Bond. James Bond.

Everyone has a beginning. Each character has an origin. There’s always a first story to tell.

For the flagging, tired movie series such as the James Bond franchise, it’s obvious that it is showing wears and tears throughout the twenty-something film history. You can tell that it was getting old.

You’d think of retiring the character. Something like this would be hard to jumpstart.

Yet they’ve managed to pull it off with stylistic flair in the most recent James Bond flick Casino Royale that’s based off the first Ian Fleming book. The film opened in theaters yesterday Nov. 17.

I cheated and went to see it during the matinee to avoid the crowds. But I was surprised by the results of the film. I didn’t think it was going to make it.

This film is very massive. But it’s going back to the basics. Sort of the retooling we’ve been seeing in many other flailing movie series recently. And James Bond is stripped down to the real basic, raw energy that was sorely lacking in since the old days in the 1960s. There’s less on the gadgets and more emphasis on the quick wit.

James Bond gets a new facelift in the actor Daniel Craig who gives a clever performance that’s edgy. The blonde bond, some might call him. It’s a refreshing take for the actor to boil everything down to brawn and brains. And nothing else.

The first four minutes is filmed in black and white that’s sort of film noir, showing the character at the start of his career. He hasn’t made any killings yet. But it takes two kills to get a double-O title. So it’s interesting to see how the character received his distinction.

But he's a brutal pig. He’s become a killer in the world of spies. Even his boss M, played beautifully by Judi Dench, can’t trust this loose cannon.

More back to the basics stuff involved Bond getting the Austin Martin—which is a nice throwback to the 1960s. It’s a much sleeker, classier car, almost a ghostly beauty about it. Even the dialogue in this film was crisper, a little more choppy, but that’s how people talk. Short, broken sentences. Not the long-winded speeches or the unnecessary one-liners. No. The conversations seemed more realistic. This is the real thing.

There are two things that need to be said about Bond. Women want to love him and men want to beat him. And Daniel Craig got both sides of the Bond character down very nicely. His piercing blue eyes are like fiery abysses. His looks aren’t the greatest—but there’s a certain rawness in his character that seems primal, intense, like a caged beast wanting to let out. He’s a killing machine set upon the civilized world. It’s an interesting performance.

Bear in mind that Craig has signed on to do two more films. That’s good.

The film’s pacing can be very frantic especially the first B&W scene which establishes the character. Then there’s the follow-up with the chase through the construction site as Bond tracks down a bomber. It’s very intense stuff. Those folks who don’t like heights might want to be aware that some of the fight scenes happens at the top of a tall skyscraper.

The story remains central on the Bond character as he reacts to the women he becomes involved with. Rule number one: never get involved with someone if you’re in a job that kills people. But he does anyway. He has his flaws. He’s got a fat ego. He’s cocky. Nobody likes a smart-ass. Despite his savagery, there’s still a part of humanity to explore.

The better part of the story remains at the heart of a flawed hero. There’s a tragedy in it. But broken hearts make for a good story. And we see a very good one in a film that’s re-inventing a myth.

And no, I don't care if I want my martini shaken or stirred either.