Bond Has Returned!

The Bond Will Return line in the credits has always sent a shiver down my spine in the moments at the end of a Bond movie as the soundtrack fades and the titles come to an end.

Last night in Dublin's Savoy Cinema the words arrived on screen as applause rang around me.

I was too numb for shivers though.

Lets be clear here, Bond 21, Casino Royale is another movie to the majority of cinema goers. For many of us though, it has taken on even greater meaning.

Despite Brosnan's injection of suaveness - I don't think anybody has been overwhelmed by a Bond movie since the early 70's. The concept of Bond "the man" has become a joke - and Bond producers have been the ones to blame for that.

Casino Royale grabs the franchise by the nuts (!) and drags it mercilessly into the modern era.

If you haven't seen it - leave all your expectations at home and arrive with an open mind. Expect only to be reintroduced to Bond. This is like losing your virginity all over again folks. But older and wiser the second time round!

I'm not goint to get into plot here at all - thats for you to enjoy on screen my friends.

What I am going to tell you is that Daniel Craig is - in my opinion - the man born to play Bond. Casino Royale was always going to live and die on his performance - and he nails it. He becomes the Bond I wanted for so long in a matter of minutes on screen.

Think brutal, violent, determined, unforgiving, witty, human and effortless and then you'll understand what Craig has brought to the role.

I have watched every trailer and seen the interviews, but this man excelled anything I ever expected from him. Layer Cake sowed the seeds of Craig's selection for the role - of that I'm sure. But this performance is beyond just Bond proportions - he drives a great movie idea with a performance of such high quality that I've not seen in a long time.

There has been lots of talk of Matt Damon's Jason Bourne and Keifer Sutherland in 24 - but Craig's Bond is a genuinely colossal performance that makes the other two just look like out of date wannabes.

Casino Royale is Bond reborn! It is a Bond movie that can stand on its own, disntinct from a franchise formula and compete with any action thriller released in the recent times.

Connery's Bond will always be the benchmark - the same way that a mother is the first woman in a mans life.

But Craig's Bond is the woman we've waited for for so long - the woman we desire to spend the rest of our lives with.

Comparisons are inappropriate in thise case.

Bond will Return we've been assured again - I for one cannot wait to see where an actor of Craig's abilities can take him.

Verdice A+ / ***** / 9.99/10

#1 Commander-007

#2 stamper