One of the best Bond films to ever be made.

Rating: 9/10 (7 June 2020)

'Casino Royale' sees James Bond (Daniel Craig) acquire his 007 status before racing around the world to stop an immoral banker, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelson), who helps to fund world terrorists, and in particularl, a mysterious new organization. Le Chiffre has lost a huge sum of money on the stock market after Bond foils a plot to blow up an airplane in Miami. Needing to raise funds quickly, he decides to hold a very high stakes Poker game at Casino Royale in Montenegro. 'M' sends 007, who is accompanied by accountant Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), to participate in the game, to stop Le Chiffre and to find out more about this new menacing, secret organization.
I think it's important that we give the making of 'Casino Royale' some context for those who weren't around at the time and for those who've forgotten everything that surrounded the making of the film in 2006. Many people had not been happy with the direction the Bond films had been going in for some years. The last two films in particular, 'The World Is Not Enough' and 'Die Another Day', were seen to be two of the worst. The arrival of Matt Damon's Jason Bourne in 2002, and the follow up in 2004, had also heaped pressure on to the Bond franchise with a fresher, more realistic action orientated superspy, not reliant on CGI, making the latest Bond offerings look banal as well as rivalling him at the box office. Bond had become a parody of himself and Bourne looked like a natural successor.
The decision was taken to reboot the series by taking James Bond back to basics with a new actor in the role of the iconic spy. 'Casino Royale' had been the first Bond book published in 1952 and the only one of the series not yet to have a film made about it (the David Niven 1967 spoof doesn't count).
So we arrive at the movie itself which was to be Daniel Craig's inaugural film as James Bond. It was quite possibly the most anticipated Bond movie of all time as there had been a mixed reaction to the casting of Craig, a relative unknown, as 007 a year earlier. A war of opposing sentiments had erupted on-line with two websites, CraignotBond and CraigisBond, set up to do battle after his announcement as the urbane British spy. The online war raged right up until 'Casino Royale' was released in cinemas November 2006, with the pro-Craig side emerging victorious as critical acclaim and widespread audience approval of 'Casino Royale' finally quashed all rebellion against Barbara Broccoli's interesting choice for protagonist.
Whether any of this affected the making of the movie or not, the fact is that Casino Royale is a terrific film, with an excellent James Bond at the head of a fantastic cast reading from a quality script, with fantastic direction and production, and one of the best Bond themes in Chris Cornell's 'You Know My Name'. Here we see Bond in the raw, earning his 007 status, allowing his ego to take control, making mistakes but still saving the day as only James Bond can. Don't worry, this is very much James Bond in a James Bond movie but one with a subtle difference.
The film's running time at nearly two and a half hours is just right as the time whizzes by. At no point do you find yourself looking at the clock as you're far too absorbed in this unique Bond story, one that really can stand alone from the rest of the series. The film changes pace on numerous occasions and is happy to flick back and forth between the action scenes, the tension at the poker game and the more tender moments with Vesper Lynd without losing the viewer. It is all blended together perfectly. 'Casino Royale' is also a film that has matured well over the past fourteen years and plays like it could have been made in the last twelve months.
A big well done to Daniel Craig as well. The pressure of being James Bond, let alone for the first time and amidst so much online discussion, must have weighed heavily on him and yet he handles the role with aplomb. In 'Casino Royale', Craig shows that he can be both the blunt instrument and the charismatic lover that we expect of James Bond. His final line in the film is so well delivered and sums up his overall performance. It was an auspicious start for Daniel Craig as James Bond and even though 'Quantum of Solace' wasn't the follow up that most hoped for, his exceptional performance in 'Casino Royale' wasn't a one off.