Skyfall (2012) ★★★★½
This might be the best Bond movie, though I'm not sure whether I am here ready to remove On Her Majesty's Secret Service from the top spot yet.
With this film, Sam Mendes shows he's more than an arthouse director, that someone capable of perfectly marrying drama and action with some highly enjoyable and impressive action set pieces
It's also a film where Daniel Craig seems completely at ease as James Bond, moreso than in Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace, and his interactions with Javier Bardem's Silva show a wry humour masking a menace which is always lurking just beneath the surface. I think Bardem is terrific in this, playing a character with real depth, cunning and thread mixed with playfulness. It's a film which uses nostalgia to good effect to bring the past and present together in a film which is more fun than the previous two Bond films.
As the action moves around and the story develops to reveal more of James Bond's past, the film really holds your attention. The present is just as interesting because of characters like Naomie Harris's Moneypenny Ralph Fiennes ' Mallory, and Ben Wishaw's Q, all great additions to the MI6 team.
Once we reach the titular location for the final act, the film takes a more melancholic turn making it, and Bond, more emotionally engaging and interesting.
|