back to basics

Rating: 9/10 (13 November 2006)

Bond has returned and is really back to basics. The new Casino Royale (as opposed to the 1967 parody that even featured Woody Allen as Bond!) is more true to the essence of Ian Fleming's novels than ever before. It tells the 'Bond Begins' tale of how the young 007 blows his cool over the exquisite Vesper only to get it back at his own expense and be truly licensed to kill for evermore. The opening of the film is riveting and contains non-stop nail-biting action, the ending is truly moving and deeply emotional. Casino Royale is not for the faint-hearted but definitely maybe the best Bond ever. With Daniel Craig as a very tough and masculine show-all that will this time around probably also attract gay audiences the series is now really ready for the new millennium.