Casino Royale is a thrilling, gritty James Bond film (the 21st in the franchise) with a grounded, realistic performance from the debuting Daniel Craig. It features a Neo-noir b/w opening that sets a more serious tone for the franchise and an after credits set-piece that is easily the best of the franchise, as Bond chases down a bomb maker in Madagascar. This international incident in the making feels genuinely dangerous and suspenseful.
The story sees James Bond taking on terrorist Le Chiffre (a superb Mads Mikklesen) in a high-stakes poker game, at the Casino Royale, in Montenegro. This edge of your seat card game is watched over by Jeffrey Wright's CIA operative Felix Leiter. Le Chiffre (with that famous bloody tell) will do anything to stop Bond from winning (and we do mean anything!) Later on, his now famous torture method will make grown men wince.
Eva Green is memorable as Bond Girl Vesper Lynd: A British Treasury agent who falls in love with James Bond. But does she know more than she's letting on?
Judi Dench is brilliant as M: The head of MI6, with clever dialogue to say. Casino Royale is a stunning Bond film (with breathtaking action) that's arguably the best in the franchise.
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DIRECTED BY: Martin Campbell. SCREENPLAY BY: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis. RUNNING TIME: 144 minutes. CERTIFICATE: 15 / R. UK / USA / GER / CZE.
SPOILERS FOR ENDING: Did Vesper really need to kill herself? It's supposed to be that, having betrayed James, she can't live with herself, but still... it's the only (slight) blight in an incredible film.
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