So nearly one of the best ever Bonds...

Rating: 8/10 (17 November 2006)

The finest for 30 years... and if the momentum of the first 90 minutes had carried through to the end, it would have been one of the best ever. Craig is magnificent, as cool as he is cruel, and he delivers the one-liners superbly. The makers have taken note of the success of that other JB - Jason Bourne - and crafted a thrilling spy movie that has a similarly icily glamorous Mittel European feel. That the final half-hour goes awry is down to the script, making the ending rather limp, the car crash in the DBS almost acting as a metaphor for all that happens afterwards. A stark contrast to the beginning of the movie, which is the punchiest and coolest start to any of the Bond films. In short, a massive return to form after the appalling Die Another Day - and a brilliant piece of casting in choosing Craig.