“ Variety declared the film to be "a conglomeration of frenzied situations, 'in' gags and special effects, lacking discipline and cohesion. Some of the situations are very funny, but many are too strained." Bosley Crowther of The New York Times considered Casino
Royale had "more of the talent agent than the secret agent".
Columbia at first announced release in time for Christmas 1966; however, problems during production postponed the release until April 1967.
At the time, Barry was the main composer for the Eon Bond
series, and said song had won an Academy Award over Bacharach's own "Alfie".
As a result, Sellers was unavailable for the filming of an ending and other interlinking scenes,
leaving the filmmakers to devise a way to make the existing
footage work without him. This story is in agreement with the
observation that the only parts of the film close to the book are the ones featuring Sellers and Welles.
In terms of the movie's technical aspects, the cinematography by Phil
Meheux is stunning, with the exotic locations of Venice, the Bahamas,
and Montenegro being captured in all their glory.
The action scenes are all expertly choreographed and shot, and the movie's
fast-paced editing keeps the audience on the edge of their seats throughout.
The supporting cast, which includes Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, Giancarlo Giannini as Rene Mathis, and Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, all deliver
solid performances and add to the overall entertainment value of the movie.
Crowley's tastes, especially in sado-masochism, were also ascribed to Le Chiffre; as Fleming's biographer Henry Chancellor notes, "when Le Chiffre goes to work on Bond's testicles with a carpet-beater and a carving knife, the sinister figure of Aleister Crowley is there lurking in the background." One of the likely models
for Le Chiffre was the influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic
and ceremonial magician Aleister Crowley, on whose
physical features Fleming based Le Chiffre's.
Bond's superior, M, was largely based on Godfrey, Fleming's NID superior officer; Godfrey was known for his bellicose and irascible temperament. ”