The film begins with Bond killing a corrupt MI6 officer following a brutal fight with his contact in a public toilet. Carrying out these killings gets him promoted to the 00 Section which grants his Licence to Kill. Later, he kills a bomb-maker in Madagascar and traces his employer to the Bahamas, allowing him to prevent a terrorist attack in Miami. Following this, M sends him to Montenegro to play in a high-stakes poker tournament against Le Chiffre, a terrorist banker played by Mads Mikkelsen who had funded the attack. While there, he falls in love with Vesper Lynd, his treasury contact played by Eva Green.
I originally saw this film in the cinema back in 2006, and I have to admit that I didn't like it. Maybe because The Phantom Menace had made me sniffy about prequels, or that I hadn't really warmed up to the direction the franchise was going. However, I saw it again a few years later after reading some of the books, and it has grown on me. Daniel Craig plays a much more reckless and inexperienced Bond, who often lets his overconfidence get the better of him. This kind of attitude makes the calm and calculated Vesper stand out compared to previous girls of the week. And the action is still great, with free-running chases across a building site and a car chase through an airport, this time without any fancy gadgetry.
Overall, this is a great film, especially if you've read the books. I'm actually surprised that they managed to create a faithful adaptation while simultaneously expanding it and updating the setting to a more modern (and politically correct) time.
That's about all I have to say. Until next time.
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