'Skyfall' Review

Directed by: SAM MENDES

Produced by: MICHAEL G. WILSON, BARBARA BROCCOLI

Screenplay by: NEAL PURVIS, ROBERT WADE, JOHN LOGAN

Based on: "James Bond" by IAN FLEMING 

                    

Starring: DANIEL CRAIG, JUDI DENCH, JAVIER BARDEM, RALPH FIENNES, NAOMIE HARRIS, ALBERT FINNEY, BERENICE LIM MARLOHE, BEN WHISHAW

Rating: 4/4

Big action set-pieces? Check.

Exotic locations? Check.

Beautiful women? Check.

Mesmerising villain? Double-check.

Skyfall contains all the ingredients expected from a Bond film. Except it ends up being a cut above the rest, proving that if done rightly James Bond can still surprise and entertain, even fifty years, six actors and twenty-two films later in a franchise that has not been without its lesser moments. 

In Daniel Craig’s third outing as Agent 007, Bond is chasing an assassin carrying the hard drive containing the identities of agents undercover in terrorist organisations through Istanbul. It is a deadly serious situation in this pre-title sequence that culminates in Agent Eve (Naomie Harris) accidentally shooting Bond fighting atop a moving train. In a rare moment, Bond fails in his mission and is presumed dead. But everyone knows you can’t kill off the main character barely ten minutes into the film and thus, Bond eventually resurfaces to the land of the living following a deadly attack on MI6 headquarters. It is the archetypal hero returning to save the day.

Except James Bond is not the agent he once was. No longer younger or fitter, it is a knowing reference to both the character's and Craig's age in this franchise. Although he is deemed 'unfit', sends Bond is sent back into the field in pursuit of the attacker by M (Judi Dench). 

This time around, however, M isn't relegated to merely her office space giving orders. She is pushed front and centre alongside Craig as the film allows her to show off an emotional and complex side unheard of before as Skyfall is much about her as it is about Bond. 

Likewise, as he did in the excellent Casino Royale (and even in the dismal Quantum of Solace, to the best of the film's limits), Craig brings something to the table that his predecessors (yes, even Sean Connery) didn’t: a humanity to the otherwise cold and brilliant agent. Daniel Craig's Bond is no longer superficial but instead relevant, as he combats threats that are rooted in reality rather than outlandish.

And thus, Bond finds himself up against Javier Bardem’s blond-haired Raoul Silva. Equal parts charming, equal parts sinister, Bardem steals the show, exuding an electrifying presence that conjures eerie reminders of the Joker in The Dark Knight. No doubt Raoul Silva will go down as one of 007’s more terrifying and memorable villains in Bond history, and deservingly so.

In addition, Skyfall comprises of possibly one of the finest gathering of actors and actresses in the same film, many whom will stay on for the future of the franchise. Notable mentions are Ralph Fiennes as an unusually wry government public servant, Gareth Mallory; Naomie Harris as field agent Eve who is assigned with Bond and (in this writer's opinion, at least) an enjoyable incarnation of a young Q (Ben Whishaw). 

The introduction of new faces to this franchise is a nod to a central theme running in Skyfall: old versus new. They are passing memorable roles into the hands of a new generation to come- a transitional phase, even. Bond's and Q's interactions offer a humourous clash to this perspective and is never more emphasised upon than in a public inquiry with M where she insists upon utilising the traditional methods of spies and espionage in fighting the evil of the present.

As Naomie Harris rightly puts it: “The old ways are sometimes the best”.

And on that note, Skyfall- being the film to grace 007's fiftieth anniversary- has occasional throwbacks and nods to its history. The scenes in Macau, for example, have a stylisation reminiscent of the Roger Moore era, complete with a humourous fight scene. Even the original Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger makes an appearance- complete with the passenger ejector seat (which unfortunately, is not deployed this time)! Writing team Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan deftly handle the touches with care without allowing it to weigh down on the storyline, preventing it from becoming a too meta-referenced film and instead, a loving tribute to the saga of James Bond.

Skyfall's brilliance- while being a collaborative effort, no doubt- ultimately comes down to the director. Sam Mendes handles the poignancy and complexities of the story and characters against the large-scaled action sequences with equal precision and dexterity. Aided by Director of Photography, Roger Deakins, the duo  

create some of the most beautifully rendered visual shots for a Bond movie. The high point of this is undoubtedly Bond’s fist fight with a French assassin at the top of a building surrounded by glowing and dazzling neon-lit skyscrapers in Shanghai. 

Skyfall is a breath-taking espionage action film that takes Bond back to his roots whilst injecting it with energy and vitality, a standing testament that 007 is not ready to quit. Far from it. James Bond is back and he’s better than ever.