Casino Royale - Awesome!!!

Rating: 10/10 (13 November 2006)

One word... AMAZING. It is the type of Bond film all Bond fans have been waiting for. No more cute, wink wink, laugh out loud unbelievable moments we've all grown tired of. What Casino Royale did was make a very real film, with real life consequences and added a crap load of action. Awesome!!! Daniel Craig has taken the Bond character and ran away with it. I never saw a more believable Bond character since the early films of Sean Connery. Ian Flemming's intentions and spirit for the story and character was taken into major consideration and the results were nothing but positive.
Daniel Craig takes the Bond character to his early days before he is granted the infamous double O status. Casino Royale's Bond is an unrefined, reckless, unpolished, aggressive, injury prone, cold blooded killer. In essence, a raw piece of meat, that as the film goes on and he gains more experience becomes this prime piece of sirloin. All the Bond signatures we've all come to love and expect are not a part of Bond's nature, but gradually falls into place at the right moments through his experiences. The journey it took to get there is the most fun to watch.
What makes Bond such a fan favorite in the past was the way the writers and directors romanticized the character. Bond always had the best gadgets (toys), cool clothes, money, he traveled, women galore, he was smooth, he could fight and play a mean game of cards. Who wouldn't want to be him? Casino Royale took it one step further and said, "What kind of man emotionally would it take to be a double O agent and what are the dangers involved in such an exciting career?" Casino Royale's Bond is bruised, bloodied, beaten, stabbed, poisoned and tortured in several occasions. He walks around half the film covered in scabs and scars. He is detached from his feelings and makes a clear statement how he prefers married women because it is less complicated. With no family and friends, he truly is a man alone with nothing to live for, which makes him the perfect candidate for a double O agent.
I have not given away too much of the plot, for it is better for all Bond fans to see Casino Royale and experience it for one's self. It's one of the best Bond film to come out in decades and ranks in my top 2 or 3 of James Bond films of all time.
A quick note... it is important to remember that this story is supposed to be about Bond before he become the James Bond we all know and love. It's his first time being a double O agent. This is why the writers took liberties with the opening gun barrel scene, the vodka martini, the Aston Martin, and the infamous "Bond, James Bond". I found it a great choice to a very old and established character. We get to see how Bond becomes Bond. Think "Batman Begins", which was another great film.