TV • PAGE 27
THE BULLETIN • MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2021
BY JAY BOBBIN
Daniel Craig is at his
Bond best in ‘Skyfall’
As the world continues its wait for Daniel Craig’s fifth
and final James Bond movie, “No Time to Die,” one of
his best remains on view.
Being shown Saturday, June 5, on EPIX – and also
streaming on Amazon – 2012’s “Skyfall” marked the
50th anniversary of the film franchise and gave it a
needed re-energizing after the relatively lackluster
“Quantum of Solace.” The four years between the
pictures, then an unusually long gap for Agent 007’s
screen capers, helped both Craig and the audience
recharge ... as did the participation of director Sam
Mendes, who had guided Craig through a vastly
different role in “Road to Perdition” a decade earlier.
“This time, it’s personal” is an overused trope, but it
applies to Bond as he returns from the supposed dead
– wounded during a mission to recover a list of agents’
aliases – to assist the British Secret Service and boss M
(Judi Dench) when they’re targeted by an enemy who
seems to know a lot about how the agency works.
Still nursing his literal wounds, and under the
skeptical eye of intelligence superior Mallory (Ralph
Fiennes), Bond makes his way through Shanghai and
Macau (gorgeously filmed, as is the whole movie, by
cinematographer Roger Deakins) to find the tale’s
chief villain: Silva (a deliciously scene-chewing Javier
Bardem), whose reason for committing larceny also falls
on the deeply personal side.
“Skyfall” incorporates a large amount of entertaining
touches, including the introductions of a new Q and
Moneypenny, neatly played by Ben Whishaw and
Naomie Harris. Figuring into the climactic portion that
explains exactly what Skyfall is, the great Albert Finney
had one of his last substantial roles, and Berenice Lim
Marlohe makes an exotic and alluring femme fatale as
a Silva moll who guides Bond deeper into the enemy’s
plans.
Though David Arnold had done a highly respectable
job succeeding John Barry as the series’ principal
composer, Mendes enlisted prolific past collaborator
Thomas Newman, who interpolated familiar Bond
themes to give “Skyfall” is its own sound (one that
would be echoed when Mendes and Newman reunited
on the subsequent “Spectre”).
While holding quite true to what had been established
in the world of James Bond, “Skyfall” also moves his
saga forward sensibly and authentically ... quite a tall
order for such an iconic character whose history is well-
known by millions upon millions of fans internationally.
That and “Casino Royale,” Craig’s high marks during
his Bond tenure, give “No Time to Die” a lot to live up
to. In the meantime, though, “Skyfall” will do just fine.
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