Casino Royale

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. (27/08/2012)

At least for me, Casino Royale was the biggest surprise of this season (but no wonder just 24 days after its release :-). Martin Campbell succeeded in the restart for the Bond brand that didn’t work even in Golden Eye. Bond is simply better than ever before. This is greatly due to the excellent Daniel Craig and I’m glad that the misgivings about his being cast as 007 were wrong because it’s him who is the powerhouse of the whole movie. The action sequences are simply genius (I was thrilled by the whole Miami / Ruzyně airport operation), and not to few, not too many of them. The romantic storyline is enchanting and very well conceived, at last we have the chance to see inside James Bond. And no shortage of dry lines and jokes. Almost every other wisecrack is a Bond-movie cliché and it is really great to follow the gradual evolution of Bond’s character... I’m just curious if this great movie will be trumped by the third Bourne next year. (07/12/2006)

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. (21/11/2006)

Casino Royale is a Bond movie that reminded me of Ian Fleming's books. Although set in the present day, it has such a retro vibe to it. Craig's Bond is a pretty tough guy, so he pleasantly surprised me with his wit when talking to Vesper. Mads Mikkelsen is a brilliant actor in my opinion, and Eva Green was the proverbial icing on the cake. Less action was definitely not a bad move. At least you can tell the difference between a spy film and an action film. (05/08/2016)

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! (28/08/2009)