But in this scene, it's really about that casual, totally-at-ease confidence, that he's totally in command. 'In fact, over-confidence in a way, because his whole character in Casino is someone who is not yet the sophisticated Bond. 'It's extreme confidence,' explains Campbell about Craig's body language. Working with production designer Peter Lamont and a team of art directors, Campbell says the ambience was meant to evoke 'wealth and sophistication.'īond has removed his jacket and looks like he's ready to get down to business-his arms spread as if he's embracing his chips, with a very intense stare directed at Le Chiffre.

Campbell had the salon built on a soundstage at Barrandov Studios in Prague, where incentives are favorable and the infrastructure for filming is world-class. The salon's lavish interior had to complement the exterior, 'a massive bath house in Karlovy Vary that had a rather elegant first-floor level.' The Czech location actually doubled for a coastal city in the Baltic country of Montenegro, which is bordered on the West by the Adriatic Sea. The two engage each other throughout in what Campbell calls a 'competitive, eyefucking stare.' The following sequence comprises the game's final round, which has narrowed down to four players. In this case it's Bond and the film's arch villain, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), who is gambling with $150 million of a terrorist organization's money, and therefore his life if he loses. Nevertheless, 'It's not about the game itself,' explains Campbell, 'it's the people playing the game that hold your attention.'

He also changed the game from the baccarat of Ian Fleming's book to Texas Hold 'Em, a game much closer to straight poker and that a lot more people recognize.

One thing he did as prep was watch what he called 'all the best movies about card-playing': The Cincinnati Kid (1965, Norman Jewison), Maverick (1994, Richard Donner) and 5 Card Stud (1968, Henry Hathaway). So I have to say that I was genuinely worried about dropping the film in its tracks with a card game.' 'A Bond movie traditionally has a lot of action in it,' says the New Zealand-born director. But the relatively intimate three-part poker game in Casino Royale had him sweating the details. Martin Campbell, who directed Daniel Craig's first outing as James Bond with 2006's Casino Royale (he also directed Pierce Brosnan's maiden voyage as 007 in 1995's GoldenEye) knows a thing or two about orchestrating large-scale action sequences. Martin Campbell's second bond outing is action-packed, but a pivotal poker game gave him pause

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