Age doesn't come alone

There’s no need for introductions. He’s been introducing himself for over 50 years. In all countries and places, to friends and foes, women and men. His name is Bond, James Bond.

 


007’s 23rd film, through the slightly cyan-colored direction of Sam Mendes, starts with raw action. Bond is in Istanbul with Eve, a pretty girl of course who’s none other than Miss Moneypenny, chasing an evil agent called Patrice. Why is he evil? Well, he’s stolen some files with all NATO’s agents in terrorist organizations all over the world. These secrets could harm secret agencies globally, including MI6, Bond’s employer. After all, he’s a worker as well...

 

The first encounter then takes place in a bazaar, somehow like this: Bond hunts down the bad guy by all possible vehicles. Eve is following them while being on an open line with dear M, the British secret services’ chief. The mess is as good as you can guess. They smash fruits and vegetables, they tear apart beautiful Persian carpets, they run over some extremely resilient rooftops, they ruin three car dealer shows, they compete in train-wagon stand-up kick-boxing and finally fail Eve shoots at Bond and loses him at the bottom of a waterfall.

 

If you thought for a moment that Bond might be dead, sorry, you need to have your brain tested. Hellooo! It’s freaking Bond and the star of a blockbuster; can’t die like this for starters! After the fiasco, the plot gets interesting. MI6 headquarters are quite compromised, M’s leadership even more and everyone thinks Bond is dead. And useless. So there are more than enough reasons for him to come back, clean up the mess and make himself a hero. Again.

 

The thing is, Bond - let alone Daniel Craig - is not exactly a cradle to be robbed any more. The hunk’s got old; he’s tired, he’s got symptoms of early Parkinson, some dark crinkles having a party around his eyes. His stamina is collapsing! Nevertheless, the new great MI6 quest in upon him.

 

First he’s going to Shanghai after Patrice again. This time he does it in a civilized manner confronting him inside a modern futuristic building. Patrice dies nicely and a desperate woman called Sévérine promises Bond to lead him to the boss of all evils in the story. He ends up on an island much like a Lucky Luke scenery - where’s the saloon and the Daltons? - and finally the devil reveals himself.

 

Javier Bardem plays old foe Raoul Silva in a quite unique way and with a certain surplus of talent in comparison with Craig. Well Silva is even farther away from handsomeness, having a weirdly dyed blond hair and eyebrows, not to mention the horse - though clean - denture. I’d say his look is heading straight to to a John Galiano version! Sorry Javier!

 

After a series of events Bond and M find themselves at MI6’s basement trying to explore Silva’s hundreds of mental issues and troubled past. The session continues as a manhunt at the London Tube, as it’s a common nerve-breaking habit of secret agents to absolutely ignore other people’s presence. Can’t you at least yell something like “Move!” or “Sorry, I’m after the bad guy”. No, they really have to step on poor fellas returning home after a hard-worked day.

Bond’s failure transfers action to Skyfall, a site in the middle of nowhere. While waiting for Silva’s hit and cursing her bad luck for not being given Thatcher’s role, M flirts with the caretaker despite the cultural shock; she makes explosives using her French-ly manicured fingers.

 

I can’t but note here Silva’s self referring existence during his invasion to the wretched manor. Yes, it was kitsch!

 

Also, though I’m not usually generous, I should acknowledge Adele’s music here deserved the Oscar.

 

All in all, a pretty much interesting Bond sequel with suspense and subversiveness. Craig starred excellently as a tired agent. He really plays “tired” better than “gorgeous”. Naomi Harris is colorless and hardly sexy, while Berenice Marlohe did a noteworthy attempt to  play femme-fatale.

 

My love for M, Judi Dench that is, cannot be objective. She’s such a bitch that I see myself.