Casino Royale is great Bond beginning for Daniel Craig

Rating: 9/10 (24 November 2006)

Since my actual birthday was near, my friend offered to pay for both my admission and concessions when seeing this movie. We both enjoyed Casino Royale, my friend saying it was one of the best. I heartily agree since it was based on the first James Bond novel and as such it stays true to Ian Fleming's version of 007. Daniel Craig makes a great impression as a Bond who gets hurt both physically and mentally (the torture scene with Le Chiffre is especially painful to watch though there's still some humor to make it palatable). I love both Judi Danch's M ("God, I miss the Cold War") and Eva Green's Vesper Lynd (she goes from frosty to witty to playful convincingly in the space of an hour). And there are the great action set-pieces we've come to love in Bond movies involving construction sites and airports. In my opinion, Craig is the best Bond since Sean Connery. So, yes, I highly recommend Casino Royale.