Casino Royale

In less than a year, and provided there aren't any further delays, Bond 25 will have hopefully hit cinemas and received glowing praise. That last part might be a personal opinion and potentially less than likely if you believe the tabloids but as a James Bond fan I really hope Daniel Craig's final outing at England's secret agent is a success. Unfortunately, the series has had its issues with concluding an actor's tenure when checking the other men who have donned the tuxedo and it's not like Daniel's time in the role has been easy.

When news broke that the next Bond film would feature a blonde actor, people were up in arms getting ready to criticise the film before the first trailer had even been released but when the film hit cinemas in 2006 everyone for the most-part was taken aback with what Craig and Bond veteran director Martin Campbell had achieved. I too came away with a renewed interest in the series and from there I was hooked.

Now over ten years on from the film's release and having had a few years since I had last watched Casino Royale, I wanted to see how the film held-up today and if anything had aged. The story follows very closely from Ian Fleming's source material, and had only just read the book of the same name a few years before, I can see why this also won over fans of the novels. Craig doesn't look like how Bond was described, Timothy Dalton still has that achievement, but it's his rugged charm and personality that really captures the iconic character perfectly.

This still drew some criticism at the start and there were accusations that the series was trying to imitate the Jason Bourne films with their gritty post 9/11 direction. This argument is a tough one but having rewatched both franchises there is still plenty to distinguish the two, and both are fine examples of the action thriller genre at its finest. Speaking of, Casino Royale holds-up on that front owing much to the use of stunt work and practical effects which keep the action grounded in reality. The Madagascan foot chase to the embassy still stands-out as a high point in the film, but even the more effects-heavy action sequences in the film, such as the collapsing house in Venice, still look great to this day.

Moving away from the action, the cast are all terrific with Judi Dench reprising her role as M and expertly jumps from having to deal with Pierce Brosnan's 007 to Craig's. Mads Mikkelsen, more of an unknown to western viewers at the time, makes for a suitably menacing villain and Eva Green is perfect as Vesper Lynd who easily ranks among the best of the Bond girls. I should add that the term 'Bond girl' is an increasingly problematic way to label an actress in this series but even for 2006 it was good to see that Green's character is far away from the damsel in distress.

Casino Royale easily ranks among my favourite Bond films and it was a pleasure to return to see where Craig's story began. If it weren't a few double pocketed shirts and baggy suits before the Tom Ford era of Bond began, I would say this film hasn't aged at all. Even if you remove it from the James Bond universe, it still serves as perfect action thriller and an excellent start for its leading man.