Casino Royale — How Action Reveals Character

(typing) - Hi, I'm Michael, this is Lessons from the Screenplay.

(typing) Anyone that has seen a James Bond movie understands how action scenes provide cinematic spectacle.

Some bang, pow, here.

Some vroom, boom, there.

And you've got yourself something cool to look at, and listen to.

But but what might be less obvious are the ways in which action sequences also reveal character.

According to Robert Wade, one of the writers of "Casino Royale," - Basically, what you're looking for as a writer of an action sequence is something that, there's an element of narrative to it, that you can have a developing story that shows an aspect of the character.

- An action scene, just like any other scene, should help expose a character's true self.

But in the case of "Casino Royale," the opening action sequence needed to do even more than that.

It needed to introduce the world to a whole new James Bond.

So today, I want to dissect the film's freerunning chase sequence to see how it uses action to develop the characters, to examine how it forces the protagonist to make choices which reveal his key characteristics, and to demonstrate how its underlying structure brings Bond's deepest flaw to the surface.

Let's take a look at "Casino Royale."

(chill music) In "Casino Royale," unlike in most other 007 movies, James Bond is propelled through a complete character arc.

By the end of the film, Bond overcomes his flaws, and is one step closer to becoming the agent he needs to be.

So what exactly are those flaws?

- This may be too much for a blunt instrument to understand, but arrogance and self-awareness seldom go hand in hand.

- You're reckless. (elevator bell rings) Take the next one.

There isn't enough room for me and your ego.

- As M and Vesper point out early on, Bond begins this film as a blunt instrument, reckless and arrogant, driven by his ego.

But the writers don't convey these flaws only through dialogue.

The first action sequence functions like a story in miniature, following a three-act structure that forces the central character to a crisis.

The first act begins with some quick exposition.

Bond and another agent, Carter, are looking for someone.

(crowd yelling) - Looks like our man.

Burn scars on his face.

- I wonder if bomb makers are insured for things like that.

- Immediately, we understand that they're trying to catch a bomb maker, but the inciting incident of the sequence comes as their cover is blown by Carter's inexperience.

- Stop touching your ear.

- Sorry?

- Put your hand down!

- As the bomb maker, Mollaka, starts to run, we get the final and most critical piece of exposition.

- Holster the bloody weapon, Carter.

I need him alive!

- Bond can't just shoot Mollaka, so instead, he's going to have to chase him.

(suspenseful music) As the chase begins, the characters' abilities are revealed through comparison.

Mollaka appears to be a master of freerunning.

While Bond struggles to keep up.

So Bond can keep chasing him on foot, or he can improvise.

(truck crashing) This is the first major character revealing choice in the sequence.

It shows us a Bond who is resourceful, fearless, and ultimately, a blunt instrument.

(truck crashing) - This was particularly appropriate as a way of introducing Bond as a kind of no gadgets, vigorous, unstoppable, younger man.

- The stage has been set for an exciting chase sequence.

Now it's time for act 2, rising and falling action.

In act 2, the screenwriters raise the stakes, in story structure, this is referred to as rising action.

Which, in this sequence, literally involves the characters increasing their distance from the ground, as they climb higher and higher through the construction zone.

This is a simple, but effective technique.

If Bond made a wrong move on the ground, the bomber would get away, but if he makes a wrong move here, the consequences could be much worse.

(bomb exploding) As Mollaka reaches the top of the structure, Bond opts for an innovative way to catch up, with little regard for the consequences.

We can see that Bond is reckless.

This sends us into the sequence's midpoint, where the screenwriters keep the scene dynamic by pausing the chase so the characters can face off directly.

(empty gun firing) Here, things get personal, as the characters engage in hand-to-hand combat.

After a few moments, Mollaka escapes by executing, yet another, seemingly impossible jump.

In response, Bond makes the brash decision to continue pursuit, demonstrating a unique kind of arrogance.

Now Bond does the jump, barely making it, landing awkwardly onto the second crane.

His leap to the roof is even worse.

This point in structure is called falling action.

Here, Mollaka's acrobatic skills are the biggest obstacle, putting more and more distance between him and Bond.

So Bond chooses to address this obstacle by quickly identifying shortcuts.

- The best beat in it all, I think, is when the terrorist jumps through the top of the door, and Bond just charges through the wall.

Because that just tells you everything about this guy.

I don't think that would've been another Bond, I think it's this Bond, who does that.

- Finally, Bond and Mollaka hit the ground, and it's on to act 3, crisis and climax.

The sequence moves into its final act, as Mollaka reaches the embassy, and we find ourselves with a new set of circumstances.

Bond is entering enemy territory, a foreign embassy full of armed guards, further raising the stakes.

Another Bond might rely on stealth, but not the Bond we've come to know over the course of this sequence.

This Bond choose to march straight inside, in the plain view of the security cameras, and grab his target.

Here, the sequence has a reversal.

Now, Bond is the one being chased.

Bond's reckless choices have successfully lead him to catch the bomber alive, but they've also led him to the sequence's crisis point.

Bond is surrounded by soldiers with no escape.

(sirens ringing) And the final, most critical choice Bond makes, reveals his deepest character flaw.

Bond is driven by his ego and wants to win so badly that he's willing to sacrifice the mission.

(gun firing) (gas tanks exploding) Finally, the sequence ends, and we get a quick moment of resolution, as Bond finds a clue in Mollaka's backpack.

We've now seen that he will do things his own way, without consideration of the consequence.

Which makes him an unpredictable, and potentially untrustworthy agent.

So, in addition to providing several minutes of exciting action, the sequence has also set up a critical part of Bond's character arc.

- Any thug can kill.

I want you to take your ego out of the equation.

And to judge the situation dispassionately.

- The flaw he will struggle with for the rest of the film.

- You lost because of your ego, and that same ego can't take it.

- Great action sequences are about more than cool cars, or incredible stunts.

They provide an important testing ground, presenting the characters with split second decisions that reveal who they are.

And in the case of "Casino Royale," the action sequence can be an effective, efficient, and entertaining way to introduce the world to a new version of Bond.

- James Bond.

- Hey guys, Michael here, hope you enjoyed the video, it feels very good to be back.

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