One of the best, compliments all that is Bond

Rating: Null/10 (19 November 2006)

Set in the present day, in a time-line of Bond's early years, after receiving his 00 status he must stop banker villain Le Chiffre from winning a poker tournament at Casino Royale that is funding terrorism.
Director Martin Campbell after an old-school approach to Goldeneye delivers a thrilling and grounded vision of Bond. There's a great modern use of angles and camera movement techniques.
Casino Royale is a must see for all Bond fans, old and new. It is simply, Bondtastic! With less gadgets and more realistic tech tools, Bond relies more on his training and wits. Everything is there on screen, exquisite locations, guns, cars, action and there are many nods to the books too. Although some of the characters from the series are missing, they're surprisingly not missed and the spirit feels they may appear in future films.
With Neal Purvis & Robert Wade excellent screenplay coupled with a fantastic score, stunts and drama this movie is far more gritty. The character Felix Leiter makes an appearance this time played by Jeffrey Wright. Judi Dench returns as 'M' and there are notable performances from the excellent and subtle Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis. In addition, the villain is less than stereotype with Mads Mikkelsen in the role of Le Chiffre.
Daniel Craig is mesmerising as Ian Fleming's British spy, James Bond. Less humour, harder, infused with emotion, Bond is lean and dangerous.
It's a great entry and hopefully a sign of things to come.