2012 | Dir. Sam Mendes | 143 Minutes
"Some men are coming to kill us. We're going to kill them first."
Missing and presumed dead after a failed mission, a weary James Bond returns to service in response to a devastating attack on MI6 headquarters. Unhinged former MI6 agent Raoul Silva seeks revenge against M for disavowing and leaving him for dead years ago. To counter Silva's ruthless tactics, Bond must utilize unconventional methods to protect M.
Sam Mendes' Skyfall is a contemplative, stylish, atmospheric, and visually stunning James Bond film, a nearly flawless film in virtually every level. Between every death-defying confrontation, the narrative directly questions the value of Bond's loyalty to M and the service, the toll Bond's violent work takes on his physical and psychological health, and the relevance of MI6 and necessity for its continued existence in the modern world. Impressively, the movie also manages to honor the franchise's long history by reintroducing and simultaneously reinventing several of the series' key characters and tropes in innovative and unexpected ways.
While Skyfall is a thoughtful picture, it is also appropriately a fantastic action film with exciting stunt work and memorable set pieces. Courtesy of legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, every single frame of the picture is a sight to behold. The epic pre-credits chase sequence is among the best, and unlike so many lesser Bond films, it only gets better from that point - a stunning neon-lit fight to the death between Bond and an enemy operative in a Shanghai skyscraper, a thrilling foot chase in the London Underground leading to a suspenseful courtroom shootout, the explosive climatic battle pitting Bond, an elderly gamekeeper, and M against Silva and his army of hired killers at Bond's dilapidated ancestral home - nearly every action sequence is bolstered by escalating danger and elevated personal stakes, for once serving the plot instead of the other way around.
Daniel Craig is at his very best in his third appearance as James Bond, delivering a powerful quietly emotional performance as a jaded damaged action hero ravaged by time. In her final featured appearance as M, Judi Dench gives her very best performance in the role, completely embodying the nobility of a leader who refuses to retire while her past mistakes are running amok, ever willing to stand up for what's right in spite of any damage sustained by her reputation. The dynamic between Craig's Bond and Dench's M has never been stronger and it effectively carries the final act of the film. As the deranged Raoul Silva, Javier Bardem is both completely captivating and absolutely terrifying, believably portraying a twisted man who is capable of anything. Ola Rapace is convincingly brutal as Silva's gun for hire Patrice. Bérénice Marlohe is thanklessly tasked with playing Silva's doomed mistress Sévérine, a stock Bond film character type that makes an unfortunate return. Albert Finney amusingly portrays the cranky Scottish Skyfall estate gamekeeper Kincade. The film also features Rory Kinnear returning as as MI6 Chief of Staff Bill Tanner, Ralph Fiennes as Intelligence and Security Committee chairman Gareth Mallory, Naomie Harris as MI6 field agent Eve, and Ben Whishaw as a modern take on Q.
Skyfall is one of the very best pictures of Eon Productions' James Bond film series. Featuring a thoughtful plot that places dire stakes on the line for both 007 and MI6, the feature is as dramatically serious as a Bond picture can possibly be while it is also ranks among the franchise's most entertaining installments. The film impressively deconstructs and reconstructs the status quo of the series, honoring what came before with genuine reverence while paving the way for thrilling possibilities going forward.
THE COLD OPEN
The intense highly-destructive Istanbul chase sequence is simply riveting. The tonal balance is perfect in execution, from the broad humor of Bond pulverizing a trio of VW Beetles in an excavator to the high drama of M ordering Eve to take an impossible shot. The fact that Bond takes a bullet ending the mission in failure sets the stage for an emotionally unpredictable ride.
THE THEME SONG AND OPENING TITLES
Adele's "Skyfall" is at least as good as Shirley Bassey's best Bond theme songs. It's perhaps the best Bond theme song ever, the first Bond theme song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song, a soulful ballad with lyrics that gracefully thematically reference the plot of the film, rather than literally. Daniel Kleinman's fantastic opening titles once again break the tradition of flaunting seductive female figures, instead diving into Bond's psyche prominently featuring abstract representations of Bond's mortality and the titular abandoned family estate as well as sparing depictions of the female form.
THE BOND GIRL
The latest in a long line of women Bond fails to protect, Sévérine is perhaps best seen as a reminder of all those who came before and perhaps a plot point foreshadowing M's ultimate fate. Her tragic backstory as a sex slave just makes it even more depressing when Silva guns her down to demoralize Bond in a twisted meaningless game. In the end, she is woefully underwritten and indisputably the weakest aspect of the film.
THE BOND VILLAIN
While Bond villains conceived to be dark reflections of Bond have been done before, none have been quite as chilling or intriguing as Raoul Silva. M's favorite agent until he disobeyed her orders and she disavowed and abandoned him, his customary Bond villain physical deformity is rather grotesque, a severely mutilated mouth and face are concealed by a sophisticated prosthesis, the result of a failed suicide attempt by cyanide when he was captured by the enemy. Silva's scheme to expose the identities of every secret agent in the world is in actuality secondary to his plot to take M's life and to end his own. Eccentric, flamboyant, and sexually fluid, one of the most entertaining moments in the film is when hits on Bond with Bond responding in kind.
FEATURED HENCHMAN
Patrice doesn't have much of a personality to speak of but he makes for a formidable opponent in the cold open and in the spectacular Shanghai skyscraper fight. These two memorable sequences alone elevate Patrice's placement among the all-time great Bond henchmen.
BEST GADGET
The tricked out Aston Martin DB5 is as cool as it was in Goldfinger. M's quip about it being an uncomfortable ride is hilarious and Bond's response to its destruction during the climactic showdown with Silva's men is amusingly emotional.
FLEMING FIDELITY
Bond's Scottish heritage and his father's name, Andrew Bond, are sourced from Bond's obituary in Ian Fleming's eleventh James Bond novel You Only Live Twice first published in 1964. Sévérine's death scene is inspired by a similar moment depicted in Ian Fleming's twelfth and final James Bond novel The Man with the Golden Gun first published in 1965.
FRAGMENTS
- The role of Kincade was originally written with Sean Connery in mind but producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson were unable to convince Connery to come out of retirement to make the surprise cameo appearance
- Following the gun barrel sequence, at the top of the end credits, the film advertises that "James Bond Will Return" below the logo commemorating the 50th anniversary Eon Productions' James Bond film franchise
