When Skyfall hit theatres in 2012, it was falling on the 50 year anniversary of the Bond series as a whole. So, perhaps it was fitting that for this entry that we dig deeper into the character of Bond as well as the complicated relationship he has with his boss, M. By doing so, we wind up with what was one of the most satisfying Bond films for me.
After a failed attempt to retrieve a stolen hard drive containing the names of undercover operatives, Bond (played by Daniel Craig) has been shot and is presumed dead after a fall from bridge into the watery depths below. Meanwhile, M (played by Judi Dench), receives an ominous message and soon after witnesses her office at MI6 being blown up. When Bond, who is laying low in the tropics somewhere, hears of the attack, he heads home to help M find the culprit. Bond is placed back on active duty and assigned the task of finding out who the culprit is and capturing them, with assistance from fellow agent Eve (played by Naomie Harris). M is also feeling the heat politically as the contents of the stolen hard drive are released and identities of undercover agents are revealed. Suspecting the two are related, Bond investigates and the path leads to Silva (played by Javier Bardem), a former MI6 agent disavowed by M who is executing an extensive revenge plot against his former boss.
This film borrows certain plot points from a previous Bond film, The World is Not Enough, and perhaps executes them better by bringing them front and center. Namely, M's sins coming back to haunt her. More than any other Bond film, M is very much a central character this time out and it really gives Judi Dench some material to sink her teeth into. From the opening scene when M has to make the tough call for Eve to take a shot in order to take out the thief with the hard drive even if it results in killing Bond as well, you can get a taste of the tough calls M has had to make, for better or worse. Silva is the personification of all those bad decisions coming back to haunt her. In fact, Bond and Silva are two sides of the same coin in a way. Bond is upset at her decision, but understands and remains loyal to her, whereas it has destroyed Silva and the torture he received by the hands of the enemy has left him insane and thirsting for revenge. Likewise, we also get to dig in a bit more with Bond himself, as the climax takes place at the Bond family estate, Skyfall, as Bond, M, and the Bond family groundskeeper Kincaide (played by Albert Finney), make their last stand, Straw Dogs style. Fun bit of trivia, the role of Kincaide was initially written with Sean Connery in mind and was considered for about two seconds until the filmmakers came to their senses and realized it would be too distracting. But, on the upside we get Albert Finney, who is reliably fantastic in the role.
Sam Mendes stepped into the director's chair for this Bond outing and managed to create one of the best looking films in the series. Among the many well executed and thrilling action sequences, it's actually a fight scene between Bond and an assassin in a darkened Shanghai highrise that stands out to me. Mostly seen in silhouettes, it's both thrilling and kind of beautiful. You can also tell he has a real love for the Bond series as a whole as the film slowly comes full circle, bringing back the much missed Q (played by the adorkable Ben Whishaw), although with a bit more modern sensibility (His crack to Bond, "What were you expecting? An exploding pen? We don't really go for that anymore," provoked to responses from me, one a nod of recognition of that great GoldenEye gadget and a bemoaning, "Aw, but I liked the exploding pen!") Much like his predecessors, he never jokes about his work either. There is also a late in the film return of the classic Aston Martin DB5 in a scene that Mendes himself described as an orgy of nostalgia when paired with the classic Bond theme and considering my reaction and the reaction of the audience I initially saw it with, I'm inclined to agree.
Overall, Skyfall is everything a Bond movie should be. It is enormously entertaining, with some emotional depth as well. I'm immensely curious to see where the Bond series goes from here as by the end of this one the reboot of Bond seems complete, with all the familiar players back in place, as they should be.
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