The most 'classy' bond movie ever..!

Rating: 10/10 (21 November 2006)

Daniel Craig is taking over the reigns as Bond. James Bond. And he does a great job. Now, we have a no nonsense, take charge kind of Bond. But he's also a little more vulnerable too. Hell, he only achieves his double "0" status (as in 007) at the beginning of the movie. All the action scenes in Casino Royale feel fresh and re-invigorated. They feel like a return to old fashioned stunt work. There are no car chases with gadgets and smoke screens. He's not invincible, and Casino Royale reminds you of this. But it lends itself to some suspenseful scenes, but more importantly, it lays down the groundwork for some important moments in the Bond legacy, namely his discovery of good martinis and the tux. That scene with Bond first putting the tux on is done quite nicely. There are other staples of the Bond series, such as the elaborate credit sequence (with a song courtesy of ex-Soundgarden/current Audioslave front-man Chris Cornell), the classic Aston Martin and beautiful Bond women.
But the movie isn't interested in winking and nodding to the audience about these things. It's about establishing Daniel Craig as the perfect James Bond in the franchise. For this alone, the movie is a complete success. I'm not going to make ludicrous comparisons to previous Bond actors, because opinions vary on other Bond portrayals. Is he as good as Connery was in the role? Hells yes. Craig is suave, sophisticated, but just unhinged enough to make you believe him as a real man, not just the super agent we've come to associate Bond with. You even get to see Bond fall in love, a rarity for the series. And you also get to see him kick some ass. And take some names. Craig was the first step in many steps that assured Casino Royale would turn out to be a really good movie. For once, I'm truly excited when I see the words "James Bond Will Return". Credits to Martin Campbell who made the best out of Pierce Brosnan with his first movie as Bond through "Golden Eye".. Sure, Craig seems to do better..