Book vs Movie

The book and the movie (2006) are different on a wide variety of things. First thing was the card game the played. In the book was baccarat but in the movie it was poker. The movie adds a completely different story at the beginning where Bond (Daniel Craig) is chasing a bomb maker through Africa. Then he goes to an airport which is also not mentioned in the book. The man with the gun at the bacarat table is not in the movie but in the movie, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) tries to poison Bond. Vesper, (Eva Green) in the book is just an office worker but in the movie she was a Treasury agent for England. At the end of the movie, Vesper does not commit suicide like in the book but she drowns. The car chase scene is relatively close but instead of a spike-strip stopping him like in the book, they put Vesper in the way.
I think the movie is better than the book but there are some parts of the book that I wished made it into the movie. If they did the movie again, I would wish they would go strictly by the book to see how they would do it. The actors they chose to do the movie were really good, especially Daniel Craig, who has became a really great Bond. Both the movie and the book are great but still the movie is better.

Comparing

In a way, you can say it closely resembles Beowulf. Both Bond and Beowulf are considered heroes and go on quests, Bond's to France and Beowulf to Herot. Both have to overcome obstacles in their path. Bond faught with Le Chiifre and his henchmen, while Beowulf dealt with Grendl, Grendl's mother and the dragon. Both stories also ended in trajedy. Bond lost Vesper due to her death and Beowulf lost his life at the end of his reign. Both stories are great both have the same qualities, which make them realtable.

Personal Opinion

The book was great, it had a lot of action and suspense throughout it. I think the book is just about entertaining people instead of getting a pure message out. Some people may be able to look at it and compare their life to it but it's not really the purpose. I can't really compare the story to my life except making it through some challenges. I think Fleming shouldn't have ended so abruptly in the end. One of the last things you read is the note left by Vesper and then boom, the end. He could've added a little more to the end but it is still a good read.

Themes and Motifs

The theme of Casino Royale, along with the other Bond books is that James Bond has a dark and tough life. He is always on missions that almost kill him yet only gets yelled at for doing his job. He also always falls in love with a woman but always loses them, in this book as example, Vesper. He loved Vesper and risked his life for her but in the end she dies. He is always gtting into trouble, in this case, with being captured and tortured by Le Chiffre.
The game of baccarat represented life and death. Bond won the entire game and lived but Le Chiffre, who lost, was killed. Vesper's death represented the fact nothing is a sure thing. Bond was going to reitre and live the rest of his life with her but it was cut short by her suicide. Vesper's death also shows the fact that even if you've known somebody for a while, you still do not know them. This is shown through her death because Bond had no idea that she was a double-agent.

Casino Royale Plot Summary

Casino Royale starts off with James Bond gambling at a casino, which he was known to do. He was told by British intelligience that he would be entered in a game of baccarat in France to lure and trap a wanted connection to the Russians. He soon left and found out he was in more trouble than he thought. He was in charge of capturing a man named Le Chiffre while playing in the game. On the day of the game, three men tried to kill bond with a bomb but was unsuccessful. Later, they began the game but during the first round, Bond lost all his money but was able to get back in due to package of money left by US intelliegence. While Bond was getting ready to make his bet, one of Le Chiffre's henchmen stuck a gun in his back but Bond was able to get free by shoving his chair back at the man. The man got away and Bond won the game of baccarat.
Later on at night, the woman Bond was with, Vesper Lynd, left the casino's resturant thinking she was being needed by a friend of there's. As she left the casino, she was kidnapped by Le Chiffre and his henchmen. Bond would follow them in his car but he crashed and was captured by Le Chiffre. Le Chiffre tortured Bond, trying to get the money so the Russians would get off his back. Bond would never give up the money and blacked out because of the torture. When Bond awoke, a man from SMERSH, a Russian organization, shot and killed Le Chiffre but let Bond go free.
Bond would spend the next few weeks in the hospital recovering from his wounds.When recovering, he decided he would retire and live with Vesper. Bond and Vesper decided to go to a hotel in France, near the beach to stay for the week. While there, the two's relationship turned cold after a suppoed phone call came in for Vesper. The number did not exist, which made Bond wonder what was going on. On the last day of their stay, Vesper comitted suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills. In a note she left for Bond, she admitted she was a double-agent working for the Russians. Bond was angered and returned to work.