Flashback Friday: Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace (Campbell and Forster, 2006 and 2008)

With Skyfall opening in the U.S. today, Movie Critic's Club is taking another extensive look at the 007 franchise as part of the celebration of James Bond's 50th Birthday. Today, we're remembering the two most recent additions of the 007 franchise, two films controversial when first announced but who's success has promoted them to become two of the secret agent's greatest missions. With beautiful women, brutal villains, and some of the series greatest action scenes, these two movies have become the installments that have allowed James Bond to thrive today. Today on Flashback Friday: Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.

After the box office success but critical failure of Die Another Day in 2002, producer Barbara Broccoli (daughter of influential Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli) thought it was time for the series to go in a new direction. She thought that the movies were getting too silly, and wanted to ground the series in the way that Ian Fleming's source novels did. So, going back to these novels, she took Bond's first book, Casino Royale, and began to work on a new script idea for it. Eventually, she got approval, but ultimately decided that this new direction should not include then-Bond Pierce Brosnan.

For iconic role of James Bond, over 40 years by this point, Broccoli and several producers looked for a relatively unknown actor capable of heavy action and intense emotion. They decided on Daniel Craig, an independent film actor perfect for the part, but with one major problem- his hair. His blonde hair caused immediate backlash, and fans found him to be "too big" for the part and thought that this new "Blond Bond" would fail in the part.

Little did fans and critics know that they were about to get one of the greatest James Bonds they'd ever seen.

As a recap for those seeing Skyfall this weekend, Casino Royale rebooted the Bond films for the new decade. Set in modern times, the Martin Campbell film featured James Bond's first real mission as a 00 agent, earning his license to kill by taking down a corrupt MI6 informant. Shortly after this promotion, Bond is assigned to capture a bomb maker, who dies after a highly entertaining chase scene. MI6 and M (Judi Dench, the only remainder from the previous Bond films) links the bomb maker to a terrorist organization financed by a mysterious man named Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelson), and sends Bond to beat him at a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro. 007 is financed by the Treasury and their correspondent, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), whom 007 seduces and falls in love with.

Casino Royale surpassed expectations, with Craig being hailed as the best Bond in a long time. Critics praised it's darker themes and shocking brutality, happy that it dispensed with some of the silly action and gadgets the more recent films contained. Even with a disturbing torture scene, a tragic ending, and extremely violent gun battles, audiences still flocked to the theaters to bring Casino Royale a $596.4 million box office receipt.

With the success of Casino Royale, Broccoli and fellow producer Michael G. Wilson began work on the next installment, Quantum of Solace. In this Bond thriller, director Marc Forster pits 007 against Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), an environmental terrorist working with the same organization financed by Le Chiffre- Quantum. James Bond, seeking revenge for the events at the end of Casino Royale, goes on a mad killing spree, murdering anyone he thinks may be involved with Quantum. Along with fellow vengeance-seeking Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko), Bond goes after Greene to stop his aims of taking control of Bolivia and the nation's water supply.

Though less positively received than Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace still racked in an impressive $586 million at the box office. Daniel Craig was still successful in the role of Bond, but fans were less enthusiastic about Bond Girl Montes and villain Greene. However, soon after Quantum was released, MGM began experiencing financial troubles. In November of 2010, the company filed for bankruptcy. The James Bond franchise was in trouble, and many were concerned that the end of the 007 franchise was near.

But the fates were in Bond's favor. MGM was saved from bankruptcy that next December, and Broccoli and Wilson began scouting locations for the Bond film. They announced Skyfall in 2011, and the rest is history.

Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace both mark turning points in the James Bond franchise. Their brutal modern action sequences may differ from the previous installments, but many find them to be what the franchise needs in this new decade of cinema.

For me personally, Casino Royale is one of my favorite James Bond movies, and Daniel Craig has earned my respect for a fantastic performance of 007. He brings a haunted presence to the part, and his violent nature makes him a great action star. Eva Green as Vesper Lynd is a phenomenal Bond Girl, tempting and equally matching James in ways no other woman has before. And who can forget Judi Dench's award-worthy portrayal of the motherly M, the one friend Bond has truly ever had?

Even Dominic Greene is entertaining as far as villains are concerned, and the disappearance of Mr. White makes sure that Quantum will remain as strong as a force as SPECTRE was in the early Bond films. I have high hopes for Quantum; over the next few Bond films, hopefully the villains have some relation to this organization that is bound to make life interesting for 007.

Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace are extremely relevant films in today's post-9/11 world, and are fantastic installments of the 007 franchise as a whole. The success of these two films has made sure that James Bond will always be around, and I am excited to see what new missions are in store for the world's greatest secret agent.