Stripped down Bond at his best

 SKYFALL (2012)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Skyfall" is stripped-down James Bond at his dirtiest. Weapons are not always in great supply for the superspy, and there's a climax involving a chapel and a burned-down dusty old house where young Jimmy Bond was from. In other words, several tropes of the usual Bond scenario are not always present here. The action fireworks are on overload as expected yet there is also a surprising amount of intimacy between James and the new leading ladies, and especially the new curiously charming villain who can, ah but we are getting ahead of ourselves. This is still James Bond at its best.

The grand M (the grand Judi Dench) has had Bond shot during a fight aboard a train in one of the most inventive prologues yet of any Bond film. Unfortunately, her MI6 headquarters has been bombed and, without Bond, her life and the lives of many other agents are in danger due to the download of an MI6 agent list on youtube!  She also stands to lose her job. No spoiler when it is clear that Bond (Daniel Craig, tougher and more lethal than ever) is not dead (despite M writing an obit) and he is ready to go back to work. Unfortunately, Bond does not pass his physical or any other tests. But you know 007 will bounce back soon enough.

The villain this time is Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), a former MI6 agent who is seeking revenge against M. Silva had been tortured for months after M had had enough of Silva operating beyond his duties (something to do with hacking into China's top secret files). Now Silva is a cyberterrorist and has a mistress named Severine (Bérénice Marlohe), a prostitute who had been part of a sex slave ring. Severine wants out of Silva's firm grasp and hopes Bond will rescue her and kill Silva. Of course, one can't be too sure of her motives and Bérénice Marlohe is an exceptional actress who shows beauty and brains and the scared little girl inside (it is a marvelous performance) all in one tremendous scene. 

Bardem has an amazingly chilling introduction where he practically seduces Bond, or maybe just uses a homoerotic intimidation technique (hard to say for sure but it is also a stupendous scene). He challenges Bond to shoot Severine in a scene that is just as chilling. My one complaint is that when the chase is on after Silva is captured and escapes, the final confrontation is relatively underwhelming yet Bardem gives it oomph with a crazed look in his eyes that is haunting.

"Skyfall" is fast-paced, electrically charged James Bond fun with many scenes of Bond running, riding a motorcycle on tenement rooftops at top speeds or maneuvering a crane aboard a train that has to be seen to be believed. One other moment has Bond hanging on an elevator as it ascends to the top of a skyscraper - if you suffer from vertigo, be warned. Other than dangerous stunts and fireballs and machine gun fire and a couple of hungry Komodo dragons, there are also intimate moments between Bond and M (whom many agents refer to as mum) and the new women in his life. The aforementioned Severine is one, and there is also Naomie Harris as Eve Moneypenny, who has one tantalizing lovely and breathtakingly romantic scene where she helps Bond shave. 

"Skyfall" mirrors some of the explosive action of the "Mission Impossible" movies only this movie is not as over-the-top. The addition of director Sam Mendes on board gives this series a real jolt of excitement and some nifty new ideas, courtesy of writers Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. "Skyfall" is not as hypnotic as "Casino Royale" nor is it thankfully as slight or as average as "The Quantum of Solace" yet it is on par with the best the series has to offer. Daniel Craig and the uniformly excellent cast (including a Albert Finney cameo) elevate it to the level of great pop art.