Skyfall (2012)
Directed by Sam Mendes
When Bond's latest assignment goes gravely wrong, agents around the world are exposed and MI6 headquarters is attacked. While M faces challenges to her authority and position from Gareth Mallory, the new Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, it's up to Bond, aided only by field agent Eve, to locate the mastermind behind the attack.
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Before we meet Bardem, in yet another bad coif — this one blond — there's an eye-popping opening credit sequence with a title song by Adele that recalls Shirley Bassey's signature Goldfinger theme.
Skyfall is also the third film in the series starring Daniel Craig as Her Majesty’s favorite secret agent, a tricky position given that third films are often turning points in this franchise: While both Sean Connery and Roger Moore cemented their respective status as 007 with their third films, Goldfinger (1964) and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), which were also the best films of their tenure, Timothy Dalton never made it to a third film after The Living Daylights (1987) and Licensed to Kill (1989) and Pierce Brosnan’s third outing as 007 in The World Is Not Enough (1999) suggested that the wheels were starting to come off the franchise (Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist named Christmas Jones—need I say more?).
(Indeed, if one of the comments made about “Goldfinger” is “so ’60s!” and “Goldeneye” is “so ’90s!” the look and feel of “Skyfall” will one day read “so 2012!”) There’s a fight in a Shanghai skyscraper that is brilliantly rendered, as well as an assassination-in-disguise attempt that is like “Day of the Jackal” on speed.
Skyfall can take its place alongside From Russia with Love , Goldfinger , and On Her Majesty's Secret Service as the best Bond can offer.
If we could magically delete "Quantum" from the Bond repertoire, 2006's "Casino Royale" and "Skyfall" would be the greatest 007 one-two punch since "Goldfinger" followed "From Russia With Love" back in the 1960s.
A certain pretentiousness accompanies this transformation; it's possible there never again will be a James Bond movie with the snap of "Goldfinger" or the silliness of "The Spy Who Loved Me." ("Skyfall," however, does include a nice brief homage to Roger Moore's escape from the alligators in "Live and Let Die.")
That recalls the silliness of the earlier Roger Moore Bonds and the time that he jumped along the backs of alligators in "Live and Let Die."
These include a scene reminiscent of “Live and Let Die,” a joke involving a gearstick, and the film’s sole clunky CG shot involving a disfigurement (a great idea ruined by bad graphics).
These themes were toyed with in the non-canonical Thunderball remake Never Say Never Again, which saw Connery return to action 12 years (and one broken "never" vow) after Diamonds Are Forever.
(Silva approaches Hannibal Lecter in intelligence and ruthlessness, and represents a dramatic upgrade on the caricatured villainous gay assassins in 1971's disappointment "Diamonds Are Forever.")
Craig — the best actor the 007 series has ever had — provides a teasing counter-taunt, but Bardem gets campier, recalling Louis Jourdan’s prissy baddie in “Octopussy” and “Diamonds Are Forever” henchmen Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd.
The first time I witnessed Bond in action was as a boy, seeing Sean Connery use a woman’s bikini top to strangle her in Diamonds are Forever.
You want a larger-than-life villain with a secret island lair, but hate The Man With The Golden Gun? You're covered.
No , Skyfall turns up the volume of those undertones, making Bond’s tortured history a major theme, finding a fragile humanity beneath the character’s usually unshakable exterior of the sort not seen since George Lazenby broke down in tears at the end of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service .
Helmed by American Beauty and Revolutionary Road director Sam Mendes —an unusual but effective choice—and arriving 50 years after Dr. No, Skyfall turns up the volume of those undertones, making Bond’s tortured history a major theme, finding a fragile humanity beneath the character’s usually unshakable exterior of the sort not seen since George Lazenby broke down in tears at the end of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Reactions are going to be mixed, I suspect, but one thing is certain: in attempting to pilot the franchise backward and forward simultaneously, the filmmakers have delivered the most unusual Bond film since the truly great (and truly bonkers) On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969.
Skyfall isn't strictly a "Bond formula" movie, there are no hollowed-out volcanoes, killer satellites or plans for world domination, instead it's more in the vein of the personal, character-driven outings like On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Casino Royale .
Skyfall , the 23rd official Bond film, is right up there with the very best in the series, on a par with Goldfinger , On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Casino Royale.
Scripted by Bond specialists Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, this time with a significant assist from John Logan ("Hugo"; "The Aviator"), "Skyfall" cobbles together bits and pieces from many another thriller, sometimes more loosely than we might like, and draws in particular from "The Dark Knight" -- but for my money Mendes gets the balance between light and dark more nearly right than Christopher Nolan managed in this year's most overbearing blockbuster.
With Sam Mendes behind the camera, with the ridiculous collection of talent in front of it (including new additions Javier Barden, Ralph Fiennes , Albert Finney and Ben Whishaw from "The Hour"), and with a lot of talk about how this was going to be a more mature take on Bond (even more mature than the first two Daniel Craig films), I began to wonder if this was the film that had the ambition to be more than just a great James Bond movie, but to transcend its genre and series in the same way that "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" or "The Dark Knight" are just great films irrespective of their franchises.
He is truly scary, a brilliant psychopath Bardem makes even more frightening with a witty performance that recalls Heath Ledger as the Joker in "The Dark Knight."
Nonetheless, the latest Bond movie, Skyfall, further follows Batman's lead: After the lame Quantum of Solace, this new film is Bond's amalgam of The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
He brings the "Bond villain" archetype into the 21st century in much the same way that the Joker did it for Batman in "The Dark Knight."
He’s embraced the general super-ness of Bond and taken his inspiration from the best superhero flick of recent years: The Dark Knight.
He said that he approached "Batman Begins" more like a Bond flick than a superhero movie, he directly nodded to one of 007's high watermarks in "Inception," and has publicly expressed interest in, at some point, directing one of the films in the franchise.
The movie also felt akin to the previous year's Batman Begins, which like Casino Royale rebooted with a dark origin story that showed how its hero got his start, ditching all the kitsch and starting fresh with a no-nonsense, character-driven approach.
He said that he approached "Batman Begins" more like a Bond flick than a superhero movie, he directly nodded to one of 007's high watermarks in "Inception," and has publicly expressed interest in, at some point, directing one of the films in the franchise.
The story trots from Turkey to London to Shanghai to Macao to Scotland, starting with a conscious throwback (the train sequence) to "From Russia With Love"-era Bond, moving on to grim acts of 21st century-brand urban terrorism (London under attack from Bardem's master sniveler) and culminating in a scene taking Bond and M to the wilds of Scotland.
But the stripped-down, slightly grittier feel of the movie carries us along - and, perhaps, even announces a direction for the series that's both new to young fans and as old as "From Russia With Love."
"Skyfall" easily moves into the top 5 of Bond movies ever, maybe even the top 3 with "From Russia With Love" and "Casino Royale."
Skyfall can take its place alongside From Russia with Love , Goldfinger , and On Her Majesty's Secret Service as the best Bond can offer.
If we could magically delete "Quantum" from the Bond repertoire, 2006's "Casino Royale" and "Skyfall" would be the greatest 007 one-two punch since "Goldfinger" followed "From Russia With Love" back in the 1960s.
Turkey plays a major role in the second, often most critically celebrated Bond film, “From Russia With Love,” which, like this one, includes a lethal fight on a train, a formidable blond male adversary and an island headquarters.
These themes were toyed with in the non-canonical Thunderball remake Never Say Never Again, which saw Connery return to action 12 years (and one broken "never" vow) after Diamonds Are Forever.
Thunderball and Moonraker both have that, but Skyfall does it better.
Since taking on the James Bond mantle in 2006 with Casino Royale, Craig has injected a vital transfusion of fresh plasma into a franchise that began in 1962 with Sean Connery in Dr. No.
Helmed by American Beauty and Revolutionary Road director Sam Mendes —an unusual but effective choice—and arriving 50 years after Dr. No, Skyfall turns up the volume of those undertones, making Bond’s tortured history a major theme, finding a fragile humanity beneath the character’s usually unshakable exterior of the sort not seen since George Lazenby broke down in tears at the end of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
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No, like some of the darkest and most interesting James Bond films (say, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service or Licence to Kill ), Skyfall is about the legendary super-spy’s personal life.
This tension of old vs new, tradition vs innovation, has kept Bond on his toes over the years, occasionally resulting in offerings that fail to strike a chord with mass cinemagoers (eg the violent Licence to Kill ) or give the series a shot in the arm ( GoldenEye 's clever winks to series tropes).
You might think that 6 actors and 50 years blows a hole in continuity anyway, but how much easier things seemed before the half-reboot, when Licence to Kill could make a direct reference to Tracy’s death in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and we could suspend our disbelief enough to imagine these movies as the ongoing adventures of the same man.
It’s been happening since Blofeld killed his wife in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” and later a drug dealer fed his friend Felix Leiter to sharks in “Licence to Kill.”
Tonally, the fundamental seriousness of the film places Skyfall at the other end of the Bond spectrum from the monkeyshines of some of the silliest Roger Moore entries, such as Moonraker and A View to A Kill.
Thomas Newman (Skyfall) and Michael Kamen (Licence to Kill) do respectable jobs as composers on their respective Bond films, but Barry does something that goes the extra mile.
He also appears to have borrowed Christopher Walken's bad-boy blond locks from "A View to a Kill."
Consent or no, there’s something icky about that, especially when we consider the time Roger Moore did the right thing and kicked a too-young girl out of his bed in For Your Eyes Only .
Each Friday until the release of the 23rd official Bond film, “Skyfall,” Nick will revisit its 22 official predecessors from start to finish, with a bonus post for the unofficial films in which James Bond also appears.
Films like “For Your Eyes Only” and “Casino Royale” are welcome injections of serious reality into the series after an entry so ridiculous and camp it was essentially pure farce.
Craig — the best actor the 007 series has ever had — provides a teasing counter-taunt, but Bardem gets campier, recalling Louis Jourdan’s prissy baddie in “Octopussy” and “Diamonds Are Forever” henchmen Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd.
Then, when I was “coming of age,” so to speak, Bond got real silly with Roger Moore and stuff like Moonraker and Octopussy.
Skyfall is also the third film in the series starring Daniel Craig as Her Majesty’s favorite secret agent, a tricky position given that third films are often turning points in this franchise: While both Sean Connery and Roger Moore cemented their respective status as 007 with their third films, Goldfinger (1964) and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), which were also the best films of their tenure, Timothy Dalton never made it to a third film after The Living Daylights (1987) and Licensed to Kill (1989) and Pierce Brosnan’s third outing as 007 in The World Is Not Enough (1999) suggested that the wheels were starting to come off the franchise (Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist named Christmas Jones—need I say more?).
Skyfall is also the third film in the series starring Daniel Craig as Her Majesty’s favorite secret agent, a tricky position given that third films are often turning points in this franchise: While both Sean Connery and Roger Moore cemented their respective status as 007 with their third films, Goldfinger (1964) and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), which were also the best films of their tenure, Timothy Dalton never made it to a third film after The Living Daylights (1987) and Licensed to Kill (1989) and Pierce Brosnan’s third outing as 007 in The World Is Not Enough (1999) suggested that the wheels were starting to come off the franchise (Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist named Christmas Jones—need I say more?).
A certain pretentiousness accompanies this transformation; it's possible there never again will be a James Bond movie with the snap of "Goldfinger" or the silliness of "The Spy Who Loved Me." ("Skyfall," however, does include a nice brief homage to Roger Moore's escape from the alligators in "Live and Let Die.")
The script gives him a full spectrum to play, from a "physical wreck" that recalls the literary Bond of Fleming's You Only Live Twice, to the cocky, self-assured 007 fans have been waiting for since 2006.
While not as powerful as those characters/performances (and how could he be) morphs the suave villain with physical grotesque of the more iconic Bond villains (‘Red Grant’ [Robert Shaw – From Russia with Love] & ‘Blofeld’ [Donald Pleasance – You Only Live Twice].
Tonally, the fundamental seriousness of the film places Skyfall at the other end of the Bond spectrum from the monkeyshines of some of the silliest Roger Moore entries, such as Moonraker and A View to A Kill.
Then, when I was “coming of age,” so to speak, Bond got real silly with Roger Moore and stuff like Moonraker and Octopussy.
While the plot is the usual MacGuffin-ish search for something or someone – in this case, a hard drive that will reveal the identities of numerous British and American agents – the globetrotting quest packs in more film-school references to other movies than I could count, including several other Bond pictures, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Silence of the Lambs” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” (The technical work here is outstanding, especially Roger Deakins’ cinematography.)
Some have made the case that, like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark , Bond is a singularly ineffective hero here, such that everything would have happened more or less the way it does without him being in the picture.
Having recently reveled in a restored edition of Raiders of the Lost Ark on IMAX screens, and remembered how truly awe-inspiring an action movie can be, I must say that Skyfall is an impressive contribution to the genre.
There’s one moment when James is at a bar, drinking away his troubles, and just for a second, it reminded me of Marion (Karen Allen) drinking in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
(I had a similar child-brain confusion with Robert Shaw’s Quint in Jaws.
It wouldn't be a Bond movie without a high-stakes prologue, but the "Skyfall" showdown has another precedent in film history: Preston Sturges' indispensable 1941 Hollywood satire "Sullivan's Travels" opens with a movie-within-a-movie featuring two men coming to blows while holding tight to a moving train.
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Whether Mendes is really trying to add grit and dimension to Bond’s story or just cramming in another cinematic reference – in this case, to Alfred Hitchcock’s espionage classic “The 39 Steps,” which is also about a Scottish manhunt – is debatable.
He calls her “ma’am,” but thanks to an English affectation no doubt cultivated by Mendes, it really sounds like “mum” — and if you can wrap your head around the notion of Bond and M as a bloody mother-and-son combo, Craig and his co-star Javier Bardem get to riff on everything from James Cagney in White Heat to Anthony Perkins in Psycho.
The long climax, set at an isolated old house in Scotland presided over by a thickly bearded Albert Finney, plays out partly like a highly elaborated version of Straw Dogs, albeit with far heavier artillery.
Cinematographer Roger Deakins brings verve to each sequence, particularly a neon-drenched fistfight in a high-rise and a prolonged shootout at a creaky Scottish manor with shades of Straw Dogs.
The film's final siege in the Scottish countryside feels a little traditional on paper - insert your own Home Alone/Straw Dogs/Death Wish 3 jokes here - but it's executed marvelously and beautifully rendered by Deakins' cinematography.
The result is a stripped-down showdown reminiscent of Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs, an assault and defense waged with wits and booby traps.