The following is a list of James Bond allies in the 2006 film Casino Royale:
Contents |
Recurring allies
René Mathis
| James Bond character | |
 |
|
| René Mathis | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | MI6 |
| Status | Arrested/Unknown |
| Role | Ally |
| Portrayed by | Giancarlo Giannini |
René Mathis is a fictional character from the James Bond film Casino Royale. He is portrayed by Giancarlo Giannini, who will reprise the role in Bond 22. The character appears in the original novel by Ian Fleming and, a trusted ally of Bond attached to the French Deuxième Bureau, he reappears in From Russia with Love, and we learn in the subsequent book Doctor No that he has saved Bond's life. The film character is markedly different in certain respects.
Film biography
Mathis is a lone-wolf MI6 agent based in Montenegro. He frames the local chief of police (played in a cameo role by Michael G. Wilson), who is affiliated with Le Chiffre, for corruption (by forging documents with Photoshop). Mathis also helps Bond by disposing of the bodies of two members of the Lord's Resistance Army that Bond has killed, by placing them in the boot of the car belonging to one of Le Chiffre's henchmen, Leo. Bond is betrayed later in the film and Le Chiffre captures Bond, telling him that "I'm afraid your friend Mathis is really... my friend Mathis". Earlier in the film Le Chiffre had tricked Bond into thinking he was bluffing his poker hand. Previously, Bond had mentioned to Mathis and Vesper that, through a twitch that he had noticed Le Chiffre doing every time he was bluffing, Bond would know. Mathis has supposedly told Le Chiffre what Bond had picked up on. Therefore on the next hand, when Le Chiffre was not bluffing, he affected this mannerism on purpose to fool Bond, resulting in Bond losing the hand and his money. When Bond wakes in hospital, he has Mathis tasered and taken into custody by MI6. When Vesper Lynd is later revealed as a traitor, M suggests that this clears Mathis, but Bond says he still can't be trusted and MI6 should continue to "sweat" him. M then compliments Bond on learning the lesson that no-one can be trusted. Mathis' true affiliation is therefore not resolved in the film.
Carter
| James Bond character | |
 |
|
| Carter | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | MI6 |
| Status | Alive |
| Role | Ally |
| Portrayed by | Joseph Millson |
Carter is another MI6 agent who tries to help Bond capture the bombmaker Mollaka in Madagascar. However, he keeps his hand to his earpiece to talk to Bond on the radio, showing Mollaka that he has a radio in his ear. Mollaka flees, while Carter draws his gun and gives chase, despite Bond telling him to stay put and holster the weapon. Mollaka runs through a pit where a snake and mongoose are fighting, but Carter trips, falls in and accidentally fires his gun into the air, sending people screaming. His ultimate fate was not revealed.
Mendel
| James Bond character | |
| Mendel | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Basel Bank |
| Status | Active |
| Role | Ally |
| Portrayed by | Ludger Pistor |
Mendel is a Swiss banker who facilitates the transfer of James Bond's poker winnings. Armed with a high-tech briefcase, Mendel assures all of the player's money is safely transferred.
Film biography
Mendel is first seen at the Casino Royale in Montenegro of which he tells the 10 poker players that their 10 million dollars have been deposited and that the winnings would go to their respective bank accounts with a password. Mendel is next seen when he interrupts James Bond and Vesper Lynd. Mendel needs the password and account number of them to deposit the 120 million dollars they win (115 million from the game plus the 5 million Vesper refused to give Bond to rebuy). Vesper enters the account number and Bond enters the password before Mendel leaves. Mendel is last seen on the phone with Bond, after Bond wants to find out which account the money was transferred to. Mendel tells which bank it is being withdrawn from which leads Bond to Vesper.
Villiers
| James Bond character | |
 |
|
| Villiers | |
| Gender | Male |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | MI6 M |
| Status | Inactive |
| Role | Ally |
| Portrayed by | Tobias Menzies |
Villiers is an aide to M in the James Bond film Casino Royale. The name would appear to be a reference to the actor James Villiers who played Bill Tanner in For Your Eyes Only.
Film biography
Villiers is first seen with M when she is leaving a Parliament hearing, criticising the media and James Bond. He is next seen when he looks up what is going on at Miami International Airport. He finds that a new plane is going to be unveiled which allows M to tell Bond what the bomber is after. It was announced on Dec. 20 that Villiers would appear only in "Casino Royale," as his role would not be reprised in Bond 22. The character could be seen as a successor/reimagining of previous aides to Judi Dench's M such as Bill Tanner (played by Michael Kitchen) and Charles Robinson. Some fans have given Menzies' character the nicknames "Mister Moneypenny" and "Mannypenny" after M's secretary from the previous Bond films due to her role being approximately filled by Villiers.
