CASINO ROYALE is the first in the series of James Bond books that Ian Fleming wrote. It shows tells the story of his first mission and a glimpse into how he started as a "Double O" agent. Here is where it gets confusing. Since this is based on the first book, some would say this is a prequel. Because its set in current times (as I'm told all the books are supposed to), logically it sounds like sequel. The movie make sure to stay very vague about this. While M (played by Judi Dench) says it might've been a mistake promoting him, there's no indication she is speaking of the recent past or the far past. Again, with this being of the first James Bond book, its not clear whether this is first mission or not. For me it was hard to get past this, but I did it just enough to enjoy the movie.

The plot of the movie revolves around a high-stakes poker tournament that 007 is to play at the Casino Royal in Montenegro. Bond's main competition is Le Chiffre, banker to the world's terrorist organizations. If Bond wins, Le Chiffre will be torn apart by the terrorist organizations whose money he's lost. If Bond loses, MI6 will have directly funded terrorism.

Action wise, the movie delivers thrills and excitement that one would expect from a James Bond film. With a number of fast-paced chases and wonderfully choreographed fights, its enough to keep the interest of even the most skeptic of 007 fans. While it should be mentioned that this film is very light on the MI6 gadgetry, it doesn't take anything away from the film.

Overall I'd recommend seen what can essentially be a reset of the James Bond series of movies.