My Name is the opening theme to the latest cinematic adventure of James Bond 007, Casino Royale. The first time I heard the song I didn't like it. Thankfully I rarely like James Bond songs upon first exposure so I didn't dismiss it right away. I'm glad that I gave it another listen because the more I hear the song, the more I realise that the song is a perfect fit for the film. This PV is not as stylish as the OP sequence but I think it's a rather good PV that alternates between showing Chris Cornell (Audioslave) performing the song and the actual shots from the film. If you're interested, I have the lyric to the song and a short review of the actual film after the cut.
I am actually not a big fan of the the majority of James Bond's on-screen adaptation. I feel that they diverge quite a lot from the portrayal of James Bond in Ian Fleming's novel. The worst point for me came when Pierce Brosnan was cast as Bond. I was very disappointed because prior to him, Timothy Dalton played a Bond that was close to the character that Ian Fleming portrayed in the novel. All of that suddenly gone when Pierce Brosnan took over the role. Instead of gritty action, the series presented cringe-worthy lines, annoying smarmy looks from Bond, and ridiculously stupid gadgets. The worst offender of them all had to be Die Another Day with its ice castle and invisible car. Fast forward a few years later, I heard the news that Daniel Craig will play Bond on the 21st film. I've actually seen Layer Cake and know that the guy has the acting skills to be a good Bond but I wasn't entirely convinced because even a good actor can't save a lousy concept.
It's not until I found out that Bond 21 will be a complete reboot of the franchise similar to Batman Begins that I started to gain interest in the film. To make the story short, I am impressed with the film. It's not an exact novel to film adaptation but it's hard not to like this adaptation. I think the best part about the film is Daniel Craig's version of James Bond. I thought Timothy Dalton had it close but Craig made the character as intriguing as he was in the book. Moreover, it's been a while since I believe that James Bond can hurt someone just by using his punch. Apart from Sean Connery, I've never seen other Bond that can do this convincingly. Craig's acting is also something that I never thought I'll see in a James Bond film. His banters with Eva Green's Vesper Lynd are mostly enjoyable to hear instead of embarassing. Vesper Lynd herself is one of the hotter bond girls and one who can actually holds an interesting conversation with Bond.
This does not mean that the film was perfect though. I thought the films feels disjointed and slow after Le Chiffre's story is over. I actually like the pairing between Bond and Vesper Lynd but the dialogues these two get in the second half are quite bad (ie. "I have no armour left. You've stripped it from me. Whatever is left of me - whatever I am - I'm yours"). Both Craig and Green managed to make the dialogues work but that doesn't erase the fact that when you recall these dialogues in your mind, they come off completely cheese-tastic. I am also puzzled as to why Vesper suddenly develops feelings for Bond even though she was cold (albeit flirtatious) to him. I suppose one can say that near-death experience brings two people closer but I think this should have been a clue to Bond that there is something wrong with Vesper. Having said that, in general this is a good Bond film with excellent acting and solid action.
You Know My Name
Performed by Chris Cornell
If you take a life do you know what you'll give?
Odds are, you won't like what it is
When the storm arrives, would you be seen with me?
By the merciless eyes I've deceived?
I've seen angels fall from blinding heights
But you yourself are nothing so divine
Just next in line
Arm yourself because no one else here will save you
The odds will betray you
And I will replace you
You can't deny the prize it may never fulfill you
It longs to kill you
Are you willing to die?
The coldest blood runs through my veins
You know my name
If you come inside things will not be the same
When you return to the knives
And if you think you've won
You never saw me change
The game that we have been playing
I've seen diamonds cut through harder men
Than you yourself
But if you must pretend
You may meet your end
Arm yourself because no one else here will save you
The odds will betray you
And I will replace you
You can't deny the prize it may never fulfill you
It longs to kill you
Are you willing to die?
The coldest blood runs through my veins
Try to hide your hand
Forget how to feel
(Forget how to feel)
Life is gone with just a spin of the wheel
(Spin of the wheel)
Arm yourself because no one else here will save you
The odds will betray you
And I will replace you
You can't deny the prize it may never fulfill you
It longs to kill you
Are you willing to die?
The coldest blood runs through my veins
You know my name
(You know my name)
You know my name
(You know my name)
You know my name
You know my name
You know my name
I want to see the movie so badly, >:)
My impression of Casino Royale was quite the opposite. It was quite downhill for me after that long first chase.
A fantastic movie through and through. That last scene was a classic. It's up there with many Connery films.
I thought this movie was fantastic. Though I agree with you that once Le Chiffre's story was over, the last romantic bits just dragged the movie down. They could have cut that out completely and I would never have minded. I too was sceptical of Craig as Bond at first, but was totally blown away by his performance. I can't wait for the next installment.
How do we download your (movie) files? All I see is a chart and a link.
Liked the movie.
For anyone who did see this film, at what point did you think it was going to end? lol I only ask because at several points after the "retirement" I thought it was going to end right there. I knew that there was no way it would (or can) end with Bond retiring (too unfair for future generations to make their own), but I actually did think that the movie would end there, even though there were still unanswered questions. But it kept going. Heh, I forget at what other points afterwards I thought it would end. There were like two more.
But I still liked the movie. It was funny at several points too.
Fish, you choose the 'Free' option and clicks on the button. You then have to wait until the counter goes down to zero. The page will give you a code to use. Type that code in the box provided and press download. It's quite simple.
As for the ending, I didn't think the film was going to end with Bond retiring. Especially not in a film where they are trying to 're-boot' the franchise. So I kind of suspected that there will be some kind of ending where he finds out about Mr.White.
Hmm... When I heard the song for the first time, I could tell - just from the first five seconds of it - that it fit the movie perfectly. :) It's a good song.
I absolutely LOVED this film. Eva Green and Daniel Craig were stellar -- this gives me high hopes for the new Bond franchise, as well as those two as actors.
I disagree about Pierce Brosnan - when you think about it the entire James Bond concept is ridiculous so over the top stunts and gadgets, cars and women don't really feel out of place, yeah? So I think he fit in well.
This movie takes a new tack so I appreciate that as well. I liked the movie. What I was keen on, even more than Craig, was how would Eva Green come off. I continue to be really impressed by her.
First saw her in The Dreamers - just blew me away by her acting then. And the hawtness certainly did not detract. ;)
Completely and thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The pacing, the dialog, the plot... it was all excellent. Best Bond I've ever seen.
The entire James Bond concept always has a little 'make believe' about them but the films always take them one step further. I don't mind a little stunts and gadgets but not when they are overblown. The bigger problem I had with Brosnan is the fact that he didn't even try to emote as James Bond. He's quite happy to deliver the same 'suave' look even when everything blows up all around him. I realise that he probably took his cues from Roger Moore, who had similar approach. But as I said before, I dislike this portrayal of James Bond. I like the more understated, darker, Ian Fleming's Bond that early Connery films, Timothy Dalton's films, and now Craig's Casino Royale delivered. If one compares James Bond franchise to Batman franchise, Roger Moore's/Pierce Brosnan's Bond are akin to Val Kilmer's/George Clooney's Batman while Sean's/Timothy's/Craig's Bond are similar to Keaton's/Bale's Batman.
Oh...wow...
Just noticed that Eva Green and and Daniel Craig will be playing Serafina Pekkala and Lord Asriel, respectively, in the upcoming movie(s) based on the His Dark Materials books by Philip Pullman. Eva Green I'm alright with. Daniel Craig? Erm..Well, I just never pictured someone so muscular as Lord Asriel. Well, Asriel never really showed skin (as far as I know) in the books, and he plays more of a scientific part. Well, we'll see how it turns out. I just really don't want my favorite books ruined, despite the controversies around the content of the story.
On a Bond-related note, Daniel Craig will continue his role in the next James Bond movie set to be released in 2008, according to IMDB.
Casino Royale was a fantastic movie and it is the movie that has gotten me into Bond. I've picked up 3 of the 4 box sets out so far, but none have been able to top CR. Connery is just as good as Craig, but I think I prefer Craig more.
As for the others, so far, Lazenby was crap, Moore is a mixed bag (sometimes he is fantastic like in Live and Let Die, other times he is down right boring like in The Spy Who Loved Me), Dalton is decent, and lastly, Brosnan is average. Brosnan is no where near as bad as Lazenby, but he is certainly no Bond. Still, I can't complain about his movies as the action is always top notch. Plus Tomorrow Never Dies is not redundant in plot like the others are.
I look forward to Craig's next Bond movie, and I hope he gets to play Bond for at least 7 more movies.
I loved this movie. Craig was great, so agressive and actually realistic comparing him to Brosman. In all the action scenes I could feel the pain, the streng, the ferocity, and my heart was bouncing like mad until the end of the movie. I can't wait for more.
Duh the link to download it doesn't work, can you check it again please?
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