"Royale" is the most thrilling Bond adventure in the past decade

Rating: 9/10 (30 November 2008)

Casino Royale
Directed by Martin Campbell.
Starring Daniel Craig, Eva Green and Judi Dench.
After a four year hiatus, newcomer Daniel Craig reinvents James Bond in "Casino Royale." Directed by Martin Campbell (who also launched Pierce Brosnan's Bond in 1995's "GoldenEye"), "Royale" reboots England's sophisticated super-spy by bringing him back to basics. Campbell steers clear of the excesses often associated with the franchise -- ditching the gadgets and avoiding the puns -- to create the most thrilling Bond adventure in the past decade.
The film's opening sequence sees Bond attaining his double-oh status by making his first two assigned kills; one while engaged in an intense bathroom brawl, and the other during a calm encounter in an expensive London flat. The scenes show the audience Bond's calm, collected exterior as well as the animosity the lies underneath. Craig establishes early on that his Bond will be a rougher creature, less like the camp-filled shenanigans of Roger Moore and more like the dark, brooding Timothy Dalton. It's a risky decision, considering Dalton's short tenure as 007, but it winds up paying off in "Royale."
After the initial set-up, the plot meanders for an hour or so, and Campbell rounds out the film with some impressive filler. Bond's exhilarating foot chase after terrorist Mollaka (played by Parkour pioneer SÃ©bastien Foucan) is one of the most inventive in the series' history. Other scenes, like 007's attempt to thwart the destruction of an expensive new commercial airliner, are just as exciting.
The story really begins when Bond is assigned to Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a banker to the world's terrorists who has carelessly lost his clients' money. In an effort to win back the fortune -- and avoid the repercussions -- he sets up a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro. MI6 reluctantly enters Bond in the game (as luck would have it, he's a gifted player) to prevent Le Chiffre from winning, hoping to gain information from him in return for protection once he has lost. Along for the ride is Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), representing the treasury and making sure (unsuccessfully) that things don't get out of hand. It's not long before Bond develops an attachment to her, jeopardizing his career and even his own safety.
There is an underlying sincerity in Craig's Bond that has not been seen since 1969's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." When he falls in love with Vesper, it is convincing and feels completely genuine. When he is unable to best Le Chiffre, he loses his cool and panics. The human touches work well because they prove that James Bond is fallible, even if only for those brief moments.
The charm and stylishness of "Casino Royale" cannot be denied, and neither can Craig's impact as 007. The film reminds action fans that, while there are many imitators, James Bond is still at the head of the pack.
Final Grade: A