Review of Casino Royale (2006) by Isaac J — 14 Aug 2017

The James Bond reboots kick off here with Casino Royale. I'm not going to lie when I say this is one of the best Bond films ever made, probably on the top three podium. Casino Royale is not only good as a Bond film, but as an independent spy film in its own right; it's a delightfully dark twist on the Brosnan age gimmicks, grounding this new Bond in reality, with Daniel Craig assisting in a striking performance of the 00 agent.

The film takes a riveting pace, with captivating action sequences around every corner and a script so quick if you blink you won't know what's going on. The supporting cast is also largely good as well, with Eva Green Bond-girling wonderfully as Vesper, providing more depth and sincerity than one might expect and Judi Dench continuing to play M with delightful coldness.

Bond's adversary Le Chiffre, played by Mads Mikkelsen leaves a lot to the imagination, settling as a sub-standard villain in an above-standard film. The film also suffers from being overlong, with a slightly lengthy build-up, that results in, despite effective writing and direction, a lingering pace issue towards the end of the film.

Far too long was spent in that sanatorium that's my point. Largely, however, Casino Royale is a fantastic thriller, devoid of that irritating glamour so captured by previous Bonds, and grounding the character in a scarily familiar reality, that provides for surely one of the best Bond films of all time.