3. Casino Royale
• After receiving a license to kill, British Secret Service agent James Bond (Daniel Craig) heads to
Madagascar, where he uncovers a link to Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a man who finances terrorist
organizations. Learning that Le Chiffre plans to raise money in a high-stakes poker game, MI6 sends Bond
to play against him, gambling that their newest "00" operative will topple the man's organization.
• The opening scene of Casino Royale is dressed in a black and white filter which creates a sinister
atmosphere. This is stereotypical of the thriller genre as it resembles the binary colouration of The Third
Man and reinforces the binary opposition in the scene. The opening tilted low angle shot emphasises this
as constructs connotations of intimidating and being out-of-place. It also creates connotations of a
twisted personality and being psychotic as it creates an atmosphere of mental disturbance. This is
conventional of the thriller genre the thriller genre as it implies the torture and ruthlessness of murderers
like in ‘Witness’. The constant moving of the shots express mischief as the shots seem to move away into
hiding places. This links with the spy stereotype of being hidden/undercover. It also creates connotations
of secrecy and ‘a worm in the organisation. The latter implies betrayal, either through physically siding
with the enemy or through heartbreak. The long shots and minimal movement constructs connotations
of torture and entrapment which is conventional as it implies a struggle and suffering which is similar in
style to ‘Once Upon A Time In America’. The chiaroscuro lighting connotes a ghost-like presence which
implies the notion of being haunted and intimidation. The sophistication of the costume of the antagonist
suggests professionalism and power which is conventional of the action genre and not generally used to
the same effect in thrillers.
• Fun Fact: In the shower scene, Vesper was originally scripted to be wearing nothing but her underwear.
Daniel Craig argued that Vesper would not have stopped to take her clothes off, and the scene was
changed.
4.
5. LA Confidential
• Three policemen, each with his own motives and obsessions, tackle the corruption surrounding an unsolved
murder at a downtown Los Angeles coffee shop in the early 1950s. Detective Lieutenant Exley (Guy Pearce), the
son of a murdered detective, is out to avenge his father's killing. The ex-partner of Officer White (Russell Crowe),
implicated in a scandal rooted out by Exley, was one of the victims. Sergeant Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) feeds
classified information to a tabloid magnate (Danny DeVito).
• The opening title sequence presents the 'too good to be true' atmosphere as everybody seems to be very
cheerful and full of spirit. This creates connotations of superficiality and the idea of ‘rose tinted glasses’. However,
amidst the party, there is a murder. This is when the filter changes to a black and white filter to express the dark
nature of the tragedy. This is a microcosm of society as crimes are hidden behind the scenes in order to seem
much friendlier. This implies corruption amongst official government agents. This is very conventional of the
thriller genre as was explored in Once Upon A Time In America. The switching of this scene to the party scene and
back again emphasise the connotation of a hidden force. This reinforces the connotations of ‘rose tinted glasses’
as it once again paints a good picture of LA that clearly hid the truth about the corruption in LAPD. The increase in
pace of the shots after the murder is exposed creates a tense atmosphere. The shots of the criminal activity being
so short in length constructs connotations of a chink in the armour and allows the audience to position
themselves against authoritative figures that may be causing the problem.
• Fun Fact: At the time the film takes place no building in Los Angeles was allowed to be taller than city hall, so the
cameras were placed at certain points so that any building taller than city hall would not be seen.
6. Evaluation
• Casino Royale is much more aggressive as throughout the opening sequence there is no use of
colour filters outside of black and white. This creates an atmosphere of straightforward
professionalism but is then contradicted by the aggression which suggests anguish and
desperation. The black and white in LA Confidential is used in to emphasise the criminality of
certain scenes e.g. the cocaine packaging. This implies calculation and precision but also failure
as the composition of the shots seems to suggest. As the shots of the criminality aspect is shown
later, the connotations of failure and desperation are present as this suggests the work of
criminals seem to be a last minute issue to try and solve. LA Confidential also switches between
superficiality and criminal scenes, whereas in Casino Royale, it is very much a gritty confrontation
and nothing more. This suggests that that he residents live in a false reality and will be brought
right into the real world. In Casino Royale the camera angles are much more original and unique.
This constructs and reinforces connotations of mental illnesses, psychotic episodes, twisted
criminal mind-set, etc. In LA Confidential, the angles are very straightforward and simple. This
suggests ease in regards to conducting criminal activity, lack of focus on criminals and a society
that are blind to the power of gangs and drugs, creating a false reality once more. The length of
time the shot remains in Casino Royale is very constant and consistent. This creates connotations
of being calculated and precise. In LA Confidential, the shot time decreased when the crime is
being committed which implies panic and frustration along with heightened anxiety and
adrenaline which the pace suggests.
