Skyfall (2012) Columbia Pictures/Action-Adventure RT: 143 minutes Rated PG-13 (intense violent sequences throughout, some sexuality, language) Director: Sam Mendes Screenplay: Neal Purvus, Robert Wade and John Logan Music: Thomas Newman Cinematography: Roger Deakins Release date: October 26, 2012 (UK)/November 9, 2012 (US) Cast: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Berenice Lim Marlohe, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Ola Rapace, Albert Finney, Judi Dench, Helen McCrory, Nicholas Woodeson, Bill Buckhurst, Elize du Toit. Opening song: “Skyfall” by Adele Box Office: $304.4M (US)/$1.1B (World)
Rating: *** ½
Skyfall, the 23rd film in the 50-year spanning James Bond series, is one of the best 007 films. It’s definitely the best of the Daniel Craig ones. It’s a huge step up from its predecessor with its thin storyline and weak villain. True, it has a couple of slow patches, but that’s to be expected given its nearly two-and-a-half hour running time. It’s okay though because the banging action sequences more than make up for any shortcomings. More than that, Bond fanatics will be pleased with the nods to the secret agent’s past adventures and (re)introduction of a couple of familiar characters, one of whom is MI6 quartermaster Q now played by Ben Whishaw (Layer Cake).
It’s hard to believe it’s been half a century since James Bond 007 first showed up on the big screen in Dr. No (1962). Many of the movies have been quite good. Everybody has their own personal favorites; mine are Live and Let Die (1973) and For Your Eyes Only (1981). My least favorite is On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). Everybody also has their own ideas about the actors who played the British Secret Service agent over the years. Like most, I think Sean Connery and Roger Moore are tops while George Lazenby (who played Bond only once, thank heavens!) sits at the bottom of the list. Craig is right behind the OG guys (followed by Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton). He puts an entirely different spin on the character, playing him as a dark hero who does morally questionable things in the name of Queen and Country. When he kills, he does so coldly and efficiently, no humorous follow-up quips. This Bond means business. In Skyfall, we finally learn about his past before he joined MI6.
As per usual, Skyfall opens with a bravura pre-credits action sequence in an exotic foreign locale. This time, Bond finds himself in Istanbul chasing a baddie who has in his possession a computer disc with information that would compromise the identities of nearly all undercover NATO agents in terrorist organizations. Bond, with the aid of a young female partner (Harris, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies), chases him through a crowded marketplace before they both end up on top of a moving train. The fight continues until his partner, an expert sniper, inadvertently shoots him on M’s (Dench, Shakespeare in Love) orders. He falls into a river and the bad guy gets away.
With Bond presumed dead, M finds herself being pressured to retire by Intelligence and Security Committee chairman Gareth Mallory (Fiennes, Schindler’s List). Then, somebody hacks into her computer and blows up MI6 headquarters, killing eight employees. Bond returns from the dead so to speak (he’s been hiding out on some tropical island) and requests to be reinstated. After failing a series of tests, he’s still cleared by M to return to active duty, license to kill restored. He’s to find out who was behind the terrorist attack and deal with him.
Bond does his usual poking around before finally confronting his latest nemesis Raoul Silva (Bardem, No Country for Old Men) on an abandoned island. A former MI6 agent, he has a personal vendetta against the agency that betrayed him, M in particular. He’s a cold-blooded bastard, this Silva. What the cyberterrorist has planned for revenge is HUGE.
I think I’ve told you enough about the main plot of Skyfall. I will add that the climax takes place at a remote manor in Scotland which is where we learn about Bond’s tragic childhood. I was personally pleased to see Mother Scotland brought into the story.
What can I say? I generally like Bond flicks. I found Skyfall thoroughly entertaining. Like I said, the series has changed quite a bit over 50 years. It strikes me interesting how much technology plays into his adventures like how the folks back at MI6 track his movements with computer and satellites rather than some tracking device invented by Q. That’s not to say he doesn’t hook Bond up with some neat gadgets and upgrades. His trademark Walther PPK pistol can now only be fired by 007 thanks to palm print signature software. It’s cool, but I miss the weaponized pens.
A Bond movie sinks or swims on the basis of its villain. In recent years, there hasn’t been a single memorable villain on the level of Goldfinger, Blofeld or Scaramanga. I’m happy to say Silva makes the grade. He’s a formidable bad guy. With his bleached blond hair and effeminate mannerisms, he’s quietly menacing and most definitely dangerous. He’s a complete psychopath. Worse, he’s smart and knows the inner workings of MI6. Bardem does a great job in the role.
The only real Bond Girl in Skyfall is Severine (French actress Marlohe in her first English-speaking role), an associate of the guy 007 went after in Istanbul. She’s the one who leads the spy to Silva, an act of betrayal for which she pays dearly. I wouldn’t call his female MI6 colleague a Bond Girl. She turns out to be more than some random field agent who admires 007. Notice I haven’t given her name. Do the math; you can probably figure out who she is.
The whole cast does a great job in Skyfall. They look like they’re having a blast and why wouldn’t they be? It’s filled with awesome adrenaline-laced action sequences like the opening extended chase and a bit through the London Underground. It’s all rather thrilling. It also has the best theme song since Duran Duran’s “A View to a Kill”. Adele is the perfect choice with her soulful voice. Director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) brings it all together perfectly to create a new classic Bond film of the highest quality. This is what it’s about, people. This is what a James Bond movie should look like in this day and age.
