Craig is perfect for this kind of Bond

Rating: 8/10 (4 December 2006)

How about that. 'Casino Royale' is the best Bond-film since 'Dr. No' and especially 'Goldfinger'. I have to admit, I thought this with 'GoldenEye' as well, with Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, but with every next movie it went more downhill. I hope this will not happen with this James Bond, played by Daniel Craig. The actor here is perfect for Bond and that has to do with some of the changes Bond has had, seen in this film.
Craig shows us a Bond who is new to his job and in the story he really is. When the film starts he is not even a 00-Agent. He becomes one after killing two men in a black and white preview that sets the tone of the rest of the film. The villain for the real story is Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a banker who finances freedom fighters, or terrorists if you will. The Bond-girl is Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), M is still M played by Judi Dench. Bond's mission is to win Le Chiffre's money in a big poker game in the Casino Royale so he can't finance terrorists and he needs MI-6 to protect him.
So much for the plot which is not really what makes this Bond better than most of its predecessors. It is the raw tone and the more human characteristics Bond has. Where Brosnan was buried in corny one-liners and technical gadgets, including a ridiculous invisible car in 'Die Another Day', Craig is most of all human. He has the car, but the films does not depend on it. Here we see a flawed Bond, one that makes mistakes, even the biggest one there is in his profession. He falls in love. I have to admit that the scenes around his love play to fast and the series, or is it the character, seems unable to handle it the right way, but it does not really matter. There is also quite some fun with what we know about Bond from earlier films. I hope Bond will stay as he is here, and the films will stay as low-key as here.
I mentioned the raw tone. There is a scene that challenges the PG-13 rating in which torturing is the main event. Especially this scene shows why Craig is perfect for the role. Brosnan has had his torture, but not this kind, and look how they both act on it. Brosnan was good, but Craig seems needed to keep the series interesting. Like the first Brosnan, the first Craig is directed by Martin Campbell, which seems no coincidence. I hope he will do more, or at least I hope other directors will follow the tone he and Craig have set. This is probably the first time I am really looking forward to the next installment of the Bond-series.