As the sixth actor to play James Bond, Daniel Craig oozes testosterone, and to be sure, "Casino Royale" does more for the ladies than the blokes.

The first half belongs largely to Bond fans who long for spectacular action sequences, after a long drought - the last 007 film was "Die Another Day" in 2002, with Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry.

Since then the producers have been desperately searching for a new Bond. Craig's version is the closest they've come to recreating Sean Connery's portrayal of Ian Fleming's paperback hero.

The late Fleming personally backed Connery, who matched his standards both physically and mentally. He would probably approved of Craig's nomination too.

For viewers who may be baffled as to why Craig and Judi Dench, as "M", speak like they're discovering each other for the first time, "Casino Royale" is actually the first Bond story Fleming wrote.

The Bond titles weren't filmed in chronological order. "Dr No" was the first, in 1963, so there's always been a question in the movies about 007's origins.

Commander Bond was recruited from the British navy and earned his "double O" status - meaning licensed to kill - in "Casino Royale". That's why the scenes of his "first two kills" are so important here.

This is director Martin Campbell's second Bond, after "Golden Eye". In this slicker outing, he once again gives the British agent a unique look, with plenty of close-ups, and the action is more intense.

Craig is bloodied up more than any other Bond, including Connery, with plenty of lacerations and, yes, the kind of brutal torture that Fleming writes about, but is very seldom seen on screen.

In that sense, male fans have little to complain about. They get their money's worth. But the surprise is how well Craig fits with the female audiences. In an age where political correctness is suffocating films, he manages to dodge the taboo on cinema sex, especially about seducing married women. Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan were far gentler characters, avoiding any of the sadistic scenes in the books.

Almost 44 years after Connery and Ursula Andress sank the fiendish dreams of Dr No, Bond movies have gone full circle.

In "Casino Royale", Bond starts all over, with little baggage and tremendous support from Dench, who in just two flicks has made the role of M her very own. Also good are Mads Mikkelen as the chief villain and veteran players such as Giancarlo Giannini and Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, Bond's counterpart from the CIA.

As for casting French actress Eva Green in the female lead, the producers have taken a big gamble, because she's not your typical sexy Bond girl. You'll miss Berry's feisty combativeness.

And as for the song, it's such a let-down after Madonna's superb "Die Another Day". But thankfully John Barry's immortal theme continues to serve as a vital backbone to the movie.

by hanuman