Welcome back Mr Bond.

Rating: 9/10 (4 January 2007)

CASINO ROYALE not only manages to be one of the very best Bond films in the character's long screen history, it also serves as a timely reminder that no matter how tired an idea may seem, if you follow it through with enough conviction and skill, you can still come up with something special. Its' importance to the action movie world can not be understated either, as one hopes it will act as a blueprint for films hereafter. It's time to get back to basics and just allow action stars and stunt people to express their own remarkable abilities, without the tired enhancement of CGI and wirework.
The significance of CASINO ROYALE will, in years to come, be reflected upon as the movie which gave a wake up call to the "mainstream" action genre. The sheer physicality on show here serves as a timely reminder as to what the over reliance on "wire-work" and CGI-enhanced trickery has robbed us of. As outlandish as some of the sequences may be, they are performed by stunt men pushing themselves to the limit. The incredible "free running" scene, where Daniel Craig (and his stunt double) tries to keep up with real-life "free runner" Sebastien Foucan, is quite honestly the best action scene to have graced the big screen for many, many years. Why? Well, because apart from being brilliantly directed, edited and photographed (just sit back and marvel at the panoramic shots on the crane), it's because it has a raw feel to it. You know these guys are putting everything into it. Wire-work I'm afraid, takes away the "wow" factor, so how fitting it is, that one of cinema's original action heroes, James Bond, has put this factor back into movies.
Fans of the lighter, more outlandish Bond movies may well be disappointed. For me however, Martin Campbell deserves huge praise for revitalising the franchise. My only concern for BOND 22, is how the hell are they going to equal, let alone top this?! As long as they follow along the same lines in their approach to the character, I personally can not wait to find out where Craig's 007 will take us. Welcome back Mr Bond.