Bond's back with a bang.

Rating: 9/10 (17 November 2006)

This film has been called a reboot of the series, taking Bond back to the start so the franchise can try to rebuild after the mixed feelings and reviews of Die Another Day. It works.
The pre-title sequence shows the two kills Bond (Daniel Craig) makes in order to earn his '00' rating. One is a down and dirty hand-to-hand fight in a gents toilet and the other, the more cerebral, thinking man's set piece that has become a Bond trademark.
After this is a new style of opening title. My initial reaction was to hate it, but as the (relatively) short sequence gets running I started to enjoy the novel visual style it uses. It won't be to everyone's taste however.
On his first mission things start to go seriously wrong. After being tasked to track down and bring in a bomber for hire his mission is compromised. This leads to a vertigo inducing chase up and then down two half-built buildings. Cue explosions and gunfire aplenty. When he finally catches up with his quarry Bond has to break into an embassy to bring the man down. Caught on camera doing the job he finds after his escape he's now earned the displeasure of his boss M (Judi Dench).
After being told to vanish for a while for things to blow over Bond follows a lead to Nassau. Here he comes across Alex Dimitrios (Simon Abkarian), an arms dealer with shady connections around the world. Falling for Dimitrios's wife Solange (Caterina Murino), Bond tries to find out who's behind these men. Again the mission goes badly leaving Solange and Dimitrios dead.
While following the leads Bond manages to prevent an attack in Miami. Back in favour, although only just, M brings him in and informs him of a link between the Dimitrios and a terrorist financier Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). Bond's foiling of the attack in Miami has cost him dearly and in order to get his money back Le Chiffre has had to enter a high stakes poker game at The Casino Royale. The Government, through Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) are going to back the best card player in the service in order to bankrupt Le Chiffre.
I won't spoil the rest of the plot.
This film starts high action and, apart from a few sections, maintains the pace. It has all the things that Bond films should have, the fantastic locations, the beautiful girls, the ridiculously expensive cars, the action. From the stunning building chase to a too brief car chase, the action scenes deliver. But, even better than these are the tense face offs over the card table. Poker is the real action here. the battle of wits between Bond and Le Chiffre is great. There are breaks from the table in which there are even more fights and a heart stopping moment for the main man.
The acting is well done. What you see for the first time is Bond change and grow through the film. Here he gets angry and lashes out. He blows missions spectacularly and somehow manages to pull things around. The man you see at the end if changed from the man you see at the start. Craig is, if not the best, then soon will be the best Bond.
The supporting cast is good. Eva Green is stunning. Her acting is really good, especially in the vulnerable moments she has. There's nowhere this is shown better than at the casino where Bond has dispatched some third world thugs with Lynd right there with him. Finding her distraught in the shower moments later there is one of the most tender scenes in any Bond film so far.
I loved the film. Why it got 9/10 was for two things: length and the appalling product placement that went on. There are few films that merit a run of over two hours and this isn't one. Twenty minutes could have easily been shaved off and still left it great.
Go and see the film as soon as you can. For real fans or first timers it's a treat.