Exciting

Rating: 9/10 (21 January 2007)

The first thing to be admired about this new version of Casino Royale is the title sequence, which includes beautiful animation combined with a new arrangement of James Bond songs. A montage of card symbols appears and disappears like a fractal. The credits at the end include some nice songs, also.
The new James Bond is Daniel Craig. The main prerequisite of any James Bond should be that he doesn't mind taking off his shirt to share his nice body. Daniel Craig does his duty well in this regard and also handles the other demands of the role with style, grace and plenty of costume changes.
The plot does not disappoint, either. There is plenty of fast-paced action with twists. The setting ranges from London to the Bahamas to Montenegro to Venice, with excellent cinematography.
There are other things to admire in this creative effort, besides the essential elements of the cast, plot, and cinematography. It is time for a new generation of James Bond actors, and Daniel Craig does not disappoint. A fresh view of a classic film is hard to bring off. I particularly admired the brilliantly executed scene in which Daniel Craig is poisoned by something slipped into his drink and the ensuing chaos involving a defibrillator. The pacing was so realistic that I gasped and put my hand over my own heart.