Casino Royale

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Tyler

The Daniel Craig one.

Martin Campbell's second Bond reboot. You know it's extra classy because the start is black and white.

I never understood why they kept Judi Dench as M when they rebooted everything else. She's great and all, but that was just confusing, especially since this plays like a prequel. And Bond is Blond! Scandalous.  

After the funky titles (no nude females for a change) we get one of the best chases in the whole series. The way that parkour sequence is shot and edited is so damn enthralling. And it says much about character as well as being awesome action. 

This film has the action packed up front. The finale, whilst being a big set piece isn't as big on the energy and it ends on a rather melancholy note with many plot points left unresolved. 

Still the style has changed much for the better I feel. Q is done away with. Super villains taking over the world is done away with. There is a handful of one liners but I love that they hang a light on it. This feels more like the Borne series. A more grounded, gritty version with a very physical star and lots of hand to hand combat. 

And Eva Green is great too.