Casino Royale
Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Directed by Martin Campbell
Screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis
Distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment
Apocalypto
Produced by Icon Productions and Touchstone
Directed by Mel Gibson
Screenplay by Mel Gibson and Farhad Safinia
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
Unlike the earlier techno-laden James Bond films, Casino Royale has nothing much in the way of gadgets except its new lead, Daniel Craig. But what an ingeniously sophisticated gizmo he is! This 007 is blond, blue-eyed, impressively athletic, and blessedly low-tech. Wait, I forgot to mention the defibrillator in the glove compartment of his Aston Martin. But, hey, who doesn’t travel with one nowadays?
Despite this Bond’s conspicuous lack of gadgetry, one thing stays true: his modus misoperandi. He is still a secret agent so improbably reckless that his identity is about as incognito as yesterday’s headlines. His notorious notoriety has always made him charmingly vulnerable to shooting, stabbing, and being thrown from high places. In Casino, he’s macheted and nail-gunned to boot. However, there is this difference, and it is the defining mark of the new Bond. He bleeds—bleeds and bruises...