Review of Casino Royale (2006) by Kevin G — 13 May 2013

Oh god, where do I begin? Many people complain that this the Bond movie where he turned into Jason Bourne as an English Spy. I don't care... I love the poker scenes... Eva Green is so deliciously beautiful and feisty.

.. she also becomes distinguished as being the second Bond Woman. She's more sophiscated than James, while simulaneously being elegant, edgy, and "skewering" with her wit. I fell in love with Daniel Craig's Bond.

This is his Zero Mission. This is the blunt instrument before the job turned him into a man impervious to pain, danger, and death; before the quips came more often than the bullets. Craig imbues his Bond with this intensity, even when quipping.

He may not be as dry as Moore, but he definitely has the deadpan down. The pre-credits scene where Bond gets his "00" is completely unique within the canon, and all the more effective for being so.

The parkour sequence is the best Bond chase there ever was. Chris Cornell kicks the living shit out of the theme; you know this is going to be a hard-hitting Bond, unlike you've seen before. The chemistry between Craig and Green positively sparkles, and Giancarlo Giannini brings so much personality to Rene Mathis that you barely realize his "Basil Exposition" function to the story (Really, there's no other reason for him to be there).

No Bond movie has every given me exactly what I wanted from a Bond movie, but Casino Royale comes closest.