“Casino Royale” – 2006. Written by Neil Purvis, Robert Wade & Paul Haggis. Based on Ian Fleming’s original book. Directed by Martin Campbell.Daniel Craig is the new blonde Bond, back in this stripped down reinvention of the Great British franchise. In a surprisingly faithful adaptation of Ian Flemings original Casino Royale (yes, they left the torture bit in), the new movie bursts out of the gates with a stunning opening chase sequence. From there it happily ticks off the typical Bond staples; fast cars, beautiful women, luscious locations and cracking action.While a few have been dismissing Craig as the right look for Bond, anyone that’s seen Layer Cake will know he’s got the ability in spades. He exudes a don’t mess / arrogance from the off, that leaves you feeling he could do some serious damage if and when the times comes.Some minor timing problems let the film down slightly and 20 mins could have been chopped completely. Yet, and it’s a big one, the director and producers should be commended for taking such a risk with this franchise, because the end result is fantastic.It’s better than the Brosnan films (even Goldeneye) and even gives Sir Sean a run for his money. While it may be more Bourne Identity than usual Bond fodder, it’s a fantastic new direction to go in. Craig is hard as nails as the newly promoted double O and the limited use of gadgets only help to drive the solid narrative forward in a far more realistic and convincing way. This is a Bond that makes mistakes, that isn’t always sure of the right thing to do and the result is a great film bringing a breath of fresh air to what had become a tried formulaic series. “Bond will return” and if it’s more of this, then we can’t wait!The Round Up 2007 – [http://www.theroundup.co.uk]