Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen
Directed by Martin Campbell

The game's been changed from baccarat to mainstream poker, but Casino Royale and Daniel Craig bring James Bond back to his unforgiving roots. Down with the unreal gadgetry and situationally inappropriate jokes. In fact, the most high tech piece of equipment James uses on a regular basis in this film is...lo and behold...his cell phone (Which doesn't have any features you can't get on yours). This is James Bond as Ian Fleming meant him to be.

Updated for present day relevancy, James is sent after high stakes gambler and financier to international terrorists, Le Chiffre. Eva Green is the requisite beauty, a representative of Her Majesty's Treasury, who thankfully does not fall in mad love with Bond the moment they meet. Wasting no time at all, the action comes without warning and milks the palms of your hands of sweat. From the Bahamas to Miami, Montenegro and finally Venice, anyone who deserves to be shot is indeed shot without so much as a second word. Bond's body count rises by the minute contrary to MI6's wishes. Man, you've never seen M so pissed off.

Although Daniel Craig's Bond is mean and cold, less concerned with formalities than he is with getting the job done, is to date the most pure to his literary counterpart, fans of the filmic version of James Bond, the more happy go lucky one, won't be disappointed. The subtle humour that defined Bond on the silver screen is still there, albeit with a diabolical twist. The glitz and glamour are still there too. Don't be too shocked when you see James on an ocean highway with a smug, self satisfied look on his face while he drives a Ford econobox rental car! He promptly trades it for a 1964 Aston Martin DB9.

With a storyline not as clear cut as the previous few Bond films, active viewing is required, as it should be for all films. Casino Royale's breed of Bond may be new to the casual fan, but for the enthusiast, he is the one we've waited almost 60 years for. If Daniel Craig's icy blue stare isn't enough to turn the naysayers into praise singers, then they're just being stubborn.