Director: Sam Mendes
Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem and Naomie Harris
Perhaps it is time that movie franchises started trusting
real film making talents to pilot their projects, Sam Mendes’ Skyfall is the
latest exhibit which proves that regardless of budget, cast or brand name
ultimately the key ingredient is that of the visionary in the director’s chair.
There is no secret additive for Mendes just a reluctance to sacrifice core
story telling principles adding heft to the psyche of his characters and the
meaning to their actions, this may well be the 40 or so minutes missing from
its hapless predecessor if one were to compare the running times.
Never has a Bond been
so open, so vulnerable so visibly scarred and defeated as the one we witness
here, the fatigue of the game now an authentic badge of comprehension and
empathy. It may have taken 3 films but Daniel Craig’s 007 trademark is
established as a wall of fierce solemnity which hinge every glare, grimace
and scowl to a reserved, introverted manner.
After a mission takes a bad turn Bond must return from a self imposed
exile to aid M (Judi Dench) who is reacquainted with a previously
excommunicated charge turned evil (Javier Bardem), MI6 is set for a revelatory
episode where everyone involved must reengage with their own personal demons in
order to invoke the fortitude needed to rebound.
Of course there will always be the time and need for
tradition the girls, the cars, the villain but even these are not wasted on throw away nostalgic
references, instead they are used to skilfully form the thematic structure of
the film which concerns itself with the past and the ways in which it manifests
itself in the present; Skyfall transcends this by respecting the legacy of whence
it came and simultaneously ushering in a new dawn.
8/10
Top 5 espionage thrillers
5. Three Days of the Condor (1974)
Robert Redford’s CIA researcher takes a well timed lunch
break from the New York book shop which provides operational cover, only to return to
the massacre of his colleagues. The quest for the truth is a murky journey
obscured by danger and paranoia with only a hapless Faye Dunaway whom he
imprisons for an ally.
4. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Disgraced into early retirement George Smiley played by an
in form Gary Oldman is brought back into sniff out a double agent embedded in the
belly of MI6, to make things interesting his old gang are among the top
suspects. Swedish Director Tomas Alfredson’s direction is a masterful display
of control and patience as he refines every inch of detail and builds to riveting
climax.
3. The Ipcress File (1965)
Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) is the spectacled, proletarian,
anti Bond, his life is free of the glitz and glamour of his more illustrious contemporary.
We observe Palmer’s mundane process in great detail, everything from supermarket
shopping to displays of petty rebellion which add to his charm and appeal. An
investigation is launched into the serial disappearance of British scientists in
an apparent Cold War fueled “Brain Drain” and Palmer finds himself way over
his head.
2. Munich (2005)
Spielberg’s Ying to his Schindler’s List’s Yang is an
explosive tale of revenge and devotion to the cause as Eric Bana heads a cell
of Israeli agents tasked with delivering systematic retribution for the
atrocities committed during the Munich games of ’72. Bana plunged deep into the dark world of state terrorism and shady
informants whichbring into dispute the validity of his actions.
1. The Day Of The Jackal (1973)
An international Chess match/Cat & Mouse game ensues
when the French secret service learn of an intricate plot to eradicate Head of
state Charles de Gaull through a lone assassin. France’s best detective Claude
Lebel (Michael Lonsdale) is assigned to track down would be meticulous killer Jackal (Edward Fox)
across Europe as he tries to cross the border and into Paris. With superbly
written detail and immersive execution The Day Of The Jackal is a timeless
masterpiece. 
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