Casino Royale (Campbell, 2006): Olympic Studios, Barnes, SW3, 12midday-11.20pm
A one-off even this one for the James Bond fan.
Event introduction:
Following the recent celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of GoldenEye, and as Casino Royale
celebrates its landmark 20th anniversary, there has never been a more
fitting moment to celebrate the extraordinary filmmaker responsible for
introducing not one, but two James Bonds to the world.
007GB – The British James Bond Fan Club is absolutely delighted to welcome in person at OPERATION: ROYALE, acclaimed director Martin Campbell as the 2026 recipient of a Bond & Beyond Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising his outstanding contribution not only to the James Bond franchise, but to cinema as a whole.
- Exclusive access to “In Conversation with Martin Campbell” and audience Q&A
- Presentation of a Bond & Beyond Lifetime Achievement Award
- Martin Campbell introducing a special 20th anniversary screening of Casino Royale
- Screening of Casino Royale in Olympic Studios’ luxurious screening room
- Complimentary popcorn and bottled water provided at each seat
- Exclusive Champagne & Canapé reception following the screening (included in ticket price)
- Guest stars in attendance
- Opportunity to meet fellow James Bond enthusiasts from across the UK and beyond
- Limited professional red carpet photo and autograph opportunities available as paid add-ons
- Associated fundraising activities in support of UNICEF
Indicative timeline:
- 12:00pm – Guest arrival & registration opens
- 12:30pm – Guests begin taking their seats
- 1:00pm – Martin Campbell: In Conversation
- 2:00pm – Bond & Beyond Lifetime Achievement Award presentation
- 2:30pm – Casino Royale 20th Anniversary Screening, introduced by Martin Campbell
- 5:00pm – Champagne & Canapés Reception (included in ticket price)
- 5:15pm – Pre-booked Red Carpet Photo Opportunities
- 6:30pm – Autograph Signing Session
- 8:00pm – Charity Raffle & Auction in support of UNICEF
- 9:00pm – Social Bonding continues & opportunity to mingle with Martin Campbell, special guests and fellow Bond enthusiasts
- 11:30pm – Event Close
Time Out review:
Bond: ‘A vodka martini, please.’ Casino barman: ‘Shaken or stirred?’
Bond: ‘Do I look like I give a damn?’ It’s a sharp and knowing line –
probably penned by Paul Haggis, the talented, final scriptwriter of this
highly enjoyable ‘back-to-basics re-boot’ of the 007 franchise – that
not only simultaneously acknowledges and confounds audience
expectations, but also neatly confirms that Daniel Craig’s intriguing and charismatic tyro agent is cut from quite different cloth to his Savile Row-tailored predecessors. Ian
Fleming’s titular 1953 Cold-War source novel presented a proto-Bond;
and it’s interesting how much licence Martin Campbell’s confidently directed
action thriller takes with it. Gone is the RN commander; as the jagged,
handheld, monochrome opening sequence of Craig drowning his first ‘kill’
in a blood-strewn public toilet shows, this Bond’s a tough,
no-nonsense, Mondeo-driving product of the ‘who dares wins’ SAS school
rather than the snobby naval wardroom, and he has some of the social
contempt as well as the pumping thighs, bulging pecs and inflated ego to
prove it. Cobra-baiting in Madagascar, car-chases in Nassau,
Montenegro, Miami – there’s enough globe-trotting to please the purists.
But, notwithstanding the fine CGI/special effects, best used in the
climactic set-piece involving a disintegating Venetian palazzo, Campbell
has cut down the gadgets and gizmos (not to mention ‘Q’) to inject some
needed ‘realismo’ back into the action sequences, steering a neat line
between romance and thrills. Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd – a government accountant assigned to keep an eye on the millions Bond stakes in the crucial poker game with Mads Mikkelsen’s
pleasingly sadistic terrorist-banker, Le Chiffre – proves a sexy
sparring equal to the increasingly smitten and vulnerable Bond, having
been donated an audacious amount of screen time. The politics are coy,
David Arnold’s score is maybe underwhelming and Phil Meheux’s
cinematography merely efficient, but otherwise ‘Casino Royale’ kicks new
life (literally as well as metaphorically) into the ageing hero.
Wally Hammond
Here (and above) is the trailer.
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