Casino Royale

Right now you can watch Casino Royale in Australia on MGM Amazon Channel, and in the US on fuboTV and Philo — and it earns its twists rather than manufacturing them. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. With 11,788 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Daniel Craig sets the tone, and the ensemble matches it scene for scene. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on MGM Amazon Channel.

Casino Royale is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. At its heart, Casino Royale understands what makes crime drama work — character first, plot second. Le Chiffre, a banker to the world's terrorists, is scheduled to participate in a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro, where he intends to use his winnings to establish his financial grip on the terrorist market. M sends Bond—on his maiden mission as a 00 Agent—to attend this game and prevent Le Chiffre from winning. With the help of Vesper Lynd and Felix Leiter, Bond enters the most important poker game in his already dangerous career. The writing gets a boost from Daniel Craig and Eva Green, who sell every scene they're in. It hit screens in 2006. The plot mechanics of Casino Royale never overwhelm the human cost underneath them. The consistency throughout is what elevates it — not every moment is the best, but none of them are a reason to stop watching.

Crime and mystery fans will find exactly what they are after in Casino Royale. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Daniel Craig anchors it, but the writing does the real work. If you are going to commit to one crime drama this month, make it this one.