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I caught the new James Bond flick, Casino Royale, the other night and
had a little revelation. The truth is I came with pretty low expectations after
the snoozers streak of the last movies, and I was seriously surprised. Have you
realized that this year's most talked about film in non other than an elegant
and beautifully orchestrated protest against the dumbest, most dubious law to
pass of late thanks to the brilliant people of the American congress?
Hey, being a silent advocate for the cause of us affiliates is not the only
reason this movie makes my thumbs go up, and that's not easy trust me, both
are all crooked from clenching the mouse all day. Did I say computer mouse?
I meant the stirring wheel of my Aston Martin. So why did my thumbs erect…have
I mentioned Eva Green?
In this Bond movie the fight scenes are cool and realistic, without the computer
generated fantasy crap that took over action cinema. The bare hand fight scenes
are super professional – the opening parkour scene will blow your mind.
Kudos for Daniel Craig who brings our Bond back from the pages of the menswear
catalogue.
Now, the key scenes that justify the title are a game of Texas Holdem with
a sweet buy-in of 10 Million dollars. The kind I used to play back in college.
Bond, being the best poker player in her majesty's service plays against the
arch-villain with the comps he got from the British treasury. Oh, and there's
also an American CIA agent at the table. I won't tell you any more, in case
you haven't seen it yet.
So what that's got to do with online gambling? Well, in the original novel
they're playing old-styled baccarat. A game with aristocratic and exclusive
aspirations nobody knows or cares about today. In the movie, it's all about
power to the people – a red blooded Hold'em game in the heart of a snooty
European casino. But who's taking all the money? It's not the Americans, baby.
The most popular game in the US makes great money for the Brits. I'm sure the
script was done way before this outrageous law passed, but you can't ignore
the subtext, as accidental as it may be.
Yeah, the movie also makes the stupid, unfounded link to terror, saying that
if the villain wins he'll use it found his international evil-doing, which is
why Bond has to put on his game face (naturally, complete with a snazzy tux
that made my date sigh). Cut the bullshit. Terrorists do not hang around poker
tables, waiting to terrorize us with a bad beat. Real terror-fighters fight
actual terrorists, not the guys on my buddy list.
Well, fiction aside, I know who's the bad guy in my story. It's the
guy who shut the game down.
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