Review of Casino Royale (2006) by Bryan F — 24 Feb 2013

Daniel Craig's debut outing as 007 is perhaps the best Bond movie since the days of Connery. It's a reboot, so Bond is just getting his license to kill. This movie shows a back-to-basics Bond, after the cartoonish excessiveness of the Brosnan era.

Craig takes full control of the role, bringing a Bond that is more serious, grim and reckless, while maintaining a very dark sense of humor. He's also much more aggressive. Whereas Sean Connery moved like a cat, Craig moves like a bulldozer.

Timothy Dalton's desire to portray a more serious Bond was only partially successful. Here, Craig finishes the job.