Bond against the world...

Rating: 9/10 (1 December 2006)

With 20 titles before, Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel has quite a legacy to live up to  though it originally sets the tone - and Daniel Craig, deemed unworthy by most including myself, has quite a challenge to dethrone the likes of Connery and Brosnan. To put it bluntly, Casino Royale will easily surpass everyone's expectations  even Daniel Craig is worthy of the Bond name.
Casino Royale tells the story of a newly appointed double-O agent, James Bond. While his first official mission as 007, Bond travels to Madagascar to spy on an infamous terrorist by the name of Mollaka. While here, he discovers the involvement of Le Chiffre, who is a terrorist financier. Le Chiffre has lost all his employers money, and has to get it back: a high-stakes poker game at Montenegro's Casino Royale, which he arranges, becomes his very means to win all the money he lost. If Le Chiffre loses, he'll be at the wrong end of his employer's wrath; Bond must win so as to tempt Le Chiffre into getting sanctuary in England, where MI6 could then possibly extract vital information from Le Chiffre, with his safety in return.
Casino Royale's story is elaborate enough to keep viewers interested; it's not merely about a terrorist syndicate, but the impending romance story between Bond and, ally, Vesper Lynd. While not a reader of the James Bond novels, I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the film, but its best to see both the novels and films as two different entities, still Casino Royale has one of the more intense stories in James Bond history. Sadly, it lingers on for a little too long as a result of romantic flairs between Bond and Vesper. Also the traditional opening sequence, with accompanying theme song: 'You Know my Name'  Chris Cornell, is a visual feast of stylised cartoon-like animations (albeit the female silhouettes) which left my skin cold  absolutely brilliant. The ending is just as exceptional, especially since it's the only scene that truly is James Bond.
Acting is exceedingly good for a James Bond title. Daniel Craig excels as both pre-James Bond, and James Bond. However, he only does so because of the grittier Bond who the viewer is exposed too  he's willing to get his hands dirty with hand-to-hand killing if necessary, and Craig suits this. If Brosnan had been recast, he would seem out of sorts in this film. Eva Green (Vesper Lynd) is a great aid to Craig and their flirting is easily chemistry in motion. Mads Mikkelsen (Le Chiffre) acts well enough to allow for friction between Daniel Craig ( James Bond) and himself  the poker scenes should be noted. Lesser roles such as Judi Dench (M) and Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter) yield fine support acting, which really brings the Bond universe to life.
Complimenting the acting is some awesome action sequences. Casino Royale sports not only some of the best action seen in a James Bond title, but also in cinema in general. Every scene is dynamic, and you'll be able to feel the intensity, especially at a certain torture scene. However, there seems to be too much chasing, none with car mined you, and not enough firefights, but this isn't a distraction to the overall performance of the movie as a whole. But while exciting actions scenes are always popular, that doesn't make them the better scenes in the film  the shower scene involving a distraught Vesper is simply masterful.
However the film is not without its faults: the film drags on a little too long in areas, and the flowing pace becomes noticeably disrupted. There's a lack of the expected gadget repertoire of Bond's, and his newly fashioned Aston Martin DBS spends mere minutes on screen till dismally destroyed into nothingness. Perhaps the biggest problem I had with Casino Royale was that at times I had to remind myself that this was a James Bond movie. The overall feeling is akin to that of Mission Impossible and the Bourne series, and I couldn't help but feel that Casino Royale seems to be playing a following act, while tying to reinvent the James Bond series.
Nevertheless, all those non-believers must believe! Casino Royale galvanises a series which many thought was becoming single minded in its approach, and while it doesn't separate itself from the crowd, Casino Royale is by far one of the best spy flicks to date. Yes, it has its fair share of problems, but none are extreme enough to make big enough dents to hinder what is an overall exciting film, that easily stands on its own two feet when judged against its predecessors.
So is Casino Royale the best Bond ever? It deserves such praise. And is Daniel Craig the best Bond ever? Well, he pulls the film through in a truly debonair manner.