The best Bond movie of them all

Rating: 10/10 (22 March 2007)

Like everyone else, I had serious reservations about seeing this movie. I've been a die-hard Sean Connery fan since my first viewing of Dr. No in theaters in '62. I'd seen my favorite book character transformed from Sean's smooth interpretation to George Lazenby's one-and-only (thank God) third-rate performance, to Roger Moore's "Inspector Gadget"-type entries, to Timothy Dalton's steely (but somewhat dull) treatments, to Pierce Brosnan's adequate (but often too little-boyish) performances.
But when I saw Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, I was speechless. The man was brilliant and SO believable. The film itself was as flawless as they come. The script, scenery, and acting were all perfect. The action sequences were breathtaking. The fight scenes were not only believable, they were frightening (just the way I like them). The story, updated for the times, remained faithful to the book. Mr. Craig brought a gritty reality to the role that was so lacking in most of the previous interpretations. The Bond in the books was cold, cunning, tough, and bright, possessing all the necessary qualities to survive the business of tracking down and matching wits with the enemy. Mr. Craig gave us that picture. Always thinking, always reasoning, always one step ahead of his foe, with lightning reflexes and resourcefulness, he succeeded in actually becoming James Bond.
Before I'd seen this movie, my favorite was, without a doubt, Goldfinger. It has been my favorite Bond since 1964, when Sean's fight-to-the-death with Oddjob at Fort Knox thrilled me so much that I haven't been the same since. I feel like a traitor now, but I can't ignore what I just saw. Casino Royale and Daniel Craig rank, in my humble opinion, as the top Bond movie and the top James Bond ever.
Thank you, Mr. Craig. Please do this again.