There is a serious buzz around the James Bond franchise at present, as fans rush to cinemas to watch the 25th instalment of the 59 year old movie series. The latest film, No Time to Die (2021), marks the end of Daniel Craig’s five movie run as the legendary Bond and within just four days of its release, it became the highest grossing film of the year.

Daniel Craig made his first appearance as the MI6 spy in Casino Royale (2006), this highly successful film is said to be one of those must see movies for casino fans and many agree that the character has completely evolved over the last one and a half decades. But what about the role criminals play in this hit franchise? 

The role of casinos in James Bond

Some of the best moments of the James Bond franchise has involved a casino scene, from the original Dr. No (1962), where the infamous line “Bond…James Bond” made its first appearance, to the more recent Skyfall (2012) inside the impressive Floating Dragon Casino in Macau. 

Poker is a central theme of these casino scenes, conveying the risk-taking, elegance and wealth that are associated with Bond and other major characters in the franchise. Films like Casino Royale have helped to enhance poker’s image, and it is little surprise that Bond remains one of the all-time favourite characters for those who enjoy playing poker and video poker regularly.

Casino Royale

The plot of Casino Royale follows Bond on his first mission after securing his licence to kill, where he is tasked with defeating the evil private banker Le Chiffre. 

In the film, the villain is contacted by Mr White, a representative from the terrorist firm Quantum. He puts him in touch with a Ugandan warlord, who he must bank a large sum of money for. 

Le Chiffre is greedy and takes some of the money with the intention of gambling it and making a large profit. However due to James Bond’s meddling in his affairs, he loses a deal and is set back over $100,000,000. 

In a desperate attempt to recoup his losses, Le Chiffre arranges for an extremely high stake Texas Hold’em poker game to take place at one of Montenegro’s most exclusive casino venues. He ends up facing Agent Bond in a tournament and at the beginning is able to outsmart and bankrupt him. 

However, even after surviving a poisoning attempt during the game, Bond plays on and finally reveals a straight flush. He wins the game and is seen taking all of his winnings. In anger, Le Chiffre kidnaps Bond’s accomplice and the MI6 agent desperately makes chase. 

The villain ends up capturing Bond and torturing him, even threatening to castrate him if he does not give him the information that he requires. At that moment, Mr White comes to seek revenge for Le Chiffre betraying the organisation’s trust and kills him, freeing Bond and his love interest Vesper as a result.

Who is Le Chiffre? 

The antagonist Le Chiffre is one the of the most notorious film villains of all time. He is believed to have been born in the early 1970s in Albania and is a mathematical genius and chess prodigy, his name translates from French to English as ‘The Cypher’.

Due to his superior abilities, he is able to do extremely well in games such as poker and is able to use his skills to amass a large amount of wealth. He is said to have used his cash winnings to help fund the terrorist organisation behind the 9/11 bombings. 

A rare medical condition means that the criminal mastermind appears to cry tears of blood out of one of his eyes, he is also seen to use an inhaler. 

Le Chiffre was played by renowned Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen who has more recently featured in other high-grossing films, including Doctor Strange, The Hunt and the series Hannibal. Mikkelsen’s portrayal of Le Chiffre was highly praised by fans of the Bond franchise, who said the actor has been able to convey the depth and complexity of the villain.

 

Le Chiffre’s downfall

One of Le Chiffre’s most obvious character flaws throughout the film is his sheer over confidence, which is ultimately his downfall. This trait is seen in his gambling habit and his recklessness when taking the money to turn into a bigger profit.

He is also extremely violent as kills and tortures his victims with seemingly little to no guilt or sense of wrongdoing. The character is also shown to be fearful and paranoid, his desperation to win back his bosses’ money quickly is blatant. 

 

In his final moments, Le Chiffre is no longer able to mask his emotions and resorts to begging for his life and trying to reason with Mr White. Mr White is potentially even more ruthless than him and does not appear to give a second thought about killing the man who broke his trust.

 

NCS
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