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[Shape Shifter]

Originally Posted by ThurgreedMarshall

Really? This is your criticism? Out of all the things in Bond movies to care about, how could something like this bother you? His cars have missiles, oil, smoke, machine guns, hub cap slicing machines, defibrillators and ejector seats, as well as every other contraption that may be handy in any given instance, but you're stuck on the part about the bad guy who has to make a bunch of money playing a high-stakes poker game because Bond fucked up his last money-making scheme, which involved infiltrating airport security to blow up the newest, biggest plane in the world? It's Bond, baby.

TM

That stuff is cool.

Now under pressure to recoup his clients' money, Le Chiffre sets up a high-stakes poker tournament at Casino Royale in Montenegro. Hoping that a defeat would force Le Chiffre to aid the British government in exchange for protection from his creditors, MI6 enters Bond into the tournament. He meets up with René Mathis, his ally in Montenegro, and Vesper Lynd, a treasury agent, who is assigned to look after his handling of the government's $10 million buy-in. Vesper does not have the best interest in Bond at first, as she believes that poker is simply a game of luck. As the tournament progresses, Bond believes that Le Chiffre is bluffing on a particular hand, and goes all in, but realizes that Le Chiffre has tricked him, and thus loses his initial stake.

Distraught over his failure, Bond prepares to assassinate Le Chiffre when he is intercepted by one of the other players, who introduces himself as CIA officer Felix Leiter, who is also out to get Le Chiffre. Leiter believes Bond has the skill to beat Le Chiffre and offers to supply him with enough funds to re-enter the tournament in exchange for allowing the CIA custody of Le Chiffre. Back in the game, Bond rapidly recoups his losses. When Le Chiffre and his associates attempt to poison him with digoxin, Bond narrowly survives due to Vesper's intervention by the use of a one-shot defibrillator. Bond wins the tournament on a straight flush. Following her celebratory dinner with Bond, Vesper is abducted by Le Chiffre, who uses her to lure Bond into a near-fatal car chase and ultimate capture. Le Chiffre tortures Bond for the access code to the game's winnings and when it becomes clear that Bond will not yield, Le Chiffre prepares to castrate him. At that moment Mr. White enters and executes Le Chiffre and his associates for their failure. Bond and Vesper are left alive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casino_Royale_(2006_film)

This is just stupid. I realize the necessity of a compelling protagonist with obstacles to overcome, a beginning, middle, and end, friends becoming enemies, enemies becoming friends, and a main character who is richer from the experience, but the poker game just doesn't cut it.