Daniel Craig’s Best Bond Villain Was In His First Movie

While Daniel Craig’s James Bond has had his fair share of iconic villains, the greatest of them all appears in his first movie. Casino Royale (2006) introduces Le Chiffre, a diabolical banker who uses his skill with numbers to finance terrorist organizations around the world. Played to icy perfection by Mads Mikkelsen, Le Chiffre gave the Craig era an unforgettable opening and immediately became one of the best Bond villains ever.

Le Chiffre exudes evil from his first appearance onscreen, bolstered by Mads Mikkelsen’s history of playing major movie villains. His opening scene also establishes his motivation: he believes in “a reasonable rate of return,” or, to put it simply, money. Bond and Le Chiffre meet for the first time at a poker tournament at the Casino Royale in Montenegro, where Bond has been sent to prevent Le Chiffre from pocketing the winnings. As soon as Bond and Le Chiffre sit down at the table, the poker game becomes an epic battle — the kind that requires a truly great villain.

Le Chiffre is Daniel Craig’s Best Bond Villain

Bond villains are as much a beloved part of the franchise as Bond himself. A good Bond villain treats the audience to an extravagant, stylish, and unrepentant brand of evil, and Le Chiffre delivers on every account. As he gambles for dazzlingly high stakes, wearing an exquisitely tailored suit and occasionally wiping a trickle of blood from his scarred right eye, the story’s tension rockets to new heights. He’s also more than willing to get his hands dirty with some showstopping violence; his capture and interrogation of Bond make for the most brutal scene in Casino Royale, if not in the entire Craig era.

However, no amount of explosions or torture dungeons can beat sheer evil charisma. Le Chiffre’s suave, cold-as-marble disposition carries every scene, whether he’s torturing an agent of the Crown or sitting quietly at the poker table. In fact, his unshakable demeanor makes him the perfect counter to Bond, who is also famous for keeping cool under pressure; it’s impossible to watch these two without wondering who will be the first to snap.

Le Chiffre Is A Better Villain Than Silva

Of course, Le Chiffre is not the only iconic Craig-era villain. Skyfall (2012), which delves deeper into Bond’s backstory than any other Craig film, also dredges up a ghost from MI6’s past: former agent Raoul Silva. He is motivated not by money, but by a personal grudge against his old employer. Silva may add context to the Bond universe, but his complicated backstory is a distraction from the building tension of the film. Furthermore, Silva’s rage isn’t even directed at Bond; the final confrontation is between Silva and M, his real target, forcing Bond into a secondary role.

Since Skyfall is the third movie of the Craig era, it makes sense to raise the stakes by giving Silva a personal hatred of MI6; if every villain was driven by nothing but pure evil, the franchise would begin to feel repetitive very quickly. However, Le Chiffre’s unclouded thirst for money makes him terrifying and chillingly real at the same time. His lack of a convoluted backstory allows the film to get right down to business, bringing his mesmerizing villainy to center stage. Casino Royale has taken its place as the most popular Craig era James Bond film, and it wouldn’t be there without Le Chiffre.

Casino Royale is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.