Skyfall is possibly the most British Bond film yet. The last two Daniel Craig encounters were directed by a New Zealander, and then a German. The iconic Bond opening credits song was sung by Americans, firstly Chris Cornell for Casino Royale and then Alicia Keys and Jack White for Quantum of Solace. Here, we have British national treasure Sam Mendes taking directorial duties and British national treasure Adele belting out another classic for the opening credits. Following the death of Desmond Llewellyn in 1999, John Cleese had a crack at replacing him as Q for 2 films, but it just didn't feel right. Llewellyn had been the iconic Quartermaster in 17 Bond films. If you're gonna recast the character, you have to start at the beginning again. Enter young Ben Whishaw, last seen (by me at least) in the excellent BBC mini-series The Hollow Crown as King Richard II. Whishaw's Q isn't so much the gadget man as the geek, proving himself to be quite the computer hacker to rival that of Javier Bardem's Silva. Much of the film is spent on the shores of Blighty, and the best of British is shown. Porcelain bulldogs on desks in offices overlooking the Thames, the Union Flag waving over the London skyline, the Tube, the Met Police, the one-lane road up to Scotland. Ok, maybe that's not something quintessentially British, but the scene where M buys some Greggs' sausage rolls for Bond's lunch was cut.
This, the 23rd Bond film in the series, is possibly the most personal one to Bond himself. You learn an awful lot about his past, and also what his retirement plans are (he doesn't really have any which don't involve alcohol). This emotional core to the film is rather unique then, as the last few Bond films haven't quite packed the emotional punch that is often needed in an action film. And the overall premise of the film is rather unique as, I feel, it is the first film in a long time where Bond isn't in complete control of the situation. Usually you have Bond briefed about the villain, what are his likes/dislikes, what morning paper he reads, what are his weaknesses, how easy it is to push him into his own trap (lava, sharks, piranhas etc.); but this time, Bond is forever one step behind Bardem's Silva. And he deserves to be, albeit through the fault of his superiors more than his own. Silva is a deliciously Bondian villain. His scarred past, his brushes with MI6, his defining physical feature, his crazy, out of this world hideout; it's all there for Bardem to just gobble up in his path. He chews the scenery, spits it out and chews it again (he probably does with teeth like that), but never too much. He never goes full Pacino, but you can see a bit of Joker in him. An uneasiness that really does affect the audience. Silva's not fully sympathetic, but he's definitely one who you can love to hate.
The real star of the film, though, is Judy Dench's M. Returning for her 7th Bond outing, Skyfall is the film where you actually learn about her. You realise she's not just Bond's boss. She is very vulnerable in her Ivory Tower, and Dench plays this vulnerability perfectly. The husband that's very briefly mentioned in passing in Casino Royale has died, and the loneliness in M's life is plain to see. Bond is all she has left, and she doesn't do the best of jobs in keeping him.
Sam Mendes does a brilliant job as director, but a big shout-out must go to his cinematographer Roger Deakins, who has worked with Mendes on Jarhead and Revolutionary Road previously. Deakins uses the camera like a painter of modern art. Sharp contrasts between colour and blackness really make some of the scenes memorable for all the right reasons. Chris Corbould, special effects supervisor on a Bond film for the 10th time, does a fantastic job in restraining from the use of CGI, particularly for a spectacular scene in the London Underground. The soundtrack by long time Mendes collaborator, Thomas Newman, is unlike what most people would recognise as typical Newman. Watch the video below to the left to hear Newman's iconic motif for American Beauty. Subtlety is his speciality, with atmosphere and mood being his main characteristics, pulling at the heartstrings and rousing emotions. He also did the soundtracks for Finding Nemo and the Shawshank Redemption, for example. Here, however, he delivers a soundtrack which is worthy of any Bond film, using his subtlety less playfully than usual, creating atmosphere and tension, making it known that the stakes are high and things are getting desperate. It's lean, modern and bloody fantastic, using the classic Bond theme sparsely and carefully so as not to overuse it. Bombastic at times, but never deafening, it fits perfectly into the grand scheme of things.
Skyfall isn't perfect.It isn't the best Bond film ever as some are claiming. It is brilliant, even if the classic Bond girl roles, played here by Naomie Harris and Bérénice Marlohe, are slightly underwritten, but they are full of intrigue and mystery, particularly Harris' Eve. Skyfall is truly thrilling stuff and one of the most Bond-y Bond films for a long time, probably since Goldeneye. It really packs an emotional punch, and has a heart which has been lacking for some time in the longest film franchise in the world. In a year which has been oh so British, Bond has once again done Queen and Country proud.
8.5/10
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