View Trailer:

Based on Ian Flemmings first novel, Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig, 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. His first mission, to topple world terrorism by beating baddie Le Chiffre (Mikkelson) at a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale.

Finally the dust has settled on Die Another Day and the dodgy ice palace of CGI that was Brosnan's last hurrah in the famous tux can be laid to rest. Four years on and Martin Campbell (Goldeneye) returns to the directors chair with a no nonsense thriller that sees Daniel Craig take Bond, in his sixth incarnation, into the 21st century with a gutsy performance reminiscent of Connery. Providing a stark counterpoint to the camp 70s hey day of the elastically eye-browed Moore and easily acing the suave but never physically astute Brosnan, Craig's blood and guts Bond is sure to silence the doubters behind dubious websites like craigsnotbond.com.

Bond might be back, but this 21st outing (excluding the 60s spy spoof Casino Royale with David Niven and the half-hearted Connery comeback Never Say Never Again) is year zero for the fledgling agent M calls her "blunt instrument". Like Christpoher Nolan's Batman Begins this is a back to basics origin story with a grainy black and white intro setting the scene as we witness Bond's brutal initiation as a killing machine. Once our man earns 00 status and a "licence to kill" he soon hits top gear with a thrilling mano a mano chase sequence - worthy of any action movie finale - pursuing a nimble free running terrorist (the balletic Sebastian Foucan) through a building site in Madagascar before single-handedly destroying an embassy. It's a kick ass opening underpinned by another pulsating David Arnold score that reaffirms Bond as a man of action, not reaction. Repeatedly put to the test, de-activating bombs Die Hard-style, thrashing his Aston Martin DBS and cavorting with exotic beauty Solange (Caterina Murino) on a beach in the Bahamas before jetting off to sip martinis at the Casino Royale in Montenegro, this Bond is ice cool.

Though 007's first cinematic outing came in 1962 with Dr.No, Ian Fleming first put the secret agent through his paces with the 1953 novel Casino Royale. 50 years on and the story has naturally been updated with poker replacing baccarat and the red threat of the Soviet menace switched for the spectre of terrorism that provides a suitably contemporary evil for Bond to tackle. There are some nice visual touches too as, with shades of Ursula Andres, 007 emerges from the sea muscles rippling. But enigmatic French actress Eva Green is a Bond girl to die for and more than a match for Craig's new school secret agent. As treasury official Vesper Lynd she has to keep an eye on Bond's poker skills as he risks Her Majesty's millions trying to bankrupt the bad guys in a marathon card game that shapes a thrilling middle act. It's a fascinating game of bluff and double-cross as we, like Bond, are never sure who to trust, allowing his character to become more than just another action puppet.

And in the facially scarred guise of Mads Mikkelsen (King Arthur, Pusher) Le Chiffre, a man who cries blood, proves a worthy psychological adversary. Bond's nemesis is a private banker to the world's villains, plotting acts of terror and - echoing 9/11 conspiracy theories - using their bloodstained cash to bet against the stock market. Recalling the sharp nihilism of Diamonds Are Forever mixed with Bond's trademark wit the much hyped 'torture scene' effortlessly encapsulates the dark side of Fleming's novels coupled with a twisted humour as Bond defiantly refuses to yield to Le Chiffre: "Now the whole world's gonna know you died scratching my balls!" Nailing Fleming's vision of Bond as a 'maladjusted man with an easy smile' a story given polish by Oscar-winning scribe Paul Haggis cleverly sows the seeds of Bond's emerging dark side.

Daniel Craig's journey as an actor from the stage to the critically acclaimed TV drama Our Friends In The North via Hollywood exposure with Road To Perdition and the UK gangster chic of Layer Cake displays an unerring ability to tackle a variety of demanding roles but Campbell admitted that casting Craig as Bond was a calculated risk: "In this film you haven't got Moneypenny or Q, two of the classic Bond characters. And with a new Bond you never know if it's going to work� if he will connect with the public as Bond." But with a reported �60m budget riding on his success in the new role he must be doing something right, 'Bond 22' is in pre-production. With Craig set to holster the Walther PPK at least once more the franchise looks set for an overdue renaissance. James Bond will return�

Out on DVD, UMDTM Video and Blu-ray, 19th March 2007

DVD Extras:

• Becoming Bond (30 mins)  
• James Bond: For Real (30 mins)  
• Bond Girls Are Forever (50 + mins)
• Chris Cornell Music Video  

Blu-Ray Extras:

• Becoming Bond (30 mins) (High Definition)
• James Bond: For Real (30 mins) (High Definition)
• Bond Girls Are Forever (50 + mins)  
• Chris Cornell Music Video  (High Definition) 

RRP: Retail DVD (2 Disc): �22.99/�15.65
Retail UMD: �12.99/�8.84
Blu - Ray DVD: �24.99/�17.01