Skyfall (2012): British filmmaker Sam Mendes' espionage film starring Daniel Craig as James Bond

Mendes blends the old with the new in the highest-grossing Bond film ever

A Potpourri of Vestiges Review

By Murtaza Ali

Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews 

Skyfall (2012) - By Sam Mendes

Our Rating: 7.5

IMDb Ratings: 8.1

Genre: Action | Adventure | Crime

Cast: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris

Country: UK | USA

Language: English

Runtime: 143 min

Color: Color

Summary: Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. Whilst MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Skyfall is the latest installment in the James Bond film series—the 23^rd film in the celebrated espionage franchise—based on British author Ian Fleming’s charismatic superspy, James Bond aka 007. Skyfall, directed by British filmmaker Sam Mendes, also marks the 50^th anniversary of Dr. No (1962) as well as the franchise. The movie’s screenplay is written by the team of John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. With Skyfall, Daniel Craig becomes the fourth actor to make three or more appearances as James Bond—the others being Roger Moore (7 appearances), Sean Connery (6 appearances), and Pierce Brosnan (4 appearances). Veteran English actress Judi Dench reprises her role of the MI6 supremo, M. Skyfall also stars Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe, and Albert Finney in major roles. Skyfall marks the return of the 007 franchise after a hiatus of four years—the long delay was caused by MGM’s pitiable financial state—following the release of the 22^nd Bond film, Quantum of Solace (2008). Skyfall’s plot basically revolves around a cat and mouse game played between M, James Bond and possibly his greatest nemesis ever, the mysterious cyberterrorist Raoul Silva—a ghost from M’s dark past who returns to inflict collateral damage. As Bond hunts for Silva, he too must come to terms with his nearly forgotten past while simultaneously trying to keep his loyalty for MI6 intact.   

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Skyfall

Until the late 90s, the 007 franchise immaculately fulfilled the sole purpose of epitomizing style and glamour on the celluloid. Those were the days when 007 films were typified by a bunch of seductresses, loud-mouthed supervillains, uber-fancy gadgets, and a spy who was closer to a superhero than a human. But, as the audiences grew choosier and became more intelligent, it got more and more challenging for the makers to keep them engaged using the old, time-tested formulae. Following the dismal show of Die Another Day (2002), the makers finally decided to go for a major revamp. The charismatic Pierce Brosnan was unceremoniously dumped and in came Daniel Craig. Craig, who became the 6^th actor to play Bond on the silver screen, made his debut with Casino Royale (2006). Casino Royale certainly lacked certain defining characteristics of a quintessential Bond film. The CGI and VFX made way for some real action as Fleming’s superspy became more rugged, fierce, fallible and hence more realistic, the closest he had ever been to a human. And the result was remarkable: Casino Royale became an instant success as the audiences all around the world whole-heartedly accepted the new 007. 

Ravishing Bérénice Marlohe as Sévérine in Skyfall

Despite a relatively poor show, Quantum of Solace remained quite true to the transition that had begun with Casino Royale. And there’s no surprise that Skyfall is another step forward in that direction. In Skyfall, James Bond is more vulnerable than ever. He is no longer the blunt instrument that he once was and has finally learnt to keep a check on his ruthless aggression. Only a few vestiges of his old self remain. He faces danger with an air of realism that one seldom associated with his precursors. His loyalties and beliefs are put to test more frequently than ever. He relies more heavily on hand-to-hand combat than gadgets. His romantic involvements seem to be driven more by purpose than passion. In fact, it wouldn’t be farfetched to say that Skyfall consummates the transitional journey of 007 from the unreal to the real. Now that James Bond has finally been grounded to a state of reality, he must also encounter the challenges of the real world, make the choices that a human must, face the dilemmas of the quotidian, and suffer the fate of a human being. James Bond does all this and much more with absolute panache in Skyfall. Sadly, he does it so often and with such conviction that it robs the film of any possible element of surprise. In fact, the idea of a James Bond who like Nolan’s Batman/Bruce Wayne is the epitome of selflessness is quite revolting in itself. But, what is outrageous is that Mendes and his team top it up with a diabolical villain whose maniacal tendencies mirror Heath Ledger’s Joker. This desperation for over-refinement on the part of the makers undermines the movie’s otherwise brilliant setup.

Javier Bardem as Silva in Skyfall

Javier Bardem without a shadow of a doubt is one of the greatest actors of our time. And as a cineaste, it’s quite disconcerting to witness a nigh impeccable Bardem performance getting downplayed because of its conspicuous similarities to Ledger’s part in The Dark Knight (2008). However, there’s no doubt that Bardem’s portrayal of the theatrical Silva is almost as menacing and chilling as his Oscar-winning portrayal of a laconic serial killer in No Country for Old Man (2007). Daniel Craig delivers yet another solid performance that could very well have been his best ever had it not fallen prey to the movie’s deliberately over-refined plot. Ralph Fiennes is quite refreshing in the role of the enigmatic Gareth Mallory and one can expect to see more of him in the forthcoming installments. The new Bond girls, Naomie Harris and Bérénice Marlohe, are tempestuously glamorous in their respective portrayals and more than make up for the lack of oomph factor in the previous installment of the franchise. Judi Dench, despite looking too old for her part, delivers yet another memorable performance as M. And then there is the Bond's youthful, cheeky quartermaster Q, playfully performed by Ben Whishaw—a part that that's highly reminiscent of Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the the popular British television series, Sherlock. Mendes and his team elicit worthy performances from the rest of the cast with special mention of veteran English actor Albert Finney as Kincade. Roger Deakins’ exquisite cinematography seems quite appealing to the eye and is quite easily one of movie's strongest points. Thomas Newman’s background music seems quite dull and perfunctory for the most part with the exception of the original song “Skyfall” sung by Adele.

Naomie Harris as Eve in Skyfall 

Overall, Skyfall serves to be a guilty pleasure that has something for almost everyone. The movie shows flashes of brilliance and despite falling short of the high expectations that preceded its release it offers enough to keep the audience engaged throughout the runtime. Skyfall unquestionably is a significant improvement on Quantum of Solace but clearly fails to match the brilliance of Casino Royale. Skyfall is replete with high octane action sequences that take place in hottest locations spread across the globe: be it the rooftops of Istanbul, the skyscrapers of Shanghai, the underground tube train in London, or the countryside in Scotland. However, the most memorable part of the movie is its last quarter that takes place in an eerie Scottish countryside. The suspense that gradually builds up during it has a kind of raw feel that one generally associates with a quintessential Norwegian movie. This rawness immensely adds to Skyfall’s cinematic quality. In Skyfall, Mendes and his team have tried quite hard to create the balance between the “old” with the “new” of the 007 universe. Skyfall pays homage to some of the early Bond films and even holds a few surprises for the diehard fans of the 007 franchise. And while it’s nearly impossible to overlook the obvious shortcomings, Skyfall none the less is a commendable attempt that ought to give a whole new direction to the forthcoming Bond films. While those on the lookout for some thought-provoking cinema can quite easily afford to give Skyfall a miss, it's a must watch for those whose sole purpose is entertainment, for the movie offers it in plenty.    

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Skyfall (2012) Trailer

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