25 Best British Films Of The Last Decade

2. Casino Royale

Martin Campbell's Casino Royale gave us more than I ever could have imagined. After a number of increasingly awful James Bond films featuring Pierce Brosnan (though through no fault of his own), it was decided that the series needed a new lick of paint, and was going to be rebooted with a new actor who took Bond back to his roots, though confusingly, Judi Dench would still be sticking around as M. Standing as probably the best franchise reboot in history, Casino Royale gives us everything we want from a Bond film: a globe-hopping plot, sexy ladies, a sly, brooding villain, scintillating action, cracking one-liners and a very handsome leading man. What it removed was the goofiness that had surrounded the franchise for far too long: gone were the cheesy gags and over-the-top, ridiculous gadgets, in favour of a more grounded style that was truly back to basics. Daniel Craig proved his horde of critics wrong by giving one of the best interpretations of the character (perhaps behind only Sean Connery), making him a bonafide star and giving the Bond franchise its groove back.