Fight Work: Casino Royale's Parkour Chase

The James Bond series is known for a number of signature elements. Gadgets, sexy women, enough martinis to kill the average man, and a collection of impressive chase sequences on boats, skis, bobsleds, cars, planes, and every vehicle in between. For over five decades, we've watched James chase and be chased by faceless goons through land, air, and sea. And yet, possibly the best 007 chase scene of all time takes place on foot in Daniel Craig's first go as Bond: 2006's Casino Royale.

The Setup

After earning his 007 status, James Bond has been sent to observe and capture a bomb maker with ties to terrorists in Madagascar. Though Bond maintains his cover, as he watches his target at a snake fight, his fellow agent gives up the game by touching his earpiece. Now tipped off, Bond's target Mollaka bolts and James begins to pursue the suspect on foot through a crowded construction site and embassy.

Why The Scene Works

Foot chases can be the most boring scenes in an action movie. They're usually incredibly straight-forward, don't look impressive on film no matter how fast people are running, and don't have enough ups and downs to thrill the audience. The majority of Hollywood footchases add a ticking clock, i.e. a bomb that has to be outrun or difused in two minutes, specifically to add tension to a visually uninteresting scene. But this scene is a masterclass in action film-making that not only excites the audience, but sets the tone for Craig's entire run as Bond. Let's find out why.

Some Series Context: Buh Bye Campy Bond

As Daniel Craig famously said in an interview regarding the darker tone of his Bond run "Austin Powers f****ed us." While that's certainly hilarious, and a fair point since those films did point out the Bond films' biggest foibles, plot-holes and camp, the Bond series was a bit lost before Craig's arrival. Pierce Brosnan had been a respectable actor for the part, but his films could never find intriguing villains and were heavily reliant on the "one man army" (i.e. one guy taking out scores of nameless bad guys).

And here comes Craig's Bond. A physical specimen with a natural intensity who's capable of doing far more stunt work on his own and with frenetic one on one fight scenes against skilled opponents. Just try to imagine Roger Moore's Bond pulling this scene off, even in his early years. It's damn near impossible. Combined with the unique thrill of seeing that, yes that's Daniel Craig doing this or that stunt, this was a breath of fresh air for the franchise.

Freerunning/Parkour Used Correctly

Parkour or free-running (aka that stylish jumping and running around office parks you see people do in YouTube videos) was a thing that Hollywood briefly became obsessed with in the mid-2000s. It became such a joke that one of fans' high points from Punisher: War Zone was seeing Frank Castle blow up a parkour messenger mid roof-flip.

And there's a good reason for that. Namely that many films featured parkour just for the sake of parkour and showed off all the style's sweet flips and jumps like they did for bike and skateboard jumps in the early 2000s. They're moments that truly take the audience of the experience and remind them, oh right I'm watching a movie, and laughter or frustration quickly follows.

The reason it works here is because it looks and feels efficient rather than stylish. The leap over a table? Efficient. The jumps from floor to floor? Impressive and efficient. Hopping through a small hole above a wall? Efficient (especially when that wall doesn't have a door...yet). There's no question that Mollaka performer Sébastien Foucan is an amazing stunt person, but without proper use of his talents this scene would be unbearable. Mollaka's skill set also serves a second purpose...

Shows Off Bond's Resourcefulness and Determination in Fun Ways

One thing Bond films have been very guilty of is making the lead character something of a godlike entity. Put him against an army or give him any vehicle and he's somehow able to get out without a scratch. Whatever weapon or vehicle Bond gets his hands on, he's the very best at it. Which is why a return to Bond's resourceful and determined roots is so welcome.

It's fairly obvious that Bond is at a physical disadvantage against his opponent. Mollaka is faster, clearly more agile, and even has a gun as his disposal. But Craig's Bond is basically a terminator in this scene. He misses jumps his target makes, but shakes it off. He finds machines to counter his comparable lack of agility. He even runs through a plaster wall his opponent had just pulled himself over.

And that's just at the construction site. Once in the embassy, he essentially holds an entire squadron at bay with careful placed shots and blows and finishes the scene by shooting his way out of an impossible situation. I wouldn't go so far to call this scene realistic, but compared to previous Bond chases this is far more grounded and believable.

One of the Best Bond Moments Ever

One of the coolest moments in this chase is a brief fight sequence between Bond and Mollaka as the two trade blows on a crane. The works wonderfully because it presents unique challenges regarding balance and restricted motion. It also features one of the best Bond movie moments ever when Mollaka, attempts to fire his gun at Bond, who has just pulled himself up. When its clear that the gun is out of bullets, the villain defiantly throws the weapon at Bond...WHO CATCHES IT AND THROWS BACK AT HIS FACE!

And somehow that is every bit of Craig's Bond in one moment. A guy with a perpetual middle finger towards the world and anyone in his way.

The Little Things: Gorgeous Wide Shots and Great Choreography

Bad action film-making is usually afraid of wide shots and long takes. Keep the cuts quick and up close and everyone will believe they're seeing something impressive. Trouble is, your eye has trouble putting the pieces together into a comprehensive image. Sure that guy may have hit that guy, but I'm not entirely sure where he hit him, how hard hit him, what part of his body he hit him with, or where they even are. It looks like a dirty basement.

Which is why the wide shots, especially the circling shots and the shots of the jumps on the cranes are a delicious treat for action movie fans. Not only can we see everything that's going on, but it also highlights the danger and impressive nature of the stunt work. Now when they zoom in, and the two fighters start going for each other's legs we already know why that's trouble: it's an awfully long way down. It gives context, tension, and geography for the scene.

The fighting itself is also well done with Bond demonstrating training in martial arts, proficiency with firearms, and the aforementioned spacial awareness. Speed is also crucial since the fight is fast enough for the moves to look instinctive and reaction rather than staged. No slow haymakers that kill the scene's pace. Just a flurry of blows and grapples before the frenetic chase continues.

These are small elements but these are what make a conceptually interesting action scene into a engaging cinematic experience.