[9]

It’s so refreshing to watch heroes and villains who are over the age of 40. Skyfall repeatedly suggests that sometimes older is better, and as a middle-aged film fan, I couldn’t agree more. Daniel Craig’s third turn as James Bond matches the high bar set by his first film, Casino Royale. Bond is wounded and presumed dead at the start of the film, and the specter of death looms over the rest of the movie — culminating in an emotional ending that bids farewell to a recurring character.

The villain this time is Raoul Silva, an aggrieved ex-agent played by Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, who’s hellbent on making ‘M’ (Judi Dench) pay for a calculated decision that led to his capture and torture many years ago. Bardem delivers a top-tier Bond villain, whose first meeting with Craig’s Bond is a chilling one with homoerotic overtones. His escape from MI6 leads to a subway train crash, followed immediately by a brazen attempt to assassinate M while she’s testifying in court — perhaps the film’s single-most thrilling sequence. The third act features its fair share of gunfire and explosions, but Skyfall‘s climax is more emotional in nature, forcing Bond and M to reconcile their contentious relationship as Silva stalks them to Bond’s childhood home on a desolate, frozen moor.

The screenplay, credited to John Logan, Robert Wade, and Neal Purvis, dives deeper into Bond’s character than the franchise has ever gone before, forcing him to confront his advancing age and past traumas. The dialogue is brilliant, concise but meaningful. Director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and photographer Roger Deakins deliver the single best-looking Bond film ever made, and Adele’s opening title track ranks right up there with Shirley Bassey’s immortal “Goldfinger”. Thomas Newman makes his debut as a Bond composer and proves a worthy successor to the series’ musical heritage. Long-time Bond fans will also appreciate the returns of characters not seen in a while, as well as a beloved car from decades past — the iconic Aston Martin.

Skyfall is the twenty-third Bond film and a serious contender for the best in the sixty-four-year-old series. I place it right alongside On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and Casino Royale.

With Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, and Albert Finney.

Academy Awards: Best Song (‘Skyfall’), Sound Effects Editing (tied with Zero Dark Thirty)

Oscar Nominations: Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Score (Thomas Newman)