A new actor brings big changes to the screen in the 21st James Bond film, Casino Royale . Daniel Craig delivers more than the usual super-suave Bond style, adding large doses of humanity.

In the beginning of the film, Bond is nothing more than a hitman. He does become a double-0 agent of course, and he pursues a case involving a man named Le Chiffre, who is a suspected banker of terrorists around the world.

Le Chiffre has a tendency to gamble with his clients' money, and he ends up losing a little more then a million dollars. Being an ace at Texas Hold 'em, he sets up a no-limit card game in a casino in Montenegro called Casino Royale. Bond is entered into the game, being the best card player in the British service, in hopes of winning the money Le Chiffre needs to cover the bets he lost.

A card game having such a big influence in an action film may seem odd, but the game is actually tense, and in some instances, action-packed. When a card game fits this well into an action film, one can be sure that this is a quality picture.

Casino Royale is just that, a quality picture, and this film shines especially bright with Craig's fresh,

revamped Bond.   In the 007 films of the past, the character is something less than human, and never fallible. The character could never be or do wrong.

The character of Bond in this adventure is more of a real person in that he makes mistakes, and he's emotional. From fear to even love, a Bond movie staple, the Bond in this picture is a deeper character then those in past films. This is promoted by the spectacular performance of Craig.

Craig has blond hair and haunting blue eyes, which is a total turnaround from all the others who have filled the shoes of Bond.   Yet in this case, the changes are nearly unnoticed.   The alterations that Craig makes to the Bond character all but disappear in comparison with those who have played Bond in the past.   This in itself is a tribute to Craig's acting.

The hair is only a surface problem that one would dwell on only if they were very picky.   It is the eyes that add to this Bond incarnation. They convey so much information, needing not a single word to explain anything.

For example, after a brutal fight in a stairwell, Bond goes back to his hotel room to patch himself up, and he looks in the mirror at one point

with those penetrating blue eyes. All the audience needs to understand what the character is going through is in the haunting blue eyes.

Looking at past Bond films, they revolve around the actor portraying 007. Casino Royale is no different, and the spectacular performance by Craig leads to the great chemistry between himself and the supporting cast.

What has also been done historically with Bond films is that they try to change with the times. Casino Royale does this as well, and it was much needed in today's competitive action-film genre.

The film is rough, edgy and more violent then the average Bond film. This is a welcome improvement, due to the fact that the action genre has evolved far beyond the comparatively tame action sequences in the Pierce Brosnan era of Bond films.  

A great film, Casino Royale brings out the "blunt instrument" that is James Bond.   He's a more human and deeper character, a darker individual than what has been portrayed in the film franchise for decades. It's a nice change from the norm.   I tend to believe that this is the best Bond of them all.