Casino Royale (2006)

As you may know, this latest Bond film marks a new beginning for the official film series, with a new actor and a new, never before filmed by the "Bond" team, novel, which happens to be the first James Bond novel by Ian Fleming: Casino Royale. The book, which I read many many years ago, and was written in the 50's, deals with Bond on a mission which involves him having to use his abilities at a Baccarat card game at the Casino Royale. The story was "adapted" before for a US b/w TV show in the 50's (Jimmy "Card Sense" Bond - Barry Nelson) and as a British comedy in the 60's (Sir James Bond - David Niven, with various other Agent 007s thrown into the mix). Casino Royale the new film, having a new Bond actor and using the very first story as its starting board, on the other hand, deals us a "slightly" different take on the novel. It's set in present time and we are seeing Bond at his beginnings as a 00. I must confess that being raised by the classic Bonds (of which Connery is my favorite) and also an admirer of the Hitchcock proto-Bond thrillers, I was a little apprehensive about this new Bond. From what I had seen on pics and promos I thought I might not accept it and I'm sure many Bond veterans might have been wondering the same before watching the film. Would this Bond cut it? Knowing that the movie was surely bound to be a Blu-ray disc, this also happened to be the first Bond movie I didn't get to see in theaters. I had never seen Craig acting before. Having my preferred Bond be suave-but-rough Connery in tailored suits, while watching the new film the first time I was enjoying the movie, but kept thinking I wouldn't accept this as Bond. Not only did he look different but he behaved different, sometimes even like a brusque unruly child with his gestures and manners, so admitting this as Bond (as opposed to an actor playing Bond) was not happening in a total complete manner.

Never judge a book by its cover, or a film till it's finished. By the time the film ended, Bond was back. A diamond begins as a rough lump of coal, but diamonds once cut, Are Forever.

You want plot summaries? Not from me :D