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List Price: $43.95 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 112610
Released: March 13, 2007 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Casino Royale: Casino Royale introduces James Bond before he holds his license to kill.
But Bond is no less dangerous, and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to "00" status. "M" (Judi Dench), head of the British Secret Service, sends the newly-promoted 007 on his first mission that takes him to Madagascar, the Bahamas and eventually leads him to Montenegro to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. "M" places Bond under the watchful eye of the Treasury official Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond's interest in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre's cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond could never imagine, and he learns his most important lesson: Trust no one.
Layer Cake:
Planning to retire and begin a new life, Mr. X (Daniel Craig, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider), a successful West End drug dealer, has been asked for one last favor: to negotiate the sale of one million hitsof Ecstasy. Unfortunately for Mr. X, the pills were stolen from a Serbian drug lord who'll cut offhis head if he sells them. And with a London crime czar (Michael Gambon, Open Range & The Insider)promising to retire him permanently if he doesn't, Mr. X may be rightfully concerned about his future. Nothing worth losing his head over.
Casino Royale (Widescreen) / Layer Cake (Special Edition, Widescreen) Reviews:
LOVE THE NEW BOND 
2007-06-08 - DANIEL CRAIG IS THE BEST BOND EVER. HE COMES CLOSEST TO THE CHARACTER WRITER IAN FLEMING CREATED. CASINO ROYALE IS WELL DONE MORE CHARACTER LESS GADGETS.INCLUDING LAYER CAKE IN THE PACKAGE IS AN EXCELLENT BONUS GREAT ACTION FEATURE WITH INTERESTING CHARACTERS. I ALSO SEE A TOUCH OF THE GREAT STEVE MCQUEEN IN DANIEL CRAIG. IT'S ALL GOOD.
2 for 1 deal
2007-05-12 - i'm so glad i bought the 2 movies. I watch them all the time and I probably wouldn't have heard or seen layer cake otherwise.
Awesome movie and gift
2007-04-14 - This double DVD purchase was enjoyed thoroughly by my wife. The ease of ordering and advance shipping were appreciated.
Best Bond + Great Gangster = Awesome package!
2007-04-02 - Truth up front: I was getting sick of the over-the-top camp of the last several Bond flicks, and I love a good caper film. Daniel Craig has blown me away in both of his roles in this package, and when I saw it bundled it was an instant buy. "Casino Royale" is in my opinion one of the best Bond movies, period, and a refreshing change of pace for the series. "Layer Cake" is just a fun, well-written caper flick, with an interesting little twist that you probably don't realize until the very end. It's not Oscar material, but it is a heck of a lot of fun, and I recommend it to anyone who loves the genre. This pairing is great; I think if you liked either movie in it, you'll enjoy its partner. Get it today!
Good combination but Poor Casino Royale DVD Transfer
2007-02-27 - I am entirely disappointed with the CASINO ROYALE DVD. The DVD image is not especially detailed to my eye and there are visible digital artifacts present. What's worse, the entire film (with the exception of the black and white scenes and main title credits) has a yellowish haze over it. I found this yellowish haze very annoying and was not present in the theatrical release of the film. Also I find it incredible that there are there are no trailers for CASINO ROYALE on the disc! The teaser trailer and the primary trailer were two of the best ever designed for a James Bond film. Where are they? There is also no audio commentary of any kind to be found. Nothing! The extras on Disc 2 are a major disappointment. I thoroughly and wholeheartedly believe that CASINO ROYALE is one of the best James Bond films but of the 21 Bond DVDs, this is the worst from a technical and esthetic standpoint. When I think of the original DIE ANOTHER DAY 2-Disc DVD that was issued and compare it to this one I cringe. The DIE ANOTHER DAY 2-Disc DVD was one of the best ever issued regardless of the merits of that Bond film. The extras covered many aspects of that film from many perspectives. The CASINO ROYALE 2-Disc DVD pales in comparison and that is very unfortunate and disheartening.
As for the actual movie, I think CASINO ROYALE is excellent. If there was any doubt that Daniel Craig could portray or even be James Bond on screen, and there was plenty of skepticism, view CASINO ROYALE. Daniel Craig surpasses the competition with unique aplomb, wry humor, his physique and absolute sincerity. He is the perfect masculine specimen and the thinking man's Bond at the same time. Daniel Craig does have that certain screen magnetism that Sean Connery had in the role but you have to see him in motion to appreciate him. Yet, Craig has incredible attributes that none of his predecessors possessed. David Arnold composed one of the best and simultaneously a very controversial score referring to the James Bond Theme in the most ethereal sense until the final scene of the film. His score is inspired by the essence of James Bond, his motivations, his skills, his strengths and weaknesses as a living breathing man. Arnold's score is a reflection of the world that James Bond and his adversaries move and survive in. This score is one of the highlights and strengths behind the success of CASINO ROYALE. There are many other elements too numerous to mention when combined with actually basing the film on Ian Fleming's novel make CASINO ROYALE one of the best James Bond films ever made. The metaphorically titled LAYER CAKE is a refreshing crime thriller that intelligently examines the levels of deception and treachery found in the drug trade as well of the levels of pipeline distribution and control of the trade. Visually brutal it relies more on its intelligent scripting and dialogue to spin its engrossing tale.
