I’ve always been a fan of James Bond
movies, from my first Sean Connery film years ago when cable became popular.
Being an anglophile and a connoisseur of mystery and intrigue, I fell in love
with the spy gadgets, the beautiful girls and exotic locations, the Aston
Martin, the fast-paced chase scenes, and of course, the British (or Scottish) accent.
But it wasn’t until Casino Royale
with the fabulous Daniel Craig, that I saw a truly romantic Bond. Readers of
this column know I’m a real sucker for romance, especially stories where either
the hero or heroine makes the ultimate sacrifice for love. If you’ve seen Casino Royale, you know what I mean.
Many of my lady friends aren’t the least
bit interested in a Bond movie, despite my efforts to sell them on Craig’s
rendition of the special agent. Like Casino
Royale, Skyfall is another
example of a very different Bond from the one we’ve seen from other actors.
He’s tender and romantic, full of a wide range of emotions, without
compromising his strength and manliness. He is vulnerable and invincible at the
same time, more of a likeable hero for the typical romance-loving female
viewer. And Skyfall goes even further than Casino
Royale, delivering another twist on the character—the story goes back to Bond’s
childhood home where the tragic loss of his parents marked him for life. And
the love interest isn’t Moneypenny or the lovely eye candy who is murdered
halfway through the film. No, it is none other than M.
What? An intimate portrayal with Dame Judi
Dench? Yes, but it is a touching display of a mother-son love rather than the
typical male-female relationship seen in a Bond film. The scene is staged from
the opening sequence where M calls the shots from her cushy office in London
while 007 races around Istanbul, chasing down a bad guy with a very important
computer file. A sniper (Moneypenny) stands ready to take down the enemy, but
it’s too close to call—Bond could be killed if she can’t get a clear view. But
M can’t risk losing that computer file—she orders the sniper to take the shot. Bond
falls from a moving train into a roaring river, seemingly as dead as a
doornail.
But as to be expected, there is a
marvelous resurrection and the story is off and running. Is Bond so indispensable
to M that she would so callously risk his life? After a terrorist explosion of
MI headquarters that destroys M’s office and kills eight agents, Bond returns
from his island refuge in a veiled attempt to offer his help. He is angry at M
and confronts her over the decision to order the sniper’s fire. Even though she
is professional and authoritarian, defending her decision, we sense their close
connection that is special and unique. After a grueling round of field agent
tests, M reinstates Bond as Agent 007, and it is business as usual to track
down the mastermind behind the explosion and the missing computer file. Only
later, we learn that Bond failed the competency tests. A crack in M’s armor
shows a guilty conscience, as well as a desire to see him restored to success.
The main reason I liked this movie is that
it was so different and strange, so unexpected. It was deep and cerebral, with
M being the focal part of the story. Since I’m a huge Judi Dench fan, I was
delighted in a greater development of her role. I have always found the M
character interesting and enjoyed getting just a glimpse of her backstory. But
sadly for Bond fans, her propensity to sacrifice agents for the greater good catches
up with her, and an eerie, almost comical madman (played very well by the great
Javier Bardem) seeks revenge. Once a brilliant field agent himself, he had
shared a special relationship with M, but in the end, had been sacrificed. He
survived, but is left with a set of rotten teeth and a melted jaw-bone from a
defective cyanide tablet. And not only that, but his bad, 80s-style hair-do, orangey
dye-job, and a creepy lunatic personality that mimics a cross between Hannibal Lector
and Bozo the clown, makes him a most unusual villain. I couldn’t decide whether
he was terrifying or comical. But his character works and adds to the
strangeness of the film.
***Spoiler ALERT***
The final showdown has Bond and M together
at his old home, Skyfall, in Scotland, with the climax occurring in a little
chapel outside the estate grounds. As M dies in Bond’s arms, she looks into his
eyes as though she is looking into the face of her only child and says, “Well, I got
one thing right.” Oh, I gulp as I write these words, remembering that tender
moment. Craig plays the emotions beautifully, and the result is a Bond who has
become a real flesh and bones man who women want to be with and men want to be.
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