"Casino Royale" isn't a fantastic film, but it does magically update a very dated story and otherwise passe' spy character. Daniel Craig is the new Bond. He's the most physically fit Bond yet. As a matter of fact, the dude is jacked. But, he's also not the most handsome Bond by a longshot.

The movie opens with the most miraculous foot chase ever put to film as Bond races through streets and obstacles after an African terrorist. The terrorist is gifted with Spider-manish agility but Bond is not. How 007 keeps up with the guy is a mystery, but not entirely unrealistic.

The eventual premise is that the bad guy Le Chiffre owes lots of cash to some rich riff raff who funded his lated attempt at villainy. A master bacarat player, Le Chiffre enters an exclusive tournament where he's sure to win millions for himself and his blood-thirsty benefactors. Enter James Bond, also an expert gambler, assigned to ruin Le Chiffre at the tables and force him into a deal with the British government. Needless to say none of these plans go very well on either side and the end result is a fine bit of action and acting from everyone involved. However...legendary womanizer that he is, Bond almost...almost finds a reason to lose interest in the fairer sex altogether. And it's a brutally lecherous scene to behold.

I give the film a good 3 1/2 out of 5 stars because some parts just didn't blow me away. But it's better than most Bond films, especially Moonraker. Ugh.

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