David Corenswet has praised aJames Bondfilm as “one of the best movies of all time”, and he has a theory about it that even the most passionate fans of the franchise might have missed. TheSupermanstar recently appeared onBrittany Broski’s Royal Courton YouTube, for a wide-ranging discussion that touched on all manner of pop culture and personal subjects.
In an outtake shared on theBrittany Broski’s Royal CourtX account, Corenswet waxes lyrical about the black-and-white opening sequence toCasino Royale, which serves as Daniel Craig’s introduction. He labels it as the “greatest Bond film ever made”, and it often ranks as one of thebestJames Bondmoviesin fan polls and industry lists.
David Corenswet’s Casino Royale Theory
Corenswet Has A Unique Take On Bond’s Introduction
The opening sequence ofCasino Royalecenters on a conversation between Bond and an MI6 section chief who has been selling state secrets. During this confrontation, Bond recounts his first kill, although he needs two confirmed kills to achieve 00 status. Ultimately, Bond’s dispassionate shooting of the section chief counts as his second kill, and it’s much smoother than his first.
Corenswet contends that Bond’s second kill, which he refers to as “considerably” easier, isn’t the MI6 section chief at all.Instead, Bond gets the experience of his second kill when the contact, whom he had just drowned in the sink, jolts back into action to attack him. Bond shoots him in an instant, leading to the iconic gun-barrel shot that appears in allJames Bondmovies.
“Everybody thinks that the second kill is when Bond kills the main bad guy, in the office later, and he’s like “Yes, considerably.“But what actually happened is, experientially, Bond already had his second kill because he drowned the guy and then had to shoot him. So, in his experience, he had to go through drowning the guy, thought he was dead, thought that he had had his first kill, and then the guy woke up, and he just shot him. So that’s actually the second kill in his mind, and that was super easy.” - David Corenswet
Our Take On Corenswet’s Casino Royale Comments
This Theory Illuminates A Deeper Truth About Daniel Craig’s 007
Of course, Bond killing the contact only counts as one of the two kills that he needs to achieve 00 status. In the eyes of his employers, Bond isn’t ready until he later shoots the section chief. What Corenswet’s theory highlights is the fact thatBond’s experiences don’t line up with the official MI6 textbook pathway.
This underlines a running theme throughout Daniel Craig’s tenure as Bond. 007 had often gone off-piste before, like his crusade for revenge inLicense to Killor his escape inDie Another Day,butCraig’s era doubled down on this aspect of the character. Bond defies orders in bothQuantum of SolaceandSpectre,and he pushes the limits inCasino Royale,needing to be bailed out by Felix Leiter.
The difference between Bond’s experience of his second kill and the official MI6 record of his second kill illustrates the gulf between real-life field work and the clean-cut guidelines that Bond often has to abide by. It also shows that Bond is far more suited to the task than any agent who closely follows the rules. This seemingly minute detail reveals a lot about Craig’s time in theJames Bondfranchise.
Sources:Brittany Broski’s Royal Court via YouTube,Brittany Broski’s Royal Court via X
