Rene Mathis (Giancarlo Giannini)
 |
|
Datastream
Character: Rene Mathis
Movie: Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace
Status: Deceased
Actor: Giancarlo Giannini
Date of Birth: 01/08/42
Height: 5' 8½"
Place of Birth: La Spezia, Italy
Pleased To Meet You
Bond and Vesper eat
lunch with Mathis on their arrival in Montenegro. Over
the meal, Mathis tells Bond about Le
Chiffre's
arrival to the country, and how he quickly became very
good
friends with the local Chief of Police. Finally, Bond and
Mathis watch as his officers arrest the Chief after a little
Photoshop magic created false evidence against him.
Personality
Rene Mathis is a field-hardy operative in pay of the British
Secret Service. Into his ‘60s, Mathis has seen
the Cold War out and his fair share of action. He greets
Bond and Vesper warmly and exudes wit
with a spark of adventure in his eye. Although it is
revealed
he
spent six years as MI6's man in South America, very
little else
is known of his past.
|
"Being dead doesn't
mean one still can't be helpful…"
Involvement
Casino Royale - Mathis is Bond's contact in Montenegro.
He books hotels and arranges clothing, as well as performing
the "housekeeping" duties when
007 gets into a bloody battle with a couple of the goons. Resourceful and clever,
Mathis watches his ally's back as 007 pits wits and physical strength
against the card shark, Le Chiffre. However, Bond accuses
Rene of treason and has him arrested when Le Chiffre informs
him, "your Mathis is really… my Mathis." At the closure of the "Casino Royale" mission,
the innocence or guilt of Rene Mathis remained to be confirmed.
Quantum of Solace - With his
name cleared, Mathis is offered compensation for his inconveniences
in the form of a lavish house on Italy's Mediterranean coast
and an 'assistant'. After Bond's his credit cards are cut off
by M and
a capture-order is put out on 007, he tracks down Mathis to
his safe house. After everything the pair have been through,
Mathis proves a valuable ally to 007 when planning his excursion
into
South
America. Bond convinces Mathis
to accompany him on one last mission to his old turf. Mathis
had previously operated out of the South Americas for MI6,
prior to his post in Montenegro. In Bolivia, Mathis wines
and dines some of his old contacts before a betrayal of
trust lands him abducted by the bent Chief of Police. In
a quiet back-ally, Rene Mathis is shot dead by the Bolivian
police during their attempted arrest of 007.
|
| Quotes
Bond: You see, they've forgotten you already.
Mathis: You're just saying that to hurt me.
Bond: I need a passport and matching credit card.
Mathis: Have MI6 run out of plastic?
[after meeting Fields]
Mathis: I think she has handcuffs...
Bond: You hope so!
"When one
is young it seems so very easy to distinguish between
right and wrong. But as one gets older it becomes more
difficult, the villains and the heroes get all mixed
up."
Biography
Born in La Spezia, Italy, Giancarlo Giannini studied and
practiced electronics for 10 years, before enrolling
in
the Accademia Nazionale in Rome. In 1965 he appeared in "Fango sulla
metropolis", his first screen production.
He went on to take minor roles in "Anzio" and
"The Secret of Santa Vittoria" before landing
the lead in "Swept Away" in 1974. Giannini became
known to the western world, not only for his acting talent,
but also for his amazing
bilingual skills - often used for dubbing popular
Italian films into English, or visa versa.
|
|
 |
Other achievements include, a 1976 Academy
Award for his work in "Seven Beauties" and the
role that shot him to International stardom: Inspector Pazzi
in "Hannibal". As well as appearing on screen in over
100 films or television series, Giannini has dabbled in
directing, writing and producing - most notably the
1987 film "Ternosecco" which he wrote and directed
as well as starred in.
