Daniel Craig‘s Bond is perhaps the most compelling of them all, and even manages to get some of the traditional quips in there – albeit not quite as tongue-in-cheek as some of his predecessors. It would be easy to delve too far into this, and lose the character of some of his appeal, but the film manages to find the right balance. To have David Arnold present Casino Royale in Concert was great (he even popped up at the end to play the guitar as part of the end credits music).Īs for the film itself: Casino Royale is slick, frequently stylish and an intriguing character study of Bond. Instead, the title track You Know My Name (co-written by Arnold and the late Chris Cornell) becomes the film’s main action theme, which perfectly summarises Daniel Craig‘s (at the time) fresh take on the character, not to mention incorporating more than a touch of the traditional Bond theme.

One of the most daring decisions made was to hold back on the traditional Monty Norman James Bond theme until the very end instead, David Arnold gives us hints of the theme, building up to that awesome final moment before the credits roll. Arnold’s score for Casino Royale might just be my favourite of the series (which I hope isn’t too controversial): it’s filled with great action cues, tense strings and an emotive piano motif for the female lead, Vesper ( Eva Green). David Arnold‘s music accompanied Bond for over a decade (from Tomorrow Never Dies to Quantum of Solace), in some ways a successor to John Barry and his work on the series’ soundtracks. Suffice it to say that the experience of watching Casino Royale on the big screen and with a live orchestra is amazing.

Better yet, the Royal Albert Hall have been hosting a weekend of James Bond in Concert with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Anthony Gabriele, including Casino Royale, Skyfall and Spectre. As we eagerly await the next Bond to don the tuxedo, it’s great to revisit our still-current Bond’s first action-packed outing Casino Royale ( one of the best Bond films ever, if you ask me). If diamonds are forever, it should be no surprise that the 007 franchise has lasted as long as it has, especially with its openness to refreshing itself every few years.

And after exploding onto cinema screens 60 years ago, we’d hope that everyone knew the name Bond…James Bond.

Casino royale plot summary