Binge-watching Bond part 21: 'Casino Royale'

Now we're talking.

Daniel Craig takes the role of Bond here by the throat and gives a performance for the ages. He may be, when all is said and done, the greatest 007 ever.

Not since Connery has an actor seemed more physically plausible in the role -- but he's more than just a rough and buff guy -- he has the charm and the gravitas to pull off a stealthily challenging role.

The producers wisely eschew the corny jokes and elaborate gizmos and create the first genuine Bond character study ever committed to film.

After 20 movies, we never got to understand why 007 is the way he is -- how did he develop this cold and detached demeanor -- and become a spy in the first place.

This film and later Skyfall, make the Bond story (and mystique) clearer than ever before. He is reckless, he is ruthless -- but he gets the job done.

Everything about this production is top notch -- from the black and white, sophisticated opening to the parkour-influenced after-credits chase sequence to the water-drenched finale. The action is not just head and shoulders above the Brosnan era, it's also easier to follow and better staged.

The script doesn't waste time with double entendres; what jokes do come feel organic and well-earned. Instead it lets terrific actors like Craig, Eva Green and Judi Dench really chew into their roles.

Mads Mikkelson is the best villain a Bond movie has had in decades -- and although I somewhat missed Q, Moneypenny and the other traditional 007 supporting cast, this was a necessary break from tradition. And we do get the welcome return of Bond's CIA ally Felix Leiter, played by Jeffrey Wright this time.

Daniel Craig in Casino Royale

Hell, it even makes a card game feel exciting. If I have one quibble it's that it's a little overlong. The last act drags a bit with some drawn out scenes portraying Bond's romance with the Vesper Lynd character (Green). It may be a case of a few climaxes too many, a problem which afflicted another 007 movie I really admire, The Living Daylights.

Still, this film yet again saved the franchise and made it relevant again -- but in a totally different way than Pierce Brosnan did. The emphasis was once again on story and character -- and, gratefully, audiences went along for the ride.

My rankings:

1) From Russia With Love
2) The Spy Who Loved Me
3) Goldfinger
4) Casino Royale
5) For Your Eyes Only
6) Live and Let Die
7) Dr. No
8) On Her Majesty's Secret Service
9) The Living Daylights
10) GoldenEye
11) Octopussy
12) You Only Live Twice
13) Diamonds Are Forever
14) Thunderball
15) Die Another Day
16) Moonraker
17) The World Is Not Enough
18) The Man with the Golden Gun
19) Tomorrow Never Dies
20) A View to a Kill
21) License to Kill

Liz's take: Daniel Craig is awesome -- he's got the right swagger for the role. He's never cheesy and he's just sophisticated enough, but never prissy. I love the black and white opening of this film because it really set the tone -- it was obviously trying to elevate the material into something more than an action movie.

The film looks beautiful, the action was phenomenal -- that said I'm torn about Vesper (Eva Green) as a Bond girl. I think she was meant to be more sympathetic than she really is. The attempt to give justification for her character's (SPOILER ALERT) misdeeds felt a little shoehorned in at the end -- but she was cool. In many ways this film reminded me of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Like Diana Rigg's character in that movie, Vesper is a more challenging and formidable love interest for 007.

I liked seeing Bond is a swimsuit. I appreciated that he was eye candy like Connery in the earlier films -- it was like 'here you go, ladies!' The film also holds up well -- the costume style is classic, not trendy, the technology is kept to a minimum -- which keeps it from seeming dated. For some reason, this one never stuck with me a lot when I first saw it -- although a few action sequences did. But seeing it again reminded me how much I enjoyed it and how much I can't wait to see more of Daniel Craig as 007.

Liz's rankings:

1) On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2) For Your Eyes Only
3) Casino Royale
4) Goldfinger
5) Dr. No
6) Live and Let Die
7) The Man with the Golden Gun
8) The Spy Who Loved Me
9) The World Is Not Enough
10) GoldenEye
11) The Living Daylights
12) Octopussy
13) Moonraker
14) A View to a Kill
15) License to Kill
16) Tomorrow Never Dies
17) Die Another Day
18) You Only Live Twice
19) From Russia With Love
20) Diamonds Are Forever
21) Thunderball