Money Movie: Casino Royale

Casino Royale (2006) is the first of the Daniel Craig Bond movies, and sees an African warlord, Steven Obanno, employ Le Chiffre (a short-selling, terror financing, accountant with a weepy eye) to look after a large sum of money with 'no risk' - i.e. what we normal folk call money laundering. 

Le Chiffre uses the funds to but put-options in an aerospace company called Skyfleet. Essentially, he bets on the company's failure. 

And for good reason. He's got plans to blow up Skyfleet's airliner and force the share price down (which will make him loads of money because of the put options).

But Mr Bond steps in and in a crazy chase / shootout / Bond running stiffly sequence, manages to stop the destruction of the plane. 

Source: Internet Movie Cars Database

Of course, this makes Le Chiffre rather upset because he loses the massive sum of money he was supposed to be looking after for Obanno, the terrorist warlord. Not smart Le Chiffre. Not smart. 

So, in an attempt to recoup the money, he sets up a high-stakes game of poker at the Casino Royale to try and win the money back.

Bond manages to convince the powers that be to stump up the the $10 million buy-in, and attempt to thwart the whole plan. 

Source: Where is the Nomad?

-- James Bond

As you can expect from Bond, it becomes the most exciting and dangerous games of poker you've ever seen. 

So who wins, and what happens to the money?

Well, you'll have to watch to find out.

that have long been a staple of the Bond films and have been taken to new 

pyrotechnic levels by Hollywood producers like Jerry Bruckheimer, 

but some sensational stunt work and a core seriousness." 

- New York Times [17 November 2006]

Fun Fact: Richard Branson, founder of Virgin airlines, makes a cameo in the movie. Apparently British Airways have a severe case of competitive nerves, because they removed the Branson scene from the in-flight version of the movie (as well as a fleeting shot of the tail of a Virgin aircraft).

Year: 2006

Rated: M

Starring:

• Daniel Craig
• Eva Green
• Judi Dench
• Mads Mikkelsen
• Jeffrey Wright
• Giancarlo Giannini
• Caterina Murino
• Simon Abkarian