Bond

Having loomed large over the year's cinematic release schedule, taunting fans and skeptics alike with promises of a bold new direction, it's finally here in our cinemas... and it's good. Oh how it's good!

One of cinema's longest running series, the Bond movie is no stranger to reinvention. On Her Majesty's Secret Service, For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, and Goldeneye have all sought to strip back the more frivolous elements to expose a leaner, tougher, and more satisfying Bond. New Zealander Martin Campbell (the man who helmed the last overhaul) has done what few thought possible: eclipsed his previous directorial effort and given us the darkest, most honest Bond movie yet.

Based on the first of Flemming's novels, Casino Royale is the last to be transferred to the big screen. It's Bond's first mission, having just made the two kills necessary for double-o status, and he's going to have to adapt his thuggish style quickly if he's to succeed in his new role. After a risky money making gambit is foiled, terrorist banker Le Chiffre is in desperate need of clawing back the lost capital before his unsavoury clientele come looking for him. Cue a high stakes game of poker with a ten million buy in, and MI6's best card player there to stop him from winning. Can Bond keep his ego in check and stop Le Chiffre?

Daniel Craig is a perfect fit for Flemming's much loved British spy; a believable mix of sophisticated, charming, caustic, and ruthless. More importantly this is a Bond that is fallible and rough round the edges. Mistakes are made and harsh lessons learnt as he seeks to refine his craft. Along with the darker, more complex spy, come some of the most gritty and realistic fight scenes yet. Bond is a licenced killer, and we are not spared from the ugly violence that is his stock in trade. During the lengthy casino segment, this brutality is perfectly juxtaposed with the smooth tuxedoed playboy exterior. Craig handles both sides of the character brilliantly, and you really believe he is Bond.

Equally impressive is Eva Green as the fiery, stunningly gorgeous Vesper Lynd. The most desirable Bond girl ever, early scenes between her and Bond are laced with fierce yet flirtatious dialog. Vesper challenges Bond on many levels, and the relationship between the two characters proves a pivotal moment in the movie. And those eyes... how impossibly attractive are they?

The back to basics approach pays dividends elsewhere. The central Poker game is filled with edge of the seat tension. Watching the cards slowly turned over, wondering who will win the hand, it rivals that of any action sequence. Exotic locales (one of the original key ingredients of a Bond film) are back to the fore. Sweeping aerial establishing shots over lakes and mountains act as jaw droppingly vivid portraits of the mostly European setting. This is a movie that cuts to the heart of what makes Bond so appealing to so many.

It's not without a few faults however. At 147 minutes this is a long movie, and it doesn't always use the time to best effect. The action driven first act, whilst viscerally entertaining, does little to advance the story. Conversely, a key relationship later in the movie feels a little rushed in places robbing some of it's believability. In light of all the movie accomplishes however, these are minor issues. Besides, when bond finally gets to deliver that line and the music starts up, you'll a have a grin on your face so large it will obscure any shortcomings.

Casino Royale should exceed every bodies expectations. Craig gives us a complex Bond with a depth of character unheard of in previous outings. Campbell has done the impossible, making a tense character driven installment that doesn't rely on gadgetry and set piece action. I doubt anyone will envy the Director who has to follow this. Delivering on everything that it promised, Bond is most definitely back!