Wonderfully opens up Daniel Criag's Bond saga

Rating: 8/10 (21 February 2019)

Casino Royale is the first film in the line of Daniel Craig's James Bond run and is a good look into what's to come.
The 2 hour and 24 min time span may seem a bit daunting at first, but the film delivers quite well on keeping the viewer engaged whether that be with spectacular chase scenes, or with high stakes poker games. The first scene in which Bond chases a bomb maker is one of the best parkour scenes in all of action movies and immediately lets you know what you are in for. It's not overly cheesy and doesn't rely on big explosions, which can be said for the entirety of the movie. It keeps it simple, yet exciting. Dark and gritty, yet passionate and fascinatin. The cinematography is also always on point, which you are immediately treated to in the first 5 mins of the movie with its black and white opening. The movie also delivers one of the best scenes in film history (in my opinion) with its turture scene 3/4 of the way into the movie. It's simply brilliant writing and acting that needs to be seen.
Now, with everything that's been said already, why isn't this a five star rated movie. My reason is that it only shows what's to come and because I know that the following film in the series "Skyfall" is a 100% better. Would I have had a different review of this film had I given it a rating when it first came out; possibly, but that doesn't necessarily harm the film either.
The twist at the end can give some people a surprise, but it's perfectly used as a catalyst for Daniel Craig filling the shoes of the new Bond and the character he becomes in the next few installments. Not only does this twist at the end solidify this new reincarnation of the famous character, but it's solidified throughout the entire movie as Craig creates the perfect embodiment of the iconic character; cold, ruthless, ironic & plenty suave. In my opinion, having seen my fair share of past bond movies, Daniel Craig is by far my favorite to play bond.