CASINO ROYALE

Director: Martin Campbell

Stars: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Jeffrey Wright

Year: 2006

Rating: PG-13

Yeah, shamefaced as I am about it, I have to admit I only just now got around to seeing Casino Royale - Daniel Craig's first outing as James Bond from 2006. I've always been hit or miss with my tastes of the various James Bond films - overall, my vote is definitely with Connery for the best Bond, although there are Roger Moore Bond films I like ... and I especially loved On Her Majesty's Secret Service for storyline with Diana Rigg's character ... etc., etc.

But with Daniel Craig, it's maybe the first time my eyes have been opened to a fully-realized James Bond. A Bond full of ego and the intelligence to back it up. A Bond without pity or remorse, and truly deserving of his "00"/license to kill status ... who, quite possibly has fallen in love for the first time in his life.

That "00" status is afforded to Bond within the first few moments of the film, after his second kill before even the credits roll. Here we are re-introduced to Bond's, in his first adventure just after getting his "00" status; an adventure that begins with a harrowing chase scene throughout a construction site in Africa. Here Bond is a killing machine, a loose cannon, relentless and breaking every rule in his Terminator-like pursuit of the bad guy; truly, this Bond knows his mission, and won't let anything (or anyone) short of death stand in his way of achieving it. And achieve it he does, in the opening breath-taker, as Bond ends up with the vital piece of information he needs that leads him that much closer to finding the man who's currently banking and financing a good deal of the world's current terrorist organizations.

Judi Dench co-stars as M, and with this film I can think of no one more perfect for the role. She ignites the screen whenever she's on it, no more so than when she's beyond exasperated with Bond for his lack of obedience and tact; truly, when she tells Bond "do it again and I'll have you killed", she goes head to head with one of the deadliest secret agents alive ... and it's her you fear. Only M, it seems, has any kind of pull on Bond's leash - one that, here, stretches long enough to send Bond all over the world (Uganda, Miami, the Bahamas, and finally to Montenegro) in his pursuit of Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen, excellent and totally up for the job of Bond villain), the terrorists' money-man who weeps blood for tears. The chase and fight scenes that lead up to the final game of Texas Hold 'Em poker at Casino Royale - a game in which winner takes all of a pot over $110 million - are extraordinary; real adrenaline rushes that depict Bond as a real man capable of getting hurt, and not the superhero of some of the past films. But even the poker game itself is filled with enough attention-getting adrenaline to keep the film tight ... as is the love-hate relationship Bond eventually develops with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green, in a complex, nicely-nuanced performance) - the woman who, through the British government's treasury department, is funding Bond's entry into the game.

Miss Moneypenny, "Q", and the many over-the-top Bond gadgets are all missing here - though, happily, none are needed. No, this is Daniel Craig's show - Craig's interpretation of Bond - and damn, has he got it down. As said, never (or, at least, since Connery) have I seen a James Bond so thoroughly realized - a flawed man and merciless killer who makes mistakes and then comes back that much harder to correct them. It's an exceptional performance that, in one film, makes the James Bond character fully belong to Daniel Craig - and so-so reviews for Quantum of Solace aside (and yeah, now I have to see it), I look forward to that film and many more with this exceptional, extraordinary - and, oddly enough for a killer, all too human - Bond. ****1/2 - Reel Awesome-Reel Must-See