Craig saves the day!

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2008)

After Die Another Day, I thought Bond was finished. Daniel Craig proved me wrong when he took the role by the horns and brought Bond back to what he really was: a ruthless assassin. We begin when Bond gets the status he needs to be a 00 agent. We then move to Africa where Bond is after someone who was paying off someone who makes money off terrorism. It eventually leads him to Bermuda, where he must wine, dine, and dazzle the women to find a nefarious plot to take place in Miami. There, he learns of a plot to destroy a plane. The hope of the financier is to manipulate the stock market so he can get rich and finance more terrorism. His last ditch effort is to make headway at a poker tournament at Casino Royale in France. Bond teams up with a beautiful Vespa (Green) whom he falls for. It eventually leads to a mysterious plot twist that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. In the first place, Craig is definitely what the fans wanted in Bond. We no longer have a pretty boy who makes wise-ass comments for mere laughs, but rather out of an overly masculine ego. Craig also makes the role very physical. This is the first time when you see Bond bloodied, bruised, in pain, and vicious. The fights are so well choreographed, the audience will really feel pain and appreciate the physical prowess it would take to be an agent. My only gripe was that the movie was drawn out a little too long. Other than that, Bond returned to the top of his game. My hat is off to Craig. I hope he can continue this momentum.