.: Roberts' Reviews - Movie Reviews :.

If you see just one film this year…you should get out more. But if someone was to have given me the choice of seeing only one movie this year, Casino Royale would have been right up there in my final consideration.

For those of you who don't have a television and are blind to any media whatsoever, Casino Royale is the new James Bond film that introduces us to the sixth actor with a license to kill for Her Majesty's Secret Service. And, for those of you needed a quick refresher, Lazenby, Connery, Moore, Dalton and Brosnan have all appeared as Britain's favorite spy who was known for his womanizing, his gadgets and his martini's that were shaken, not stirred.

It's been four years since Pierce Brosnan last saved the world in Die Another Day and anyone who follows the Hollywood tabloid news would know that the search for a new Bond was extensive with every name from Brad Pitt to Julian McMahon to Gord Visnjic being considered before producers passed the torch to one Daniel Craig after seeing him as a drug dealer in the movie Layer Cake in 2004.

No sooner was his announcement made public on October 14, 2005 when the Bond faithful began their smear campaign. Craig was the youngest ever to play Bond (only person under 40), he was blonde and unless you caught him in his roles in Enduring Love or The Jacket, he was relatively unknown. The fan base was not amused and surely not kind. There were petitions, anti-Craig blogs and everything just shy of death threats for those who were part of the decision making process that put Craig in the tux.

The producers stuck to their man and with a script that was helped along by Paul Haggis, the Academy Award winner for Crash and Million Dollar Baby, the franchise was ready to be reenergized.

Casino Royale captures our attention right from the onset, but in a different manner than the 20 Bond films that preceded it. The film begins in black and white. Bond is sitting comfortably on a leather chair when a man walks into an office unthreatened by Bond's presence. Witnessed through a flashback we watch as Bond picks up his first kill and we learn that to become 00 certified an agent must have two kills under his belt. Before you can say Live and Let Die, Bond's silencer makes the muffled 'pop' sound and the man behind the desk quickly becomes number two.

This is not your typical Bond opening, but this is not your typical Bond film either. But, fast forward just a few minutes further and Bond finds himself in territory that will make fans of our hero a little more comfortable. An action sequence that reminds us of how nobody does it better. Bond chases a villager through a construction site that would give the alien at the beginning of Men in Black a run for the dramatic flare. The scene is choreographed perfectly and if you still need some time to accept Craig as the new Bond, one thing you can be sure of is that none of the Bonds before this incarnation could have pulled off the physical demands of the pursuit so effortlessly.

In an interesting attempt to strip down the franchise and start again at the beginning we follow along as Bond becomes 00 certified by the only other recurring character of previous Bond films, M (Dame Judi Dench). She is not yet a Bond enthusiast and refers to him with disregard calling describing him as a 'blunt instrument' which is a far cry from the smooth, suave Bond of say the Moore era.

Bond is then given an assignment that will have him travel to some of the most exotic locations of Europe. His mission is to follow and disrupt the plans of villain Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), an arms broker who is attempting to use a high stakes poker game to finance his devious plans. Le Chiffre is evil, but unlike the Bond villains of the past few years, Mikkelsen plays him as more of a human character than a cartoon scoundrel. If not for an eye duct that tears blood when stressed, Le Chiffre would be just an everyday high roller that you wouldn't give a second look if he bumped into you on the street. Again, a far cry from baddies with diamonds stuck in their faces or bodyguards that can decapitate you by the throwing of their top hat.

Casino Royale spends an inordinate amount of time in the casino as we watch the tension mounting game between Bond and Le Chiffre. For those of you who think that watching poker on television is the equivalent of watching grass grow, these elongated scenes might make the momentum out of the experience. But if you buy into the match and appreciate the stakes at risk, you might just appreciate the game as an exciting a Bond moment without theme music that the franchise has produced in forty years.

The result of the game was never really in question, but there are a few quirks along the way to keep the audience guessing. And for those that might find themselves disappointed that half an hour was spent on chairs around a green felt table and 52 playing cards, you might wish to relive the moment once the game ends and Bond is then taken and tortured in a way that made me want to match my dates athletic ability and put my feet up on my chair and squirm in the fetal position.

One of the things that I really appreciated in Casino Royale is the complexity of the plot. Sure, it's no Babel, but there are plenty of side characters (thanks for coming out Jeffery Wright and Giancarlo Giannini) that are used sparingly and appropriately to move the story forward without weighing it down in subplots that go nowhere.

And kudos also to the writers for allowing Bond to show some emotion towards his leading ladies as opposed to the swinger cockiness that he emitted in almost all previous installments. Some might find this to be a fault as Bond declares his love to another and shares a shower scene that was about as stimulating as anything Steven King could ever write, but in an effort to bring Bond into the new millennium, it was a refreshing change that was long overdue.

There is an ending to the film that is true Bond excess and all the other elements we have come to appreciate that fit like a warm favorite sweater you keep in the back of the closet. More interestingly, this might be the first Bond film which I can claim to be a 'date-movie'. There is enough for both sexes to enjoy and even if you are someone who has never seen a Bond film previous (these people like Bigfoot actually exist) you should be able to sit back, put your feet up and enjoy two and a half hours of getting to know the character that looks to be with us for years more to come.