Casino Royale begins by showing how James Bond, pre-007, gets his two kills and is promoted to the status of a double-0 agent. One of the kills is conducted in the fashion to which we have all become accustomed: Bond quietly killing his target by outsmarting the enemy. The other is how the young Bond took care of business: by ruthlessly beating his enemy to death.

That is what this movie is all about: Bond, played by first-timer Daniel Craig, becoming Bond. The rest of the action-packed movie shows how James Bond was shaped into the perfect double-0 agent.

There is just one problem: James Bond falls in love. The makers of the movie changed the persona of Bond a little too much. James Bond has forever been known as a man's man: in good shape but not too muscular, great with ladies but never vulnerable, and no matter what, he always gets the girl. In this movie, Bond was huge, fell in love, and didn’t get the girl until he told her he loved her.

This movie is packed with wonderful chase/fight scenes and keeps the audience on their toes, but it's just too much of a stretch from the traditional James Bond. You can make the argument that this is how Bond became the way he was; but still, you don’t become the legendary 007 by starting out as a softie.

With all of this said, Craig did a wonderful job portraying Bond in this movie. At times he brought out the hardcore Bond we love. He didn’t need gadgets or the tux; all he needed was his fists.

Copyright 2006 Metropolitan Community College