In the film CR exactly who is VL working for and who is she pretending to work for?

DB5DB5
edited July 2013 in Bond Movies Posts: 408
By the end of CR it is apparent that Vesper Lynd was working for Mr. White of the Quantum organization, and was only pretending to be working for MI6. But was she also pretending to work for Le Chiffre? How does Le Chiffre learn about "the tell" and how does he learn about the tracking device in Bond's arm if not from Vesper? When Vesper gets a call on her cell phone and tells Bond "Mathis needs me," is the call actually from Le Chiffre? When Le Chiffre tells Bond that he's going to torture and kill Vesper, is this all a ruse to get Bond to divulge the password?

Comments

  • Posts: 686
    I thought she was an employee of HM Treasury not mi6.
  • Le Chiffre might have known about the tell and the tracking device from Quantum, as the bad guys can have a way of knowing these things.

    A number of things suggest that Le Chiffre didn't know about Vesper, though. First, that Le Chiffre was eagerly torturing Bond and wanted to reassure/plead for his life with Mr. White suggests that he didn't know about Vesper. It also seems unlikely that he'd put his sure ticket to the account right in the middle of the road and run a high risk of her getting killed if he knew she was with him.

    The revelation about Yusef being with Quantum all along makes it even more confusing. Damn you, QoS!
  • Posts: 30
    In the novel, there's actually two competing Russian factions, the MGB - employing Vesper and Le Chiffre - and SMERSH - employing the assassins. The MGB doesn't want SMERSH to kill Le Chiffre, so they send Vesper to help him. Hence, the kidnapping is faked.

    In the movie, Vesper works for Quantum, which is the same group that also wants Le Chiffre silenced. In other words, no one's on Le Chiffre's side this time except for Le Chiffre. Hence, the kidnapping is real, and he thinks that Vesper actually works for Bond.

    As for the details, who knows. But it doesn't really make sense for Quantum to help Le Chiffre along with fake kidnappings only to suddenly turn on him. (Then again maybe trying to kill a British agent crossed the line for Quantum?)
  • Posts: 15,041
    I think the kidnapping is real, and Le Chiffre wouldn't mind letting Vesper die as casualty, had Bond not been quick enough. And there's a reason why Quantum let Le Chiffre live for a while: they wanted him to win back the lost money. When things got out of his control they took action.
  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    edited July 2013 Posts: 4,492
    There have people everywhere remember. It take a couple of views before i know what Mathis his part be in the movie. The situation of Mathis in QOS explain what he did wrong in Casino Royale.

    Vesper i don't like at all in the movie and that also count for Eva Green. Vesper works for Mr White and betrayed Bond and that's it. After the amazing Elektra in Twine it is very weak and it take a whyle before i liked OHMSS and CR stay in a bad shadow of that movie. I never believed she loved Bond and Bond loved her. The M story line in Skyfall is better but stil also have trouble with liking that one because it not end how i liked to see it end.
  • DB5DB5
    Posts: 408
    The only two people Bond informs about Le Chiffre's tell are Mathis and Vesper. If Mathis isn't a traitor, how else does Le Chiffre learn about Bond's knowledge of it other than from Vesper? And how else would Le Chiffre know about the tracking device in Bond's arm? When Vesper gets a call on her cell phone and says "Mathis needs me," did she actually get a call from Mathis, or is the whole thing a set up to capture Bond and Vesper is in on it? In the novel it's very clear but in the film it's confusing.
  • edited July 2013 Posts: 3,494
    Vesper is officially working for the Treasury in a joint venture with MI6. Yet obviously working with QUANTUM unofficially to make sure the organization gets their money back in return for their release of Yusef Kabira. Apparently members of QUANTUM such as Guy Haines deep inside the government arranged for her to represent the Treasury. I don't think she necessarily was working for LeChiffre except for orders from Mr.White delivered through Mr.Gettler (the only QUANTUM member she actually makes contact with) to assist him in winning the money. The text we know didn't come from Mathis, so it obviously prompted her to use Mathis as an excuse to get outside to talk to her handler. LeChiffre was obviously telling Bond that Mathis was with them to deflect suspicion from Vesper being their true mole. It's hard to say if Vesper expected for them to literally grab her at that moment or not, that much is never made very clear.

    @balje- how you call the highly transparent and poorly executed plot involving Elektra better in comparison to CR is beyond any sort of common sense past you obviously like crappy Brosnan entries and shallow characterizations.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited July 2013 Posts: 40,894
    @SirHenryLeeChaChing, it's an opinion. As shocking as it is to you, it's an opinion. You know how much I love Brosnan, but I do agree with you: CR is better than TWINE, and I don't understand how the love between Bond and Vesper was seen as unbelievable.
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    DB5 wrote:
    The only two people Bond informs about Le Chiffre's tell are Mathis and Vesper. If Mathis isn't a traitor, how else does Le Chiffre learn about Bond's knowledge of it other than from Vesper? And how else would Le Chiffre know about the tracking device in Bond's arm?

    Those are good points but I suppose Vesper could have told her Quantum contact and then they in turn told Le Chiffre?
  • Posts: 96
    She wasn't "working with" Quantum as much as she was being blackmailed by them, as was revealed by M in her phone call with Bond near the end of the film (and later confirmed at the end of QoS).
  • Posts: 4,408
    It is an interesting question: who told Le Chiffre Bond was on to his tell?

    Quantum and Le Chiffre were hardly on speaking terms during the casino game. The reason he's there is essentially because he's got the organisation on one side and his creditors on the other closing in on him.

    The only logical explanation is Vesper told him. Mathis was clean, Vesper was the traitor. It's likely Vesper made contact with Le Chiffre and informed him in some manner so he would clear out Bond whenever he had a good enough hand. After all her aim was to make sure that the money got back within the organisation's grasp by any means necessary. By telling Le chiffre and allowing him to win she was protecting both Yusef and Bond. Yusef would be saved as it was part of their bargain to let him go if the money was returned, furthermore Bond would be out of the game and therefore out of harm's way. P&W explain it on the DVD commentary; they say the moment Vesper refuses to give Bond the buy-in money she is actually saving him without him noticing as he is out of the game and no longer an issue for the organisation.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited July 2013 Posts: 6,210
    If Vesper's kidnapping was faked (likely), why was LeChiffre willing to sacrifice Vesper's life minutes later? I suppose LeChiffre could have been confident that he could torture the password out of Bond and no longer needed Vesper.

    Who told LeChiffre about the tracking device in Bond's arm? Guy Haines?

    Also, Vesper's offscreen scream just before Bond is tortured--faked or real? Presumably she was still being blackmailed at that point.
  • Posts: 15,041
    echo wrote:
    If Vesper's kidnapping was faked (likely), why was LeChiffre willing to sacrifice Vesper's life minutes later? I suppose LeChiffre could have been confident that he could torture the password out of Bond and no longer needed Vesper.

    Who told LeChiffre about the tracking device in Bond's arm? Guy Haines?

    Also, Vesper's offscreen scream just before Bond is tortured--faked or real? Presumably she was still being blackmailed at that point.

    Le Chiffre may have been faking Vesper's torture. And beside, it's not like Vesper had much choice. She was already a traitor due to the blackmail, she wanted to save Yusef, etc. Even had he decided to kill her once she was in his hands, what else she could do?

    Who would Guy Haines need to be involved at this point? He probably never knew the details. It is pretty obvious to me that Vesper gave Quantum and Le Chiffre any information she had on Bond.

    As for the torture, it could have been fake, or they may have hurt her a bit to give it a bit of believability.
  • Posts: 7,653
    Ludovico wrote:
    Le Chiffre may have been faking Vesper's torture. And beside, it's not like Vesper had much choice. She was already a traitor due to the blackmail, she wanted to save Yusef, etc. Even had he decided to kill her once she was in his hands, what else she could do?

    She was by all means a puppet for QUANTUM

    Who would Guy Haines need to be involved at this point? He probably never knew the details. It is pretty obvious to me that Vesper gave Quantum and Le Chiffre any information she had on Bond.

    Very weak argument, of course he would be involved as he can easily obtain information on the 00 agent, to not use such a source of information would be lacking insight in any reasonable criminal organisation. Otehrwise they would not have bothered bringing him into Quantum.

    As for the torture, it could have been fake, or they may have hurt her a bit to give it a bit of believability. Probably did happen

    Vesper Lynd was the double agent from the beginning as she was brought into the organisation QUANTUM through a honeytrap. They must have thought it very amusing that the 00 agent that did cost Le CHiffre the fortune would be spending his money towards saving Le Chiffre his reputation. While at the same time sicking that African warlord on him as a warning for his reckless behaviour and tarnishing of QUANTUM.

    Blaming Mathis was just a back up plan in case something went wrong, and look at the foresight. Le Chiffre loses, gets desperate but has Vesper in the hand as extra trumpcard. He forgets that she is also a trumpcard for QUANTUM that is finished with LC. He loses his life and QUANTUM still has a shot at the money through Vesper, even if she wants Bonds life in exchange because she knows that giving the dough to QUANTUM will mean an end to their "relationship". It is her gift to 007.

  • Posts: 15,041
    About Guy Haines, I meant obviously that he didn't need to put his nose in a specific MI6 operation from the inside of British government, which would risk arising suspicion. he could know everything he needed from the Quantum end, from the British end he could get informed as last resort. In any case, when CR was written, QOS was not, so the character of Guy Haines did not even exist at this time!
  • DB5DB5
    Posts: 408
    echo wrote:
    If Vesper's kidnapping was faked (likely), why was LeChiffre willing to sacrifice Vesper's life minutes later? I suppose LeChiffre could have been confident that he could torture the password out of Bond and no longer needed Vesper.

    Who told LeChiffre about the tracking device in Bond's arm? Guy Haines?

    Also, Vesper's offscreen scream just before Bond is tortured--faked or real? Presumably she was still being blackmailed at that point.

    How do we know that LeChiffre is "willing to sacrifice Vesper's life?" LeChiffre is trying everything he can to get Bond to reveal the password, He has tried physical torture and that hasn't worked so now he tries psychological torture. Yes, he tells Bond he's torturing her and he's going to kill her, but perhaps this is all a ruse. And perhaps her screaming in the other room is part of the deception as well.

  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited July 2013 Posts: 6,210
    DB5 wrote:
    How do we know that LeChiffre is "willing to sacrifice Vesper's life?"

    He leaves her tied up in the middle of the road.
    Ludovico wrote:
    Who would Guy Haines need to be involved at this point? He probably never knew the details. It is pretty obvious to me that Vesper gave Quantum and Le Chiffre any information she had on Bond.

    The only other candidate who would know about the tracking device would be Vesper, but she seems pretty low-level in the government.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    echo wrote:
    Also, Vesper's offscreen scream just before Bond is tortured--faked or real? Presumably she was still being blackmailed at that point.

    That's all part of M's talk with Bond at the end of the film, she made a deal to spare her life in exchange for the money.
  • Samuel001 wrote:
    echo wrote:
    Also, Vesper's offscreen scream just before Bond is tortured--faked or real? Presumably she was still being blackmailed at that point.

    That's all part of M's talk with Bond at the end of the film, she made a deal to spare her life in exchange for the money.
    Didn't M say Vesper made a deal to spare Bond's life, and she suspected she was doomed (and had her suspicions confirmed when she spotted Gettler)?
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited July 2013 Posts: 13,355
    Samuel001 wrote:
    echo wrote:
    Also, Vesper's offscreen scream just before Bond is tortured--faked or real? Presumably she was still being blackmailed at that point.

    That's all part of M's talk with Bond at the end of the film, she made a deal to spare her life in exchange for the money.
    Didn't M say Vesper made a deal to spare Bond's life, and she suspected she was doomed (and had her suspicions confirmed when she spotted Gettler)?

    I was near enough. ;) No, you're right and I do agree though the whole Vesper ordeal was faked, she know it was the end when she saw Gettler, as did half the audience when I saw the film but that's beside the point.

    This whole topic has been covered before in greater detail though I'm unable to find the thread.
  • edited July 2013 Posts: 15,041
    echo wrote:
    DB5 wrote:
    How do we know that LeChiffre is "willing to sacrifice Vesper's life?"

    He leaves her tied up in the middle of the road.
    Ludovico wrote:
    Who would Guy Haines need to be involved at this point? He probably never knew the details. It is pretty obvious to me that Vesper gave Quantum and Le Chiffre any information she had on Bond.

    The only other candidate who would know about the tracking device would be Vesper, but she seems pretty low-level in the government.

    Bond's tracking device is hardly deep covered state secret, by this I mean it is not something very far beyond standard procedure within MI6. It is part of his operation, and Vesper is taking part in said operation, so she very likely knew, or was in a good position to know.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Ludovico wrote:
    echo wrote:
    DB5 wrote:
    How do we know that LeChiffre is "willing to sacrifice Vesper's life?"

    He leaves her tied up in the middle of the road.
    Ludovico wrote:
    Who would Guy Haines need to be involved at this point? He probably never knew the details. It is pretty obvious to me that Vesper gave Quantum and Le Chiffre any information she had on Bond.

    The only other candidate who would know about the tracking device would be Vesper, but she seems pretty low-level in the government.

    Bond's tracking device is hardly deep covered state secret, by this I mean it is not something very far beyond standard procedure within MI6. It is part of his operation, and Vesper is taking part in said operation, so she very likely knew, or was in a good position to know.

    Not really she worked for the treasury. How would she have access to MI6 SOP without arousing suspicions for being too nosy?

    Or was she really an MI6 agent and the treasury just a cover story? But if so what is her function as far as MI6 is concerned? To be an independent observer and decide if Bond should have more money?
  • Posts: 15,041
    Ludovico wrote:
    echo wrote:
    DB5 wrote:
    How do we know that LeChiffre is "willing to sacrifice Vesper's life?"

    He leaves her tied up in the middle of the road.
    Ludovico wrote:
    Who would Guy Haines need to be involved at this point? He probably never knew the details. It is pretty obvious to me that Vesper gave Quantum and Le Chiffre any information she had on Bond.

    The only other candidate who would know about the tracking device would be Vesper, but she seems pretty low-level in the government.

    Bond's tracking device is hardly deep covered state secret, by this I mean it is not something very far beyond standard procedure within MI6. It is part of his operation, and Vesper is taking part in said operation, so she very likely knew, or was in a good position to know.

    Not really she worked for the treasury. How would she have access to MI6 SOP without arousing suspicions for being too nosy?

    Or was she really an MI6 agent and the treasury just a cover story? But if so what is her function as far as MI6 is concerned? To be an independent observer and decide if Bond should have more money?

    There are plenty of ways she could have known without rising suspicions. For all we know she was briefed about Bond and they told her about it. Heck, the Treasury might have requested such information before consenting to the operation. "Sorry, we want to know if this is sufficiently safe for our civil servant. Has everything been done to make sure the risks were reduced to their minimum?"
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Ludovico wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    echo wrote:
    DB5 wrote:
    How do we know that LeChiffre is "willing to sacrifice Vesper's life?"

    He leaves her tied up in the middle of the road.
    Ludovico wrote:
    Who would Guy Haines need to be involved at this point? He probably never knew the details. It is pretty obvious to me that Vesper gave Quantum and Le Chiffre any information she had on Bond.

    The only other candidate who would know about the tracking device would be Vesper, but she seems pretty low-level in the government.

    Bond's tracking device is hardly deep covered state secret, by this I mean it is not something very far beyond standard procedure within MI6. It is part of his operation, and Vesper is taking part in said operation, so she very likely knew, or was in a good position to know.

    Not really she worked for the treasury. How would she have access to MI6 SOP without arousing suspicions for being too nosy?

    Or was she really an MI6 agent and the treasury just a cover story? But if so what is her function as far as MI6 is concerned? To be an independent observer and decide if Bond should have more money?

    There are plenty of ways she could have known without rising suspicions. For all we know she was briefed about Bond and they told her about it. Heck, the Treasury might have requested such information before consenting to the operation. "Sorry, we want to know if this is sufficiently safe for our civil servant. Has everything been done to make sure the risks were reduced to their minimum?"

    And M would say 'mind your own f**king business.' She's not going to start dishing out details about ongoing operations to other ministries. And even if she did why would Vesper's boss who would presumably be bound by the official secrets act then divulge it all to a low level civil servant like Vesper?

    Sorry but your theory that MI6 tell other ministries everything that they are doing is a little fanciful to say the least.
  • Posts: 15,041
    Ludovico wrote:
    Ludovico wrote:
    echo wrote:
    DB5 wrote:
    How do we know that LeChiffre is "willing to sacrifice Vesper's life?"

    He leaves her tied up in the middle of the road.
    Ludovico wrote:
    Who would Guy Haines need to be involved at this point? He probably never knew the details. It is pretty obvious to me that Vesper gave Quantum and Le Chiffre any information she had on Bond.

    The only other candidate who would know about the tracking device would be Vesper, but she seems pretty low-level in the government.

    Bond's tracking device is hardly deep covered state secret, by this I mean it is not something very far beyond standard procedure within MI6. It is part of his operation, and Vesper is taking part in said operation, so she very likely knew, or was in a good position to know.

    Not really she worked for the treasury. How would she have access to MI6 SOP without arousing suspicions for being too nosy?

    Or was she really an MI6 agent and the treasury just a cover story? But if so what is her function as far as MI6 is concerned? To be an independent observer and decide if Bond should have more money?

    There are plenty of ways she could have known without rising suspicions. For all we know she was briefed about Bond and they told her about it. Heck, the Treasury might have requested such information before consenting to the operation. "Sorry, we want to know if this is sufficiently safe for our civil servant. Has everything been done to make sure the risks were reduced to their minimum?"

    And M would say 'mind your own f**king business.' She's not going to start dishing out details about ongoing operations to other ministries. And even if she did why would Vesper's boss who would presumably be bound by the official secrets act then divulge it all to a low level civil servant like Vesper?

    Sorry but your theory that MI6 tell other ministries everything that they are doing is a little fanciful to say the least.

    And then the Treasury would say: "sorry, we are not funding this and are not sending one of our civil servants in this operation." Vesper Lynd is PART of the operation, she is in fact an important part of it because she is in charge of the funds. And I don't know how or if it would work in real life, but I think she would also be bound by the official secret act if participating in an MI6 operation, whether she is from the Foreign Office or the Treasury. She must not be such low ranking employee if she is in charge of a few millions. And she and her superiors in the Treasury would want to be properly informed about the details of the operation. And didn't Mathis said that accountants were running MI6? It was a jest, but it did have a ring of truth to it: when you have money, you have leverage.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Ever heard of 'need to know'?

    The fact Bond has a chip in his arm has absolutely no bearing on Vesper's part of the operation, even if her superiors are aware which is debatable.
  • edited July 2013 Posts: 4,622
    It is perfectly plausible that Vesper knew that Bond had a tracking device in his arm. The exact how doesn't really matter. She was working with both Mathis and Bond. She was in a position to know things.
    I don't believe the Vesper kidnapping was faked. She actually didn't work for Quantum. She was a blackmail victim. They did with her as they pleased. Le Chiffre knew that she was a Quantum pawn, which is why he told Bond that Mathis had betrayed him, in order to disguise Vesper's treachery. Bond knew it had to be one or the other, so best that he believe it was Mathis.
    It does appear that Vesper was under orders from Quantum to work with Le Chiffre in winning the card game.
    When Le Chiffre captured her, his thugs may have been told to tell her to scream to imtimidate Bond, or they may have actually done stuff to her, to get a reaction out of Bond. Either way, Le Chiffre was using her to get to Bond.
    When White showed up though, he wiped out Le Chiffre's group and then cut a deal with Vesper to finangle the money from Bond. Vesper goes along with this deal to save Bond's life. Quantum also held the hammer, that they could reveal her treachery, and then there was the fate of poor old Yusef too. Quantum owned her.
    And much like the scenario Fleming paints in the book, she was in so deep it would have been very difficult to come clean with Bond, although I think all things considered, unlike book-Vesper, who had a long history of Soviet controlled treachery, she might have survived an Mi6 debrief/interrogation, as she was a blackmail victim, although she wouldn't have survived unscathed. She was guilty of bad judgement. Ideally she reports the blackmail attempt to Mi6 or her Treasury bosses, rather than let herself be used the way she was.
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