With the British press infamously out to get Craig before the film even premiered, he knew he had a point to prove – and boy, does he deliver.įrom the opening scene that merges into the iconic Bond gunbarrel shot, to the staggering parkour sequence and the tense Poker scene with Le Chiffre, to Vespa's demise in the heart of Venice, everything is on another level. Modern, stylish, gritty, filled with astounding action, a plot and characters that you give a damn about as well as being the first movie where Bond feels truly human. As a result, the producers decided to reboot and go right back to the first-ever Ian Fleming novel, Casino Royale. After the dismal Die Another Day, James Bond was in a bad place. The Dark Knight of the James Bond universe if you would. Forget that it's a James Bond film, this is the one that is an out and an out a great movie on its own. Every time I watch Casino Royale, I can't get over what a masterpiece it is.