Casino Royale

After "Bond" (Connery), "Strange Bond" (Lazenby), "Funny Bond" (Moore), "Rambo Bond" (Dalton) and "Mixed Bond" (Brosnan), here's another guy. Daniel Craig - "Rough Pissed Off Bond". Casino Royale is a gripping film that will keep you interested from start to finish. The "crane and all that" scene is one of the most bombastic action spectacles I've ever seen in a movie theater, and clearly the best of the entire film. But the rest of the Casino is not far behind. For example, I would never have believed that it is possible to film poker games in a thrilling and entertaining way. The new generation Bond did not disappoint - Craig is likable, he is human and not a machine seducing busty nymphs, he is tough as nails and entertaining. Great! (08/28/2009)

A smart, cleverly directed, and uncluttered action film that can boast an incredibly charismatic lead actor. The new Bond is in no way a polished charmer like Timothy Dalton or Pierce Brosnan, but an agent of the special service sharp as a razor, whose face is covered with scars from top to bottom and a drop of blood is also visible every moment. Although it is a Bond film, Casino Royale bears by far the fewest trademarks referring to that famous British spy. Instead, we can watch an excellent action film rather than a continuation of the legendary franchise. Martin Campbell, in addition to his assured direction, also did away with lot of legends, myths, and established Bond traditions (wisecracks, women, etc.), and the result? James Bond can fall in love. And the best part is, you can actually believe him. The opening action in Madagascar is exhilarating and I haven't seen anything so gripping in a long time. Eva Green? Stunning. One of the best and most original Bond films. (11/21/2006)

After some time, and after watching a rerun, I began to like this 21st Bond film. I also like Eva Green thanks to Dark Shadows and I'm taking more and more to Mads Mikkelsen thanks to A Royal Affair. They have a nice interchange at the Casino, Mads has a very tasty villain with a bleeding eye and Eva is a different kind of beauty than the ones James has been dating. The plot is good, the scenery pleasing to the eye, the action and humor just right, and of course the flawless final point. I certainly enjoyed that. (08/26/2012)

As a man afflicted since childhood with love for the phenomenon of the super agent in Her Majesty's Secret Service (they have been a part of my life since 1984, when I saw the first Moor film), and as someone who has seen all the Bond films, I say: Casino Royale is an old school Bond film that I've missed since the days of Goldfinger. Daniel Craig is Bond in the best Connery tradition, yet he is also new, original, almost popular. He gives back to the legend its gloss and energy. Martin Campbell perfectly combined the thrilling action rides in an old-fashioned coat with a calm (but internally electrifying) game of poker, in which the gentleman's style of Guy Hamilton and Terence Young is reflected. This conservative spy level may not captivate today's viewer, but I was completely fascinated. No doubt the good old days are coming back and Pierce Brosnan's exaggerated CGI action era is waving goodbye. I won't remember it in a bad way, but Daniel Craig is the Bond of my heart, hand in hand with Sir Connery. Bond's humanity, egoism, vulnerability, fragility... Craig does it all with extraordinary credibility and certainty. Hand in hand with this is the fantastic villain Le Chiffre (Auric Goldfinger, you've met your match!), the most magical Bond-girl (forgive me, beautiful Ursula, but Eva Green gave Vesper a soul, not just a body), and the increasingly charming M Judi Dench. Martin Campbell does more than just an action routine - he holds the film wonderfully together and the chemistry of the characters drives like an Aston Martin. Although Casino Royale is far from being problem-free - lapses in logic, naivety, flatter passages, unspokenness and recklessness, just about everything that is inseparable from the series - it is definitely the best bond since the 1960s. (11/16/2006)

Or: When James walks in Jason’s footsteps... The black-and-white prolog and the first scene after the opening credits sets the bar high, but unfortunately the creators didn’t manage even to come near it for the rest of the movie. The new Bond is not lacking atmosphere, a good technical side and ingenious action. But what it is lacking is a better screenplay to hold everything together better and more balanced pacing. (04/21/2022)