The best Bond film. Poker, action and a love story.

Rating: 10/10 (17 January 2009)

This is my first 10 for a film I only saw months ago. I have always liked Bond films but I was just getting bored of seeing the same thing, and not feeling like Bond himself had evolved as a character. Funnily enough, the film that stands as a prequel to all others is the one where we see character development and emotion. For once we get to see into Bond's way of thinking and why in later film's he is such a player and doesn't ever seem to settle down with a nice lady. Daniel Craig impressed me way beyond my expectations. I wasn't expecting him to have the charisma of Sean Connery but not only does he show that but he also opens the dimensions of Bond to another level. We see the rebellious side of Bond much more in this film and there is also such a contrast of extremes (the softer side and the darker, more sinister side). The opening action sequence is fantastic with the free runner and it is scenes like this that make the action much more interesting. Other Bond films rely on gadgets way too much and this film works so well without them. The poker scenes are brilliant and show Bond's competitive side and his vulnerability as Poker is essentially a game of luck as you can't always rely on tells as your opponent can be exceptionally good at bluffing, or pretending to bluff (a double-bluff). The love story pulled me in, which was a surprise. The relationship that grows between Daniel Craig and Eva Green's characters is absorbing and realistic and it makes the climax of the film have such a bigger impact. Overall, this film blew me away and deserves a place in the top 250 above films like Kill Bill Vol. 2, which is nowhere near as good as this film. I have seen Quantum of Solace recently too and Casino Royale blows it out the water. I believe it is the definitive Bond film and I hope that what comes after Quantum of Solace has the heart and depth of Casino Royale, as Quantum of Solace was made purely to show off the action sequences, which were good, but it lacked in meaning, logic and emotion.