With “Casino Royale”, Daniel Craig stepped up and owned the
living hell out of the role of James Bond. After Pierce Brosnan’s turn as the
iconic British spy, which never felt like much more than a caricature of Sean
Connery, Craig’s vaguely psychotic rendition of Bond brought life back to a
franchise that had become stale. Craig plays the part with a callous coldness
that gives a gritty, real-world edge to the character.
