Yet another paradigm shift, and a great one at that

Rating: 9/10 (18 November 2006)

Part of the success of Bond films is not getting bogged down in dogma and being able to shift styles to freshen the franchise. This is a very successful reboot of the series. Action, plot, characters, acting, and style this one scores well on just about everything.
Daniel Craig pulls off the part well and makes the role his own. This is the grittiest interpretation of Bond yet, and while I've enjoyed the cartoonish interpretations such as Roger Moore's before, Casino Royale is much more visceral compared to previous efforts. There is humour in this one but for the most part it is subdued and subtle.
I've not seen it mentioned yet but I think kudos should go to Judy Dench as well. In previous outings, much like Pierce Brosnan's Bond, her performance seemed like it was being held back, as though the producers were afraid any time devoted to characterization would lose the audience. No more, this M is tough, tactical, and manipulative. This is easily the most fully realized version of M in any Bond movie. Makes me wonder what they could do with Q and Moneypenny should they reintroduce the characters in future movies.
A few minor quibbles, the theme song is forgettable, the opening credits seem completely out of character with the tone of the movie. It's not so much that the movie is too long as it takes awhile to reveal why the final section seems so drawn out. Be patient, it makes sense in the end.