In a grim black and white opening sequence, we watch as agent James Bond earns his '00' status - by eliminating a corrupt bureaucrat in the department and his contact. From here, the newly appointed agent 007 begins his first mission. His task is to track a terrorist in Uganda, which leads to an unfortunate incident at a nearby embassy but puts Bond hot on the trail of the terrorist's cell. Further investigation takes Bond to the Bahamas and puts him on the trail of Le Chiffre, a terrorist financier and mastermind who also fancies himself (and rightfully so) as a high stakes poker champion. In an effort to bankrupt Le Chiffre and thwart his activities, Bond takes him on in a high stakes poker tournament at the titular Casino Royale amidst a hive of terrorist activity.

Casino Royale is a spectacular comeback for the James Bond franchise. The formula has been tweaked a little, but it is for the best. The action is big and spectacular. The story is gripping and a lot more plausible than many of the bond adventures of late. EON producers have struggled since the decline of the cold war to put together a plot that could really be taken seriously, but have hit the nail on the head here (perhaps thanks in part to the fact this is the first film based on a Fleming novel since The Living Daylights in 1987). Forget how you've felt about James Bond in the past, Casino Royale is a bold new awakening.

Following hot on the heels of the box office smash Casino Royale, which was a most welcome return to form for James Bond (Craig in this incarnation), Quantum of Solace picks up right where its predecessor left off (the first of 22 Bond flicks to do so). James Bond is a jilted man, bent on revenge for the death of a double agent who had stolen his heart. As this desire becomes at odds with his duty to Queen and country, Bond breaks away from the control, and resources, of MI6 to expose a secret organisation bent on their own form of world domination, QUANTUM.

Teaming up with a rogue South American agent, Camille (Kurylenko), the pair expose one of QUANTUM's many cogs, a supposed environmental crusader named Dominic Greene (Amalric), who is using his "green" image to hide the fact he is looting the resources of third world countries.

Quantum of Solace is a tight, action-packed Bond film. Running shorter than any of the EON Bond films before it, the story and action are lean and to the point. Some have criticised the look of the action being a little too in line with that of the recent Jason Bourne movies, but any complaints about the style of the action are easily outweighed by the style of Daniel Craig as James Bond. Craig brings a charm and charisma that the screen had lacked for years prior to Casino Royale. Quantum of Solace is one not to miss.