And a great Bond film also needs a memorable Bond girl. He is a banker to the world’s terrorists, and so his only motive is money, like most of real world villains are. The fact that he’s really not a mastermind in the likes of Blofeld or Drax, but the fact that he’s not hellbent in ruling or destroying the entire world is frankly refreshing. It would’ve been a silly gimmick if not played carefully, but here Le Chiffre is a cool and ominous villain. It’s not the first time we see the venerable Dame Judi Dench as M, but I must say I LOVE the banter between her and Craig even more.Ī great Bond film has to have an effective adversary and we find that in Mads Mikkelsen‘s Le Chiffre, a cold-looking Scandinavian with a bleeding eye. The scene when M berated Bond when he broke into her flat was intense but humorous, a perfect balancing act the film continuously play throughout. An origin story of sort, James Bond goes on his first ever mission as 007, and he didn’t get off on the right foot with M right away. Apart from Craig’s brilliant casting, it’s the story that makes this film so re-watchable. It’s not only a great Bond film, it’s a great film, period.

Craig might not be the most good looking Bond actor (and he is the shortest), but he more than made up for it in charisma AND swagger. Like many Bond fans, I too had trepidation about Daniel Craig casting (too blond, too short, etc.) but of course we’re all proven wrong the second he appeared on the pre-credit scene. I’ve mentioned Casino Royale so many times here on my blog, in fact it’s one of my fave films of 2000s and one of the 8 films I’d take with me if I were stuck on a desert island. It’s still as good as the first time I saw it, and I still would regard it as one of my favorite Bond films… ever. I just re-watched it this weekend to refresh my memory for the blogathon, though I had probably re-watched it a few times in the last 10 years. I can’t believe it’s been a decade since Casino Royale came out.

But since July 6 is Eva Green’s birthday, I decided to post it here this week.

This review was part of Mark & Tom’s Decades Blogathon that was published back in mid May.

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