BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: CASINO ROYALE introduces JAMES BOND before he holds his license to kill. But Bond is no less dangerous, and with two professional assassinations in quick succession, he is elevated to "00" status. "M", head of the British Secret Service, sends the newly-promoted 007 on his first mission to face Le Chiffre, a ruthless financier under threat from his terrorist clientele, who is attempting to restore his funds in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale. "M" places Bond under the watchful eye of the Treasury Official Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond's interest in her deepens as they brave danger together. Le Chiffre's cunning and cruelty come to bear on them both in a way Bond could never imagine, and he learns his most important lession: Trust no one.

FILM REVIEW: The James Bond films are nothing short of legendary and this installment just might be up there with the best of them. Returning to the much more down-to-Earth, early Sean Connery style Bond, we are treated to a James Bond film like none other that has proceeded it but still manages to deliver on all the elements we've come to love about the films over the years.

I grew up in the era of Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton. I've enjoyed them all, but I found the Pierce Brosnan films the most entertaining. Brosnan's ability to combine the tough, ruthless elements of Connery with Roger Moore's comic timing made him in my mind my favourite Bond of the lot. Given that Brosnan had only done four Bond films, I was disappointed to hear that the next installment would not feature him for the fifth time. I figured he had at least one more in him. On top of that, they cast Daniel Craig and I have to admit, I probably had the same reaction to most people which was, "WRONG!". An unfair judgment to say the least and as it turned out, completely unjustified. Daniel Craig is the best Bond. I know the purists will say Sean Connery is the best but that's because he was the first (and that will never be taken away from him). But Daniel Craig delivers something in a Bond film that you might not expect - a realistic, gritty, deep portrayal of the early James Bond. He doesn't have his witty lines down yet, he doesn't have his panache in place, and he doesn't always win. We learn what makes Bond what he is. It's just what the doctor ordered; after all, this is the 21st film. You have to try something different. And it works so well.

The film is a little different to the standard Bond plot in that Bond at times is at the mercy (and at a few points in jeopardy) from the bad guys. Mads Mikkelsen acts brilliantly as the evil Le Chiffre (a down to Earth bond villian with a weeping-blood tear duct), He falls in love with the Bond girl (haven't seen that since 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'). Eva Green isn't my cup of tea but she does bring a reallness to the Bond girl this time around. And Bond doesn't bring the villians down totally at the end; in fact, the story just begins at the end of the film! Bring on the next one.

It's a Bond film so it has big action scenes but surprisingly, they seem to be in the first half of the film only. The first chase scene with the free-running stunt man is about one of the most inventive and thrilling put to film in a long time. Bond's chase of a man trying to blow up an airplane is equally impressive and brutal. There's an edginess to the whole thing that's reminiscent of the 'Bourne' films. Perhaps they took a leaf from that book. Good idea.

Strangely, and unexpectedly, the most thrilling scenes are not the action scenes at all but the poker-playing scenes. It's all about reading the opponent and Bond doesn't always win despite being the best poker player in the service.

This is a great spy film all on its own. That it's a Bond film is even better.

EXTRAS REVIEW: The extras on this DVD are of quite high quality but not extensive. We are treated to three extended featurettes. The first is a half hour documentary, "Becoming Bond" where we see a brief overiew of what went in to making Casino Royale and the thought process behind why they chose to go with a new actor and a new direction. "James Bond: For Real" takes a look at the creation of the action scenes. "Bond Girls Are Forever" is a TV special hosted by former Bond Girl, Maryam D'Abo and gives a brief history on all the Bond girls. There is also the Chris Cornell Music Video of the original song for Casino Royale, "You Know My Name". The extras make for some interesting viewing but they're not extensive. They're just a little longer than promotional featurettes. They give you a taste but it would have been nice to have more.

BOTTOM LINE: Must have in the DVD Collection.