Casino Royale

Rating: 8/10 (14 March 2007)

Let me start by saying no actor will ever surpass Sean Connery as superagent 007, but Daniel Craig comes close. To all the naysayers, let me ask: have you ever read the novel? This movie starts off with an MI-6 agent named James Bond who is working to get his "Double-O" status, a license to kill. The rest of the movie follows in putting the pieces that make James Bond into 007. There are some liberties, like changing Le Chiffre's backstory and shifting from Baccarat to Texas Hold-'Em, but these don't detract from the fact that we are watching the evolution of suave superagent from a blunt instrument. Yes, he destroyed the car, got poisoned, got spotted by the earpiece in the stairwell, and let his emotions get the best of him with Vesper, but that's because he's learning these lessons as a fresh Double-0 agent. This isn't the experienced Bond of Pierce Brosnan or the suave Bond of Sean Connery or the infallible Bond of Roger Moore. This is the gritty Bond who let his guard down, rested on his laurels, and ended up being the superspy we all know and love.
Bond never truly loved again until "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," and then never truly again after that. Conversely, I've never loved the Bond franchise as much until now.
"Casino Royale" comes highly recommended... and, before I forget, go read the books. Get to know the real James Bond.