The Daniel Craig Bond era mercifully dragged itself across the finish line with 2021’s turgid No Time to Die – but don’t hold the lousy end against this whip-smart starter shot. Suave, sure, yet not above being brutish if the situation calls, Craig was an inspired choice to take over as 007. The rest of the cast is aces: Mads Mikkelsen’s dirty money manager Le Chiffre is compellingly evil, while Eva Green – playing the sultry Vesper Lynd, sent to Montenegro to babysit Bond in a high-stakes poker tournament – is a royal flush. Other Bond girls will try, but her witchy fusion of smarts and sex appeal are simply unbeatable. – Kimberley Jones
