One of the Best Bonds

Rating: Null/10 (26 February 2008)

Casino Royale (2006)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
I'm not much of a fan of James Bond, although I've seen the early Connery films and the first three films with Brosnan. I'm really not in a hurry to see the others but I was somewhat fascinated by this film because I enjoyed Daniel Craig so much in Munich. I'm not sure how Bond fans feel about this film but I personally thought it was very good and certainly more refreshing than those boring films I had seen from Brosnan. I've read a couple reviews that said there wasn't enough action but I thought the film worked perfectly after the rather silly opening. Yes, the stunts were great in the first action piece but it seemed like a deleted scene from a Spider Man movie. After that opening sequence I thought the film really took off, which is mostly due to Craig who I thought was terrific in the role. I could have done without all the chest shots but I guess if I had a chest like him then I'd be showing it off anytime I could. The one problem I did have with the film was Eva Green who I thought was one of the least interesting girls I've seen. I didn't really feel any strong connection between her and Bond and thought the first girl (in the hotel) was better. The poker scene was wonderfully directed and it's not too easy to pull off scenes like this. The ending was also quite nice and thought the closing shots were near perfect and really makes me want to see the next film if they go for brains instead of action like this film did.