Groan, James Groan - sorry Henry

Actually it wasn't that bad - Casino Royale, that is. Usually i leave the cinema after a Bond film muttering under my breath - pissed off at the shabby plot, poor charaters and tacky one-liners. But funnily enough, when ever a bond movie is on tv i'll switch over and watch, just for the action scenes; whenever the actors start talking i can do something else.

Casino Royale is probably one of the most mature Bond films, harking back to the early days (the first 3 connery films) its less about explosions and more of a mystery. There's actual plot, outside of "Get him bond""lets get out of here""It was YOU all along!". The quipping, roguish cad has been replaced with something more out of the Jason Bourne/Jack Bauer cold intelligent killer, which i like, since that's how i imagine an assassin to be.

The action scenes, the few that there were, were really good, especially that first parkour type chase scene. What did rankle me was the Bond shooting gas cylinders, and air bags and everything else except people. Assassins shoot people, dammit.

Some of the editing was a bit clumsy, both in terms of within in scene edits and story; particularly one jump from Bond sitting down to play poker to him taking off his tie in his room. And the Bond-Vesper love thing towards then end ran too long.

For a Bond film its pretty good; smart and reasonably well written but i don't think i'd watch it often as it doesn't have the explosions and kicking to distract my tiny brain.