Daniel Craig is the new Bond. A bit colder than the Bond's of the past, and by the end of Casino Royale, a great deal more bitter and twisted. Casino Royale starts off in a semi arthouse fashion (by that I mean the opening sequence is partly shot in black and white), and shows us how Bond achieves his double "0" status. The opening credits also mark a departure from the Bond films of the past. Gone are the naked female silhouettes firing off guns, in are silhouettes of Bond dispatching bad guys. Chris Cornell sings the theme tune this time around and proves he's got a fantastic set of pipes.

Following on from the credits, Bond is in Madagascar chasing down a bomb maker. The chase scene is one of the more spectacular action scenes that I've scene in a long time. It involves a lengthy 'free running' chase up a half constructed building. Probably not giving a lot away when I say the bomb maker doesn't achieve his end goal, and after foiling another attempt to blow up an airliner, Bond is hot on the trail of a guy called Le Chiffre, a dodgy banker type who supports foreign terrorists.

Le Chiffre practices a bit of 'evil insider trading' and uses his prior knowledge of terrorist attacks to sell stocks in companies that fall victim to attacks. Bond is a spanner in Le Chiffre's works, and Le Chiffre loses over $100 million.

Le Chiffre then sets up a high-stakes Texas hold 'em poker tournament at Casino Royale in Montenegro. MI6 enters Bond in the tournament in the hope that he will kick Le Chiffre's ass and bankrupt him, which would deny Le Chiffre the cash to continue financing terrorism and force him to 'assist' the British government in exchange for protection from his creditors.

Simple plan. Enter the new hot Bond girl, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), from the Treasury Department, who provides Bond with the buttload of money he needs to get in on the poker action. The movie kicks on from here, with more intrigue and action.

Can't really say much more without giving away the twists. There is an excruciating ball busting scene, some token love interest work, and then a bit more action. Overall, it's a lot grittier than the Bond movies of the recent past. It takes on the feel of the 'Bourne' movies in parts, and doesn't rely on hi-tech gadgets to get by. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It's worth seeing for the free running chase scene alone!