A much needed, invigorating addition to the Bond franchise

Rating: 10/10 (20 November 2006)

Up until today, my favorite James Bond actor was Timothy Dalton. I know what you are all thinking; that I must be crazy. Everyone that I ask says that their favorite Bond is Sean Connery. While I agree that he is the basis of what everyone judges the performance of James Bond, my personal opinion is that the definition of the ultimate spy is not one that can dodge bullets and escape any situation imposed upon him. Herein lies why I believed that Timothy Dalton was a better Bond. My personal opinion is that James Bond should have been grittier than what Connery portrayed. Here was a spy that actually got hurt, that bled when he got into fights, and that looked more like James Bond should look.
When Daniel Craig was announced to play the next James Bond, I was immediately excited. I had never liked Pierce Brosnan as James Bond even though that is the first face that pops into most of the heads of people my age. The writing for his movies was never especially any good in my opinion. I felt that Craig could bring back what everyone loved about James Bond and do it in a way that didn't make me feel the character of James Bond was in some way half superhero half spy. My expectations were blown away.
This is by far the grittiest Bond movie I have seen and the action is top notch. Seeing as how this is the first Bond story written by Ian Fleming, I felt that it was due good writing, production and acting above and beyond the previous movies. In scale, this movie may not have been as epic in location as some of the other Bond movies as the locales in this movie are mainly isolated to four main locations, Britain, Miami, Venice and the Bahamas at the Casino Royale. Craig's acting is top notch as the James Bond who finally gets promoted to 00 status. The action starts with a bang right from the beginning leaving your jaw on the floor at times. Craig's deftness in playing a super-spy makes you believe that you are watching a professional and not an actor. Being that the story revolves around a poker game, the story can seem methodical at times, but stays true in keeping an air of tenseness throughout. The acting is superb by every actor in the movie and the reprise of Judy Dench as M adds a bit of nostalgia. Craig embodies the Bond who is ambitious at being promoted to 007, and yet calm and collected as able-bodied killer, airing the certain amount of suave, wit and cockiness we've all come to expect from James Bond. The story is well written, believable and keeps moving at a steady pace. This is the story of the creation of the spy, James Bond and how he becomes the deadliest spy in the history of movies. The film is rounded out by the scenes showing how Bond becomes hardened by his job and how he becomes the womanizer outlined in every following story.
The cinematography adds the final touch to the film, and director Martin Campbell does an excellent job of keeping the viewer on the edge of their seats with sweeping action shots and closeup, tense shots which draw you into the story.
Overall, this movie rates at the top of my James Bond list and I cannot wait for the next Daniel Craig Bond film. Go see this movie immediately.