Bel Ludovic

Relief at Robin Williams in a role that almost wholly omits the saccharine sentimentality that has become his trademark is superseded by a sense of awe at the production design and direction of this low-key thriller. Both are imbued with a sense of uber-Virgoan precision and orderliness that effectively reinforces the sense of emptiness in the life of the Yorkin couple, with their magazine-perfect home and ideal child, of which Si Parish (whose life is more obviously 'empty') so aspires to be a part. Combined with measured and natural performances, these assets more than compensate for any ambiguity of message or sense of narrative anti-climax.

As a Roger Moore apologist, you'd think I'd hate 'Casino Royale' and Daniel Craig's portrayal of 007. But you'd be wrong. That was the Bond that was right for then, and this is the Bond that's right for the times we live in. The utterly dismal retread of the usual formula in 'Die Another Day' demonstrated that the formula simply had nowhere else to go. Freed from its constraints, this film was much more involving - to the relief of an audience that probably wouldn't be queueing up to see the same old same old.

Daniel Craig is the right man for the job and this is exactly the reinvention that was needed. Judi Dench as M is superb, as always, and the opening titles are the best of the series. Only the excessive product placement reminds the audience of this film's predecessors. But that aside, Casino Royale refreshes the franchise admirably. Let's hope this is the future direction of the series rather than a one-off.

This flimsy and lazily plotted thriller offers little but implausible 'twists' in a generally lethargic, hackneyed script. Its already limited entertainment value is stymied still further by the casting of three English actors (Owen, Conti and Morrissey) and an Australian actress (George), all of whom are made to speak in American accents - a practice that bewilders me. Aren't there enough American actors to go round? Will American audiences object to non-American actors using their native accents? Unless, of course, they're villains, in which case it's OK. Case in point: Vincent Cassel, who plays the baddie, and is therefore allowed to be French. His performance makes this film watchable, and Aniston is surprisingly convincing too. But Clive Owen's American accent is all over the place - and mostly absent altogether. Aside from Cassel and Aniston, cast and crew are asleep at the wheel, and there's little attempt to make the audience care about either the characters or the story - which is just as well, given how poorly written both are. Still, at least this kind of thing helps actors pay their bills.