The much anticipated latest edition of James Bond,
featuring Daniel Craig as Bond, explodes on to the screen with an Oscar winning
theme tune and the same no nonsense attitude we have come to expect from the
straight faced secret agent. The opening sequence is a trail blazing pursuit
cut short unexpectedly, the result being the rebirth of a tragic hero who is
perhaps feeling his age. Bond is then released to finish the mission, he was
prevented doing the first time round, and salvage some nationally important
data. But he is soon up against the impressive portrayed Silva, an ex-agent
bent on seeking revenge on M and played by Javier Bardem (No Country for Old
Men).
Bardem rolls up in a theatrical way. He speaks in a heavily
accented English, has died his hair an off yellow and flaps his hand around a
in nonchalant way, hamming up his campness, and seems to have combined these
traits to establish his own brand of baddie. At first it is difficult to
believe this somewhat over the top image of a man but as we learn more about
him his twisted nature is revealed and to a certain extent he is accepted into
the great canon of Bond villains. His presence is impressive.
Naomie Harris (28 days later) appears as agent Eve and
Ralph Fiennes (English Patient) as Gareth Mallory and M’s new boss or so it
seems. Both are excellent and will no doubt feature in the next Bond film their
characters becoming more involved as the story moves forward. M, played by Dame
Judi Dench, is implacable, unforgiving and hard until the end. She has more
than ever been held up, in this version of Bond, as the vision of the ‘stiff
upper lip’ and does not give an inch. She brings to the screen all her
experience and washes the film with credibility.
There seems to be
everything you could need in this incarnation accept for one thing. The Bond
Girl is a strange bit part played by Berenice Marlohe. When she appears she is
exotic and has a power screen presence, with an interesting back story, but her
role is short lived. Bond fails to save her or even give it much of a go. One
of the reasons why Daniel Craig’s Casino Royal was the best Bond Film ever made
was because of Bond’s connection with Vesper Lynd played by Eva Green. There is
little of this in Skyfall. The emotion element is perhaps Bond’s link with his
past and we glimpse a sense of the loss of his parents. Yet somehow this only
weakens him where as his love for Vesper empowered a dark man who seemed to
have no hope, and riveted us to our seats. Skyfall is intriguing and bleakly
impressive.
73/100
No comments:
Post a Comment