Casino Royale Review

Messages: Villains are ruthlessly efficient and lethal in pursuit of money and power; Bond is also brutal, darkly pleased to best his opponents.

Role models: James Bond in this film is played darker than in previous versions. He is angry, determined, and often motivated by revenge. Bond's position as a cultural icon is well known, but this version is considerably more gritty, and that means there is less to look up to in Bond. 

Violence: Lots of stunts, per usual in Bond movies: animated opening credits sequence features shooting, stabbing, and falling, with bright red splotches for blood; film includes explosions by bombs, grenades, and missiles; car chases and flips; leaps on and off building scaffolding; corpse wrapped in a hammock; Bond's face and body are cut and bleeding repeatedly; bloody results from frequent shooting, knifing, and punching; poisoned, Bond sweats and gasps, nearly dying; a long, sad drowning sequence; fight scenes feature kicking, punching, falling/throwing bodies down stairs; one villain wields a sword; Bond is tortured by a villain whomping his genitals with a knotted rope.

Sex: Bond beds two different women (all three characters show nude legs and arms while kissing and embracing passionately on beds and floors); Bond is naked for a torture session (you see everything but full frontal); joke about an undercover name for Vesper ("Miss Stephanie Broadchest").

Language: Mild language, including "Jesus Christ," repeated use of "hell" by M (i.e., "What the hell is Bond doing!?"), and "ass."

Consumerism: The usual upscale Bond paraphernalia: Liquor tie-ins include Heineken and Smirnoff Vodka, goodies include Aston Martin, Jaguar, Sony Vaio, Sony Ericsson, Omega watch, Bodyworld Museum exhibit; Virgin Atlantic airline (including airport cameo by owner Richard Branson); Coca-Cola.

Drinking, drugs and smoking: Much drinking (champagne, martinis, brandy, Scotch) and oh yes, those liquor sponsored placements...)