James Bond at his best! *MINOR SPOILERS*

Rating: Null/10 (29 December 2007)

Casino Royale is a a new take on the 007 series. Here we see Bond for the very first time, and Daniel Craig does such a fantastic job. Craig plays Bond just as he acquires he 007 status, this is the first story of Bond - Bond is a novice. Daniel Craig's portrayal of Bond was a very raw character who doesn't fit the 007 mould and still has to find his feet, his place, his confidence. Usually Bond's portrayal is more rugged though suave, not raw.
I will have to repeat myself over and over until I bore you, about my love for Daniel Craig's performance in this movie. Craig as James Bond is one of the most amazing performances I have seen of 2006 and 2007 put together in Hollywood. Never before has a Bond been so humane, so understandable, so dashing. Craig not only has incredibly gorgeous good looks, but he can act superbly and I cannot stress more how much he fits the character of James Bond! This is undoubtedly his best performance and I sincerely hope he will remain as Bond for a long time and produce more great 007 movies. I LOVE him in this movie...:)
The stunts in Casino Royale are another impressive feature. Riveting and thrilling, Casino Royale will glue you to your seat, eagerly waiting for more. Thankfully it doesn't disappoint and gives the audience fantastic scenes throughout. Casino Royale starts and finishes on a good note. A very memorable scene to me personally is the naked, pain-stricken James receiving punishment from Le Chiffre.
Vesper Lynd, the new Bond girl, played by Eva Green was also a commendable performance. She is very different compared to any other "Bond Girl". Vesper Lynd is an equal to Bond, they have the same sense of humour, the same style, the same way of thinking. After all that, they even have a great chemistry! Vesper is beauty and brains. Craig and Green have a connection on screen, they seem to gel very well and all their scenes together are memorable and great to watch. My favourite scene of them together would be their first meeting in the train, exchanging sarcastic remarks and witty jokes to each other. Eva Green truly is a Bond girl, and a remarkable one at that. She became Vesper Lynd, and had some of the best lines in the whole film.
Judi Dench as the irritable M was, as always, fantastic. She is one of the only actresses of her age group that I enjoy watching apart from Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren. She is immortalised as M. Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre was also a great performer, the cold eyes, the bone-chilling smile, the greasy hair; he does it all and in my opinion is one of the best villains of the decade. Caterina Murino as Solange was also decent enough.
What I like best about this film is that James Bond is a very humane character, he has feelings, he fell in love for crying out loud, and he was even willing to give up his job for his love. He is not a agent with a heart of stone, he is a young man finding himself and maturing with time. As the movie progresses, the story gets more serious and the thrilling meter grows higher and higher. The tension I felt before the Poker game was indescribable.
One more very interesting point in this movie is how James Bond was so different from every other Bond movie. He was immature, not fully ready for what he was taking on (of course he acquires it all as time goes on). For example, when Bond was asked whether he likes his martini shaken or stirred, he said "Does it looks like I give a damn". And honestly, NO Bond worth his pedigree would say that, because Bond ALWAYS likes his martini shaken, not stirred, in every movie of his. This showed Bond had a lot of growing up to do, before becoming what he is - a fantastic secret agent.
To sum it up, Casino Royale provides star-studded performances, TERRIFIC stunts that will clench your fists, a story that will stir your soul, and a Bond that you will never forget. This is a masterpiece.
The name's Bond. James Bond.