DVD review
Directed by Martin Campbell
Starring Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Judi Dench

As the best poker player in the service, the newly promoted James Bond is dispatched to Montenegro to face the corrupt banker Le Chiffre at Casino Royale. At stake is Le Chiffre's entire organisation, but Bond is gambling with his life…

Does anyone remember craignotbond.com? The online campaign to deny Daniel Craig his double-O looks pretty stupid with the benefit of hindsight. Mind you, it looked pretty stupid at the time, too.

The sixth big-screen Bond, Craig proves every inch the "ironical, brutal and cold" killer of Fleming's original vision. A hard man who nevertheless feels pain and doubt, this 007's dirty line of work is at odds with his glamorous surroundings, not synonymous with it.

In some ways, Craig is even 'too Bond' too soon, given that the film purports to show the making of the man. By the time he stares out impassively from the end of the stylish opening credits, there's no doubt that James Bond has returned.

Unfortunately, so much effort has gone into getting Bond himself right for this reboot that the producers have neglected the story itself. Major set pieces in Miami and Venice are arresting, but seem bolted on to the main drama, and the film seems unsure of precisely which climax it wants to end on.

Despite this, Casino Royale succeeds for the most part as classic Bond. The trappings may change, but from the exhilarating opening chase to the closing strains of Monty Norman's famous theme, the fundamentals of the franchise endure.

The minimal extras include short films about Craig's casting and the stunt scenes (the latter of which makes some of the action look more dangerous than in the final edit), and an update of the 2002 US documentary Bond Girls are Forever (hosted by Maryam d'Abo), which mostly just goes to show how almost every actress interviewed was told that her Bond girl would be "different".

Apparently, there's a special edition with commentaries and the like in the offing, but, as Sony are no doubt aware, this basic package will suffice until we all go out and buy that, as well. As with all casinos, it's the bank that wins in the end. Simon Hugo

VERDICT: 007/10
Solid Bondage let down by a disjointed storyline and perfunctory extras.