Fridae

OK, OK, enough about his scruffy face already... Yes, we agree: Daniel Craig is the ugliest Bond we have ever seen. But you must believe us when we tell you that Daniel is also the best James Bond since Sean Connery!

His rendition of the super-spy is so cold and mean and brutal, he makes previous men like Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan look like gay dandies. Indeed, this new Bond is a pure killing machine and a complete bastard � which is what author Ian Fleming imagined Bond to be when he invented the character anyway.

What's terrific about Casino Royale, the 21st film in the franchise, is that it examines the basic question: Who is James Bond? The film take us back to Bond's younger days when he was still a rogue and learning to be a superspy. We watch Bond struggle hard as he tries to complete his first major mission to bring down the terrorist banker Le Chiffre (or The Cipher, played by Mads Mikkelsen). We watch him get beaten up and tortured bad.

For the first time in Bond history, Bond actually looks extremely human and ordinary. Whereas previous Bonds were the epitome of cool elegance and savoir faire, this younger Bond is still rough and unpolished. So when a bartender ask him if he'd like his vodka martini "shaken, not stirred", Bond glares at him and replies, "Do I look like I give a damn?" It is refreshing to see the film take a piss of some hallowed Bond traditions.

Strong characterization, however, has not replaced kick-ass action. From the first reel to the last, Casino Royale is filled with adrenaline-pumping sequences with a hard-edged Bond at the centre of the action. The film even begins with a superb action setpiece which the rest of the film does not quite match up to. And the new Bond girl, Eva Green, is spectacularly hot.

Final word: Go see it, even if you think Daniel's too ugly to be Bond. By the end of the movie, he would have changed your mind.