Casino Royale

Rating: M - Medium Level Violence.
Duration: 144 mins.
Genre: Action, Adventure.
Actors: Judi Dench, Daniel Craig.
Director: Martin Campbell.
Release Date: On Now.

Kiwi boy Martin Campbell gets his second chance at Directing Bond, but this time with a much more capable lead actor, and a great modern take on Fleming’s classic Casino Royale.

Though the story has been change considerably, the spirit of Fleming’s story is captured precise, and we get to see James Bond in his formative first real mission.

Daniel Craig with his icy blue eyes is perfect for the role, traditionalists who claim Bond shouldn’t be blond with blue eyes have their heads in the sand, and have obviously not seen Craig in action before.

And those who say the new Bond is more an action movie than a Bond movie need to re-address exactly what they ever liked about Bond. For me, and a kid, growing up with Bond, it was the excitement and action that started from the get go. The preliminary action scene that bought you to the title credits and let you know that Bond was all about action, was as much a part of band, and the hinted sexuality in the silhouetted ladies in the same title sequence, which for once was peculiarly absent in Casino Royale.

So, gritty and cold, the new Bond is a full on action movie that rarely slows down, which is a big ask seeing as it clocks in at a massive 144 minutes. And Daniel Craig brings his mongrel pedigree and puts some credibility back into the franchise after Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan almost destroyed the double ‘O’ concept.

With huge set action pieces, plenty of heroes and villains, and more plots twists than you can shake a martini at, the thundering pace keeps you glued to the screen, whilst the audio and visual onslaught puts your brain on overdrive.

Perfect this movie isn’t, but the best Bond movie ever it is. Even Judy Dench as M seems to have found her groove, trying to rein in the loose cannon that is Daniel Craig’s Bond.

The other thing that puts this Bond above all the others is what made On Her Majesty’s Secret Service so damned good – and that is the love interest.

So if you want to be wowed and entertained, and you love guns and explosions, Casino Royale is your thing. If you’re a die-hard Connery fan, go buy Dr. No. on DVD.