Casino Royale

2006 • 144 minutes

About this movie

Casino Royale marks Daniel Craig's first appearance as the legendary James Bond at the start of his career, having just earned 00 status and his licence to kill. His target: the ruthless terrorist financier known as Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen). From the jungles of Madagascar to the beaches of the Bahamas, Bond's pursuit of Le Chiffre leads to a showdown in a high-stakes poker game at the luxurious Casino Royale in Montenego, and to a jaw-dropping finale on the Grand Canal in Venice.

Ratings and reviews

Craig was pushing 40 years old when this movie was filmed. It was supposed to be how he became a 00, how he got his start as an assassin. An actor a good 10 years younger would have been much more believable. Now, 3 movies later, Craig looks almost geriatric. Blond or brown haired, Craig was too old for this part. That he pulled it off as well as he did is more a credit to his fine acting than to whoever cast him as Bond.

Let's face it, Craig never really understood Fleming's 007 character. James Bond is part action, part suave, part spy, part ladies' man! Craig is all about action and spy like Dalton. His scenes with the ladies are so wooden and mechanical that one can be forgiven for thinking he's doesn't know the meaning of "suave"! Craig should have taken hints from Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan for scenes with the ladies!

Some cool visuals and the acting is good but the story is filled with holes. I haven't seen a James Bond movie in a long time and thought this would be a fun recap, but man was I wrong. It seems that as a kid I was too engrossed by the explosions and guns to realize the overall poor writing and rushed plot lines. I was really hoping I would like this. Blows my mind that it has such great reviews.