"SKYFALL" (2012) Review

"SKYFALL" (2012) Review

Before I had sat down in a movie theater to watch the latest James Bond movie, "SKYFALL", it occurred to me that four years had passed since the last movie about the MI-6 agent. During those four years, EON Productions endured another round of legal entanglements regarding the Bond franchise, delaying the production and release of "SKYFALL" by at least two years. But in the end, producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson came through and released the company's 23rd James Bond film.

"SKYFALL" begins in Istanbul, Turkey; where MI-6 agents James Bond and "Eve" go after a mercenary named Patrice, who has managed to steal a list of undercover NATO agents from the laptop hard drive of a MI-6 field agent. Their assignment ends in disaster after Patrice wounds Bond in the shoulder, and "Eve" accidentally shoots Bond, during his fight with the mercenary atop a moving train. Following the Istanbul debacle, "M" is pressured by Intelligence and Security Committee Chairman Gareth Mallory to retire. During M's return from her meeting, the MI-6 computer servers are breached, resulting in an explosion at the building that kills a number of employees. Bond, who had used his "death" to retire, returns to London and asks to return to the field. Despite his failure to pass a series of physical and psychological examinations, M allows Bond to find the person behind the theft of the list of NATO agents and the MI-6 explosions. Bond's investigations eventually leads him to a former MI-6 agent named Raoul Silva who wants to humiliate, discredit and ultimately kill M as revenge against her for betraying him years ago.

When I finally walked out of that movie theater, as the end credits for "SKYFALL" rolled, the first thought that came to my mind was that the movie was a piece of crap. I was very disappointed by "SKYFALL". The more I thought about the plot and characterizations featured in "SKYFALL", I finally realized that my feelings about the movie had not changed. I still believe it was a piece of crap and one of the worst James Bond movies I have ever seen.

There are certain aspects of "SKYFALL" that I found admirable. And before I delve into the reasons behind my dislike of the film, I might as point out these admirable traits. Unlike 2008's "QUANTUM OF SOLACE", "SKYFALL" was not marred by an uneven pacing. Directed Sam Mendes did an excellent job of giving the movie a steady pace that did not leave me breathless or groggy. I also have to give kudos to cinematographer Roger Deakins for his sharp, yet beautiful photography of the different locations featured in the film - especially for Istanbul, London and Scotland. And most of the action sequences in the movie - especially Raoul Silva's attack upon M at a public inquiry and the chase scene through London's Underground system - struck me as very exciting and well shot, thanks to Mendes' direction, along with Stuart and Kate Baird's editing.

Looking back on "SKYFALL", I noticed that it featured some first-rate acting, by a superb cast. Daniel Craig returned for a third time to portray 007. And as usual, he was in top form, capturing the British agent's self doubts after being shot in Istanbul. After seventeen years, Judi Dench portrayed "M" for the last time in a plot in which her character plays a major role in the story. Many have been speculating about an Academy Award for her excellent performance. The only reason I am not jumping on this bandwagon is that Dench has been knocking it out of the ballpark as "M", ever since she first assumed the role in 1995's "GOLDENEYE". Javier Bardeem seemed to have been inspired by Heath Ledger's Oscar winning performance as the Joker in his portrayal of Raoul Silva, a former MI-6 agent who seeks revenge against "M". In his way, the actor's performance was just as colorful. However, I do not think I will ever consider him to be one of my favorite Bond villains. I found his performance a little too showy and not very original for my tastes.

Naomie Harris was in fine form as MI-6 agent "Eve", who turned out to be the iconic Miss Moneypenny. I really enjoyed Harris' performance, but I have something to say about her transformation from field agent to secretary. Bérénice Marlohe did the best she could with the small role of Sévérine, a former victim of the sex trade who became Silva's representative and mistress. Ben Whishaw was a ball as a young and geeky "Q", who seemed more like a computer hacker, instead of an arms quartermaster. Both Ralph Fiennes and Rory Kinnear gave solid performances as Intelligence and Security Committee Chairman Gareth Mallory and Bill Tanner, "M"'s Chief of Staff. And Albert Finney gave a lively and entertaining performance as Kincade, the gamekeeper of the Skyfall estate that belongs to Bond.

But despite its positive attributes, in the end I found "SKYFALL" very disappointing. And I believe the movie's main problems could be found in the script written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan. The movie began in Istanbul with Bond and Moneypenny attempting to get their hands on the list of undercover NATO agents that had been stolen from another MI-6 agent. Unfortunately, the movie never explained how a field agent ended up with such a list on his laptop hard drive in the first place. Some fans have dismissed this plot hole, claiming it would have been unnecessary for the script to explain such a situation. I am sorry, but I refuse to dismiss it. For me, it does not make sense that a field agent stationed in Istanbul would have such a list in the first place. Only unusual circumstances could explain this situation . . . and the screenplay refused to do so.

The screenplay also failed to explain why Silva waited so long to go after the NATO agents on the list Patrice stole for him. A certain period of time had passed between the incident in Istanbul and the bombing at MI-6. What took Silva so long to go after those agents? And did "M" or the British government ever bothered to alert NATO that some of their agents were exposed? Judging by the ease Silva killed some of the agents, I gather not. I also found Silva's plans regarding his revenge against "M" rather convoluted. From what I gathered, he wanted to humiliate her before he can kill her. If it was that easy for him to bomb MI-6, why did he have to resort to allowing himself to be captured by Bond, in order to get close enough to kill her? He could have flown to the U.K. and killed before Bond or anyone else was able to guess he was behind the debacles that dogged "M" in the movie. And how did he know she would be appearing before a public inquiry on the very day he busted out of MI-6's new quarters?

I also found Bond's efforts to save "M" very questionable. One, how did Silva managed to track Bond and "M" to the former's Scottish estate so easily? Were Bond and "M" wearing tracking devices? Did Silva use their cell phones? How? And if Bond had expected Silva to track them, why on earth did he not recruit back up to help him? If Silva had men to help attack "M" at the public inquiry, surely Bond must have realized that the former MI-6 agent would have help in Scotland. Instead, Bond relied upon the aging Kincade. I do not know who to charge with incompetence - the Bond character or the writers that created this scenario. Speaking of Skyfall, the sequence there featured two graves with the names of Bond's parents, Andrew and Monique Bond. One might ask "what is wrong with that?" This would have been fine . . . if Purvis, Wade and screenwriter Paul Haggis had not re-written Bond's past in 2006's "CASINO ROYALE". In that particular movie, Tresury agent Vesper Lynd accurately surmised that Bond was a middle-class or working-class orphan, whose education had been financed by a wealthy benefactor. In "SKYFALL", the writers used Bond's literary background. In other words, his father came from the Scottish landed gentry and his mother, from Switzerland. So . . . what happened to the background established in "CASINO ROYALE"? Did EON Productions rebooted the franchise for a second time, during Craig's tenure? If so, I find this very sloppy on the writers' part.

Before "SKYFALL" was released in U.S. movie theaters, I came across a few articles on the Internet, claiming that the movie might be less sexist than the previous Bond films. They cited the expanded role of "M" as an example of this more politically correct portrayal. After seeing "SKYFALL", I realized that this opinion of a more feminist friendly movie is a joke. This movie has set the portrayal of female characters in the Bond franchise back at least forty to fifty years . . . back to characters such as Honey Ryder, Jill and Tilly Masterson, Tiffany Case, Solitaire, Andrea Anders and Mary Goodnight. Here is a look at the four female characters featured in this movie:

*Clair Dowar MP - Helen McCrory portrayed the Member of Parliament who led the inquiry into "M"'s leadership of MI-6. It was bad enough that McCrory portrayed the character as a screeching harpy. But during the inquiry, she was interrupted by Gareth Mallory, who "suggested" in a patronizing manner that she cease her rants and allow "M" to talk. And she did! Why on earth did the screenwriters allowed Mallory to get away with such behavior to a MP? The script should have allowed Dowar to order Mallory to shut his hole and continue her rant, before allowing "M" to speak. But no. . . the all knowning male, Mallory, is allowed to shut her up in a very patronizing manner.

*Sévérine - Bérénice Marlohe, who portrayed Raoul Silva's mistress, claimed she was inspired by Famke Janssen's portrayal of "GOLDENEYE" villainess Xenia Onatopp. Honestly, I do not see the resemblance. Onatopp was a badass and slightly psychotic former fighter pilot and killer. Marlohe's Sévérine simply struck me as a world weary woman who turned out to be nothing more than a bed warmer for Bond and a long time sex toy and tool for Silva. One, she barely lasted longer than a half hour in the film. Two, Bond had sex with her, despite guessing that she used to be a part of Asia's child sex trade. Even worse, he failed to consider that sex with her would endanger her life. But he screwed her anyway in a rather . . . tasteless scene and Silva ended up shooting her like a dog. In the end, I realized that Sévérine reminded me of all those female Bond sacrificial lambs, whom Bond got to screw before they got bumped off. Marlohe was really wasted in this movie.

*Eve Moneypenny - Poor Naomie Harris. I realize that as the new Miss Moneypenny, she will have a job with the Bond franchise, as long as Craig continues to portray 007. But honestly, the screenwriters really screwed her in this film. Are audiences really supposed to believe that her character was unsuited to be a field agent, after the debacle in Istanbul? After all, she told "M" that she did not have a clean shot, before the latter ordered her to take it. Yet, upon Eve's reunion with Bond in London, he tries to undermine her self-esteem by claiming she was unsuited for such a role. And then . . . what happens? Eve is assigned to assist Bond in Macau and ends up saving his life. Later, she held herself well during Silva's attack against "M" at the public inquiry. Yet, near the end of the film, she informs Bond that he was right and decided to leave the field and become a secretary. A fucking secretary? This is how EON Productions set up Moneypenny for the Craig tenure? Not once did the film ever really indicated that Moneypenny had any difficulty over what happened in Istanbul. I felt really insulted after that last scene between Bond and Moneypenny.

*"M" - "SKYFALL" was supposed to be Judi Dench's swan song in the role of Head of MI-6, after seventeen years. And this was EON Productions' idea of a send off for Dench? Transforming her character into an incompetent boob? They had her character making mistakes left and right. Even worse, they reduced this "strong woman" into a useless and helpless female, who needed Mallory to come to her defense during MP Dowar's rant against her and Bond to save her from Silva. And yet . . . if she was really that incompetent, how is it that she was the only one who figured out that a former MI-6 was behind their troubles? If the portrayal of "M" was supposed to be an example of a proper female hero, EON Productions can keep it.

There were other aspects of "SKYFALL" that left me feeling disappointed. I am a great admirer of Adele as a singer. But honestly? I have no memories of the movie's theme song performed by her. The song simply went into one ear and out of the other. I also noticed that certain moments in the film showcased Craig posing in a standing position. In other words, he usually stood in one spot - whether at the bow of the boat delivering him to the Macau casino, next to Sévérine at the bow of Silva's yacht, on a hill overlooking his family's estate or on the rooftop overlooking the London skyline - feet apart and well dressed. Here is an example of that pose:



Before the movie ended, I could not tell whether I was watching a James Bond action film or a photo spread from a "GQ" magazine.

Ah . . . EON Productions. You really disappointed me this time. I had bought all of the claptrap about this being one of the best James Bond movies in years. Looking back, I now realize that Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson had overreacted to some of the negative press over "QUANTUM OF SOLACE", which I actually enjoyed despite its flaws. The fans could not deal with a dark and grim follow-up to "CASINO ROYALE", and the two producers reacted by delivering a movie that could not make up its mind on whether it was a grim espionage tale or a typical Bond fantasy adventure. It tried to be both and failed in the end . . . at least for me.