The James Bond series was brilliantly re-invented in 2006 by the spectacular Casino Royale, one of the finest of the new tradition of thoughtful, comparatively restrained action films (for other examples see Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy). Unfortunately, having jettisoned much of the traditional ‘trappings’ of Bond, the series didn’t quite feel like itself after that superlative first step.
Skyfall seems to be an attempt to address that fact; to form a bridge between the gritty realism of Casino Royale and the more traditional Bond elements: Q, Moneypenny, the brilliantly innovative gadgets, and the spectacular villain lairs with hungry pets ready to dine on enemy agents or errant henchmen.
Not that Skyfall itself is as lighthearted as the older films. On the contrary, this may be the grimmest and most downbeat film to date (even including the tragic Casino). The movie deals with dark questions about Bond’s motives, the changing nature of the spy trade, and, especially, his relationship with his superior, M (Judi Dench) and the mistakes she’s made.
We open with an epically out-sized chase in Istanbul (which moves from cars to motorcycles to train to steam-shovel), one so gloriously silly and improbable that it feels almost like we’re back in the old Bond universe…until the jarring sucker-punch that brings the chase to an abrupt halt and sets the stage for the rest of the film.
See, James Bond (Daniel Craig, still imposing despite his advancing age) was attempting to stop a terrorist from getting away with a hard-drive containing the names of all of NATO’s undercover operatives working in terrorist cells. And, thanks to a call made by M, he fails and winds up declared dead.
So, Bond settles down to a life of one-night stands, heavy drinking, and playing with dangerous wild animals (so, pretty much exactly what he was doing, only he’s not getting paid for it). Meanwhile, MI6 does its best for the next six months to recover the hard-drive with no success. Then M’s computer is hacked, MI6 is bombed, and the realization sinks in that this is more than just about counter-espionage: someone is specifically targeting M.
Bond, upon hearing of this, comes back from the dead to offer his services. After a quick series of tests to ensure he’s fit for active duty, some brief head-butting with Intelligence Chairman Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), and a quick meeting with the new Q (Ben Whishaw, about as starkly and amusingly different from Desmond Llewelyn as possible), Bond sets off for Shanghai to chase down the terrorist (Ola Rapace) who stole the hard-drive.
At this point the film becomes more complex and detail-heavy than I could adequately describe without major spoilers. Suffice to say, Bond is soon drawn into a deadly battle of wits with a psychotic ex-agent named Silva (chilling Javier Bardem), which includes massive acts of cyber-terrorism, cat-and-mouse games in the London underground, and, finally, an epic showdown at a place we never expected to be…
Meanwhile, Bond rather half-heartedly juggles two different beauties: Eve (Naomie Harris), a fellow MI6 agent who’s thinking about giving up fieldwork and Severine (Berenic Marlohe), who is something of a darkly revisionist take on the femme-fatale and whose character, alas, is one of the film’s few flaws (more on that below). I say half-hearted because, while both of these women have important roles to play in the story, and Eve in particular is enjoyable to have around, neither really feels necessary to it. It’s almost like the writers only put them in because they knew a Bond film needs Bond-girls rather than that they actually wanted to have any.
The focus of the movie is instead directed at the central ‘triangle’ of Bond, M, and Silva. The dynamic of these three is a kind of grim family feud with Bond and Silva playing the parts of the disenfranchised siblings and M their estranged mother. Both of them have reasons to feel betrayed by her, but Bond retains his loyalty while Silva’s has turned to bitterness and hatred, though even he can’t quite ignore the connection between them.
Bond’s relationship with M is the heart of the movie; a complex, probably not very healthy, but ultimately moving bond in which M becomes something of a surrogate mother to Bond (agents refer to her informally as ‘mum’ throughout); a situation that is complicated by the fact that both Bond and M are well aware that her first loyalty is not to any of her “children” but to the broader mission (this follows through on the moment in Casino Royale where she chided Bond for not looking at “the big picture”). Nevertheless she does care about the agents to some extent, particularly Bond, and she trusts their instincts and skills more than she does the computerized gadgets and software of the new Q Branch. The cold, ambiguous, yet nevertheless real affection between Bond and M comprises some of the best writing and acting of the series to date.
Javier Bardem, meanwhile, makes for easily the best Bond villain of the new series and probably one of the best of all time. He’s a weird kind of cross between a frat-boy hacker and a character from a Thomas Harris novel. Fiendishly intelligent, disarmingly unpredictable, and with skills and instincts to match Bond himself, Silva is the kind of villain who makes you frustrated at the heroes for not realizing that he’s always going to be two-steps ahead of them. At the same time he gives the distinct impression of mental derangement for all his brilliance (it’s implied his mind was affected by a failed cyanide pill), such as the way he greets Bond with homoerotic advances when they first meet and seems oddly annoyed when Bond isn’t unsettled by them.
As the movie progresses, it becomes more and more focused on the twisted family triangle of Bond, M, and Silva as rules and expectations break down and the fight becomes increasingly personal for all involved, culminating in a spectacular showdown in a place we never expected to see…
One of the key trappings of any Bond film is, of course, the locations, and here we have some of the most spectacular of the new series. There’s the opening chase through Istanbul, with Haggia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar providing the backdrop. There’s a stunningly filmed sequence in the skyscrapers of Shanghai, lit by ever changing neon lights. There’s an incredibly tense chase through the London underground (emphasizing an earlier speech in which Silva likened himself and Bond to rats). Finally, in stark contrast to everything else is an ancient manor house on a misty moor in Scotland.
The cinematography in these sequences, particularly the Shanghai scene, is simply breathtaking, making full use of light and shadow to produce weird, dream-like effects that remain etched into the viewers mind. The Scottish sequence likewise has some breathtaking images, such as a flare shooting through the water of an ice-covered pond, or a gun-wielding figure standing silhouetted against a raging fire, his breath coming like smoke.
Thematically, the movie deals with the contrast of old and new; the old-fashioned techniques championed by Bond and M (instinct, manual involvement, detective work) are contrasted with the cutting-edge technology employed by Silva (who uses his hacking skills to control his environment to an almost god-like extent). The film incorporates this conflict into its very structure; with the story beginning in Istanbul (a key battleground in the Cold War), before jumping into the ultra-modern world of Shanghai. From there, it slowly and steadily strips away the technological trappings, going from there to a deserted island where Silva’s computers stand naked with all their inner workings exposed, then back to London and the hyper-computerized Q-Division, before finally stripping all technology away in Scotland. Moreover, to transport M, Bond chooses to ditch his modern car in favor of none-other than the classic Aston-Martin DB5 from Goldfinger, complete with ejector seat and machine-guns (in a moment that Bond fans have been waiting almost fifty years to see, those famous machine guns are finally put to good use).
The movie ultimately champions the old over the new, positing that Bond and M’s ways are more necessary than ever in the ever-changing modern world (M gets a speech in which she makes that very point), and further positing that high-technology can be a danger even to those who seem to understand it, while the simpler, old-fashioned ways are more reliable and, ultimately, more effective (particularly in a moment where Bond, confronted with a high-tech helicopter, decides on a startlingly direct method of dealing with it).
Intriguingly, in light of this championing of the old ways, the movie reveals that Bond’s family were recusant Catholics who hid priests during the Reformation. Likewise, the final confrontation between representatives of the old and new takes place in, of all places, a Catholic chapel. I don’t want to read too much into this, but it certainly is an gratifying and intriguing choice on the part of the filmmakers, shedding new light on the story and its themes.
Beyond these lofty themes, the film still has a lot to offer. There’s the gratifying return of Q in the slick, modern guise of a young computer wiz who, in one sequence, tag-teams with Bond to give him an edge on Silva. His meeting with 007 provides one of the most entertaining scenes in the film, simultaneously giving fans of the series a satisfying sense of a return to form and heralding the dawn of a new era of Q-Branch (“What were you expecting; an exploding pen? We don’t do that anymore.”)
Ralph Fiennes as Mallory strikes an interesting note: mildly antagonistic, yet still sympathetic and with a number of surprises up his sleeve (including a last minute twist that brilliantly sets the stage for the series’ future). Naomi Harris as Eve doesn’t have a lot to do, but is an attractive and spunky Bond girl and helps provide some much-needed levity. I also would be remise if I didn’t mention the haunting opening song by Adele, which is both a beautiful number in its own right and is accompanied by some remarkably poetic imagery (which recurs in unexpected ways in the movie itself).
Meanwhile the action sequences are some of the most spectacular to date. The Istanbul sequence is gloriously outsized and silly, with conceits that hearken back to Roger Moore’s heyday. There’s a fight in a Macau casino that culminates in someone getting fed to a ravenous beast, the aforementioned chase through London (featuring a spectacular train crash, among other things), and, again, the climactic siege pitting ingenuity and resourcefulness against high-tech weaponry (I was reminded more than once of the great ranch-house attack from For Greater Glory). While I still would call the Parkour chase from Casino Royale the best action sequence of the new series, any one of these scenes from Skyfall could be called a close second (personally, I would cite the climactic siege as taking home the top prize, but I admit it’s hard battle).
While I thought Skyfall was one of the best Bond films to date, I did have a couple reservations. First, Bond twice stands back and lets innocent people die when he could have saved them. I don’t mean he could have taken a great risk, or made a desperate lunge that may or may not have worked; I mean he literally stands back and waits to make his move until after the murder takes place. I know Bond has always been an anti-hero (and never more so than with Daniel Craig), but to me this crosses the line from ‘cold’ to ‘depraved indifference’ and makes it harder to root for him. It definitely lessened my enjoyment of the film, and I think it was unnecessary.
On a similar note, the character of Severine is problematic. Her back story (she’s a victim of human trafficking) was too genuinely nasty, and her victimization was too total to simply show up and be discarded like that. It felt like an ugly scar on the film; a brief moment of extra cruelty that briefly took you out of the experience and left a bad taste in your mouth. In particular, Bond’s relationship with her was, well, meaner than a typical Bond hook-up. It felt too much like Bond was simply using her in the same way that Silva did. Basically, the subplot involving her was far too cruel and distasteful for a Bond film, even one of the new series.
Those are really my only two caveats about the film. There are a few minor points, such as a cliché and completely predictable twist towards the end of the second act, or the fact that it occasionally felt like it was running on for too long (you kept expecting each sequence to be the climax, then it would suddenly shift gears and start anew).
But the film’s strengths; the fascinating theme of old vs. new, Javier Bardem’s disturbingly effective performance, the spectacular action, the gorgeous cinematography, and the sensation of coming full circle, back to the classic Bond series that we’ve been away from for so long make it a must-see. It left me excited and impatient to see where the series would go next. The origin story that began with Casino Royale is now complete; Bond is back and better than ever.
Final Rating: 4.5/5. While slightly marred by unnecessary nastiness, it is still one of the best Bond films of all time.
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