‘Casino Royale’: How To Reveal Character Through Action Just Like 007

After 24 films, the James Bond franchise knows how to devise exciting new ways to introduce a new actor in the leading role. While the James Bond code-name theory has been debunked, each actor still brings their own unique take on the role. You could be forgiven for thinking that the self-deprecating humor, and liberal use of double entendres of Roger Moore’s Bond is a completely different character to Daniel Craig’s Bourne-like take on 007. But each new Bond fits the times we live in, which is a big reason for the longevity of the series.

So with each actor’s unique interpretation of the role, how does the screenwriter introduce a new Bond? And how do they reveal a new Bond’s unique character traits through action? Using Craig’s debut in Casino Royale as a guide, Lessons on Screenplay takes us through the stunning parkour sequence at the beginning of the film explaining the sequence’s story structure and how the sequence introduces the key character traits Bond grapples with throughout the remainder of the film.

How Casino Royale‘s Opening Action Sequence Reveals James Bond’s Character Flaws

As the video shows, a good action sequence reveals how to keep exposition to a minimum and reveal character through action. This sequence in Casino Royale serves to introduce the audience to a new Bond, and reveal his character traits (including flaws) which determine the decisions he makes at every turn.

Here Bond is arrogant, a loose canon, and a blunt instrument. His arrogance determines his actions, and this sequence demonstrates that his arrogance has consequences. His decision to eliminate Mollaka at the end of the sequence has made his mission throughout the rest of the film much harder to achieve. Later, Bond’s boss, M, quite rightly admonishes him for killing a low level gun for hire.

“You killed just one bomb-maker,” she says. “Hardly the big picture, wouldn’t you say? … Self-awareness and arrogance seldom go hand in hand.”

M’s line is meant as a wake-up call. But Bond’s arrogance and lack of self-awareness is so blinding that it takes Vesper Lynd’s betrayal at the film’s end to wake him up. He is so full of himself, he did not see her coming. Casino Royale might be an action film, but the screenwriters understood that action should reveal character, and character makes action have more impact.

All the elements of Bond’s struggle throughout the film and his entire character arc is set up in this relentless chase at the film’s beginning.

A Story In Miniature

Let’s take a closer look at the structure of this sequence according to Lessons from a Screenplay. The sequence has a three act structure similar to the basic structure found in the majority of Hollywood screenplays.

Act One begins with some quick exposition to set the scene. The objective is to catch a bomb-maker. But after an agent’s cover is blown, the bomb-maker realizes he’s being watched and takes off. Bond is forced into action, and gives chase. This is the inciting incident. Generally, an inciting incident is some kind of offense, wrong-doing, or injustice that spurs the hero into action. Here, the inciting incident is a mistake that the inexperienced agent Carter makes when he touches his ear.

As the chase begins, both characters abilities are revealed through comparison. Bond soon realizes his abilities are outmatched by Mollaka’s parkour skills. He needs to level the playing field fast. So Bond hijacks a bulldozer, and crashes through fences, and construction supplies to get to Mollaka. The bulldozer is a nice metaphor for Bond’s approach to “getting the job done.” And his choices reveal he is resourceful, unstoppable and a blunt instrument.

A thrilling chase sequence is set up, which leads to Act Two: Rising and Falling Action.

In Act 2, the stakes increase for Bond. In story structure, rising action refers to the moments that lead to the biggest scene in the sequence, or the midpoint. Decisions are made, first obstacles are overcome, culminating at the mid-point where a possible solution presents itself. In this sequence, Bond races up a crane onto the skeleton of a building in construction where he finds ingenious ways to close the gap between himself and Mollaka (overcoming obstacles) eventually leading up to the mid-point high on the top of a crane. At this literal high-point, Bond first comes face-to-face with Mollaka, and it appears he might capture his quarry. But after a bit of hand-to-hand combat, Mollaka gets the upper hand and effortlessly jumps from one crane to another and then onto the roof of a building below. Bond follows, and almost doesn’t make it.

As soon as Mollaka starts his descent, the sequence quite literally enters the falling action phase. Falling action is when the story or sequence is coming to an end. In an action sequence, falling action is when the hero exerts all his energy and skill to bring the situation to a conclusion. Here, Bond is once again lagging behind Mollaka, and has to find short cuts, and outsmart the terrorist.

Finally, once both characters hit the ground, and Mollaka reaches the embassy we move into Act 3: Crisis and Climax.

Bond once again proves he’s reckless by storming into the embassy, assaulting an official, firing his handgun, and grabbing Mollaka. The stakes are now at their highest point. All his movements are caught on the security cameras. He’s violated the one inviolable rule of international relations: attacking an embassy.

And now his brash actions lead to a reversal. The hunter is now being hunted. All his reckless decisions bring the sequence to a crisis point. He is completely surrounded by soldiers. And his final decision reveals his biggest character flaw. He has to win at all costs, even at the cost of sacrificing the mission by killing Mollaka.

Finally, the sequence ends with a resolution when Bond finds a clue on Mollaka’s phone.

This sequence reveals that Bond is a lone wolf. He’ll use methods without thinking about the consequences. But notice, exposition was kept to a minimum. Instead, the sequence used action to set up an important part of Bond’s character as an unpredictable, and potentially untrustworthy secret agent.

Pierce Brosnan’s Introduction As Bond

Now see if you can apply this structure to the beginning of Goldeneye. The pre-title sequence introduces Pierce Brosnan as the new Bond in 1995. Are there key character traits of Brosnan’s Bond that are introduced in this sequence?

The amazing pre-title sequence opens with a bungee jump, and Bond infiltrating a secret Soviet chemical facility. The mid-point is the “execution” of a fellow MI6 agent and friend of Bond’s, and culminates with Bond taking a perilous free-fall of a mountain-top runway and catching up to a pilot-less plane just moments before it hits the ground.

The comparison between Casino Royale’s parkour chase and Goldeneye’s pre-title sequence demonstrate how different and novel an action sequence can be while still adhering to this basic story structure. The Bond series needs this flexibility to keep each installment fresh after 24 official films.