The Casino Royale Scene That Aged Poorly – Looper

That's because despite receiving a scolding from M (Dame Judi Dench) it's clear that Bond's actions are mostly seen as a "rookie mistake" rather than an unlawful and unnecessary use of force. Although the scene is meant to illustrate the newly-promoted agent's impulsivity and lack of foresight, it's clear the audience is meant to empathize with Bond's actions. Mollaka, after all, has quite a bit of blood on his hands. He's a bomb-maker and a terrorist who tried to evade capture, so it's "okay" that Bond acts as judge, jury, and executioner, and blows up an embassy in the process.

When the press reports on Bond's botched and bloody attempt to take the criminal in, the newspaper headline reads, "MI6 Kills Unarmed Prisoner." M's indignant reaction to the press' necessary condemnation of Bond is almost as troubling as the agent's actions. "These bastards want your head,"M tells him, after referring to the incident as a result of his"overdeveloped trigger finger."

The film's superficial attempt to paint Bond's actions as "wrong" is immediately undermined by its vilification of the press and ultimate justification of those actions. Secret Agents, after all, kill bad guys. It's what they do. But that cowboy mentality coupled with Bond's lack of experience in the wake of audiences' heightened awareness of how such a combination frequently leads to the murder of innocent civilians in the U.S. is a cringe-worthy moment in a film that otherwise does its best to modernize Fleming's protagonist.

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The Casino Royale Scene That Aged Poorly - Looper