“If you don’t leave now, we’ll die together.” ~ Lucia Sciarra
“I can
think of worse ways to go.” ~ James Bond
“You are a kite dancing in a hurricane, Mr. Bond.” ~ Mr.
White
“It was me, James. The author of all your pain.” ~ Franz
Oberhauser
“I have a mortgage to pay and two cats to feed.” ~ Q
“So you’d better trust me. For the sake of
the cats.” ~ James Bond
“You’ve got a secret. Something you can’t tell anyone,
because you don’t trust anyone.” ~ Eve Moneypenny
“Is this what you really want? Living in the shadows?
Hunting, being hunted? Always alone?” ~ Madeleine Swann
“I don’t stop to think
about it.” ~ James Bond
The world’s greatest cinematic spy is back on the big screen
(sorry, Ethan Hunt, but you suffer from the terminal condition that comes with
having Tom Cruise play you, so you’ll never qualify). James Bond returns to the
dark world of spies, terrorists, assassins, and intrigue in the new film Spectre. Daniel Craig reprises his role
as the suave and relentless British agent for the fourth time, while Skyfall director Sam Mendes returns once
again to direct this follow up. In a plot that crosses the globe, pits Bond
against the mysterious Spectre organization, and draws out secrets of the past,
the film may be Craig’s final take on the iconic character, and if so, it’s a
fitting send off.
The film opens in Mexico City on the Day of the Dead, where
we come across Bond among the crowd. He’s seeking out a target, an assassin
named Marco Sciarra (Alessandro Cremona), who’s conspiring to blow up a
stadium. Bond takes the initiative and takes measures to stop the plot in a
spectacular pre-credits sequence through and above the streets of the city. As
it turns out though, the mission wasn’t sanctioned, and M (Ralph Fiennes) is
decidedly unhappy with 007, putting him on leave. M has problems of his own,
dealing with a power struggle with C (Andrew Scott), the head of the Joint
Intelligence Service, the newly merged MI5 and MI6 services.
Bond, however, has other ideas, having had removed a ring from
Sciarra with a strange symbol on it; he reveals to Moneypenny (Naomie Harris)
that he was acting under orders- from the previous M (Judi Dench, in a cameo),
who issued him specific orders before her death. And so the secret agent sets
out on his own mission, with some assistance from Q (Ben Whishaw), which takes
him into encounters with Sciarra’s widow Lucia (Monica Belluci), an old
adversary, Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), a doctor, Madeleine Swann (Lea
Seydoux), a mountain of a henchman by the name of Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista), and
a face from his past, Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz), who leads a nefarious
organization (no, not the Boy Scouts).
The script has nods towards both the larger history of the
James Bond films as well as continuity threads to the Daniel Craig incarnation
of the character, with Spectre revealed to have connections to the earlier
adversaries, particularly the Quantum organization that appeared in Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace, now shown to be a subsidiary of Spectre. Four
writers are credited with the screenplay. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade have a
lot of experience with the world of 007, having had been involved in the
writing of each Bond film since The World
Is Not Enough. John Logan has a lot of screenplay experience, having had
worked on Gladiator, The Aviator, and
with Purvis and Wade on Skyfall. Jez
Butterworth has more experience with the stage, but his film screenplay work
includes The Last Legion and Edge of Tomorrow.
The story concerns
itself with themes like government surveillance, the use of private
information, secrets of the past, and the idea of whether or not a spy has a
choice about the life he leads, something that’s strongly brought up in
conversation between Bond and Madeleine in a quiet moment. Another quiet moment
stands out to me among the action of the film, a conversation between Bond and
an old adversary that turns their old antagonism completely around. It’s a good
character moment for both men, and quite unexpected.
Before Skyfall, Sam
Mendes would have been an unlikely choice for a director of an action film, let
alone a James Bond film. His previous work included American Beauty (which I disliked), Revolutionary Road, The Kite Runner, and Road To Perdition (which I really liked as a character study). And
yet with that film he proved just how good he can be with the genre. So his
return to helm this film was a welcome one. He has a good touch for action, for
the intensity that the genre requires, and I like the way he frames sequences
(an early sequence that follows Bond crossing over rooftops in Mexico City has
a mesmerizing and creative feel, and might give people who have problems with
heights an issue or two).
He and his camera crew capture the action well- fistfights
are delivered with the right amount of intensity, while grand set piece chases
involving cars, planes, and boats become breathtaking. A good deal of the
filming was done on location in Britain, Italy, Austria, Mexico, and north
Africa, and that sense of globetrotting comes across in the way Mendes shoots
the film. It also shows itself in the work of the rest of the crew- special
effects are well done (particularly a showstopper of an explosion that’s still
done in a way that doesn’t feel obnoxious- Michael Bay’s explosions by contrast
are always obnoxious).
Costuming work this time out is also nicely done- the
Day of the Dead costuming for the pre-credits sequence, not only for Bond but
hundreds of extras- looks exactly like what you’d expect out of the festival
(the costume designers deserve an Oscar nomination just for that). And a dress
Madeleine wears at one point inspires a playful moment- she tells Bond he
shouldn’t stare, while he quips “well you shouldn’t look like that.” Thomas
Newman, who frequently collaborates with Mendes, returns again to compose the
score, weaving the familiar 007 theme into his music, and shows a great skill
for action music while also continuing his own good reputation for character
driven themes.
The cast are well chosen. Jesper Christensen returns as Mr.
White, the shadowy antagonist from Casino
Royale and Quantum Of Solace for
a cameo appearance, but an important one. He’s developed something of a
conscience since last we saw him, as well as a deep concern for his daughter.
Spectre has thus turned on him, and the character’s dying and looks like a wreck. His conversation
with Bond is an enlightening one- the man is at the end of the line, dealing
with the consequences of his own actions, and how the two men reach an
understanding is a surprise.
Andrew Scott has become well known for his role as the
malevolent Moriarty in the current BBC series Sherlock, playing the adversary to the great detective. He dials
down the crazy on the way he plays Max Denbigh, aka C, but fundamentally the
audience doesn’t trust him (I found myself wondering if he’s typecasted himself
playing Moriarty). Where M clearly has principles and has experience in the
field, C doesn’t seem at all to care about the real consequences of his
policies. When the character’s true motives are revealed, it’s not quite a
surprise.
Dave Bautista really makes an impression as Mr. Hinx; in
fact he seems more interesting as the villain than his boss. Bautista comes
from a background in wrestling, so we’re not talking about a Shakespearean
actor, but I really like what he did with the role. The character is largely
silent throughout the film- he speaks only one word- but he’s ferocious right
from the start. Hinx establishes himself early on as brutal, ruthless, and
dangerous, a powerful fighter who can kill without hesitation and never seems
to give up. Essentially the character seems to thrive on violence. We haven’t
really seen a character like this in the Bond films since Gotz Otto played the
henchman Stamper in Tomorrow Never Dies.
Christoph Waltz has done most of his work in European cinema
before working with Quentin Tarentino in Inglourious
Basterds (side note: I really don’t see why anyone pays attention to
Tarentino). We only see him briefly at first before he really shows up later in
the film. Oberhauser seems polite on the surface (before he starts resorting to
things like torture and nefarious ideas), and comes with old ties to Bond
himself, as well as another name he’s used. Oddly, the character seems
underperformed, as if Waltz is really dialling down the way he’s playing the
role. He still plays him as smart and ambitious- and totally sociopathic.
Bond’s workplace colleagues get a surprising amount of
exposure this time out, and a lot to do, something that I particularly liked.
The character Bill Tanner has been around the books and movies before, and
during Daniel Craig’s tenure has been played by Rory Kinnear in each film since
Quantum Of Solace. The character is
the Chief of Staff at MI6, and Kinnear has always played him as a professional,
organized, calm under pressure sort of person. This is the second appearance
for Ben Whishaw as Q, and I welcomed his return. He has a dry sense of humour
that’s perfect for the quartermaster of the spy organization. His banter with
Bond is done just right, and this time out he finds himself an active part of
the story, dealing with danger on his own and showing himself to be as
resourceful as one might expect.
Naomie Harris makes a welcome return as Eve Moneypenny after
her debut in Skyfall, and I like her
take on the character. Moneypenny’s always had something of a playful
relationship with Bond, and that’s seen here, but Harris also plays the role as
a person entirely in possession of herself, secure in herself as a person, and
not necessarily making moon eyes at Bond, unlike some previous Moneypennys. I
like that Bond, who finds it hard to trust anyone, chooses to trust her, and it
speaks to a mutual respect between them.
Ralph Fiennes, who’s played such a
rich variety of roles through his career, was an ideal choice to come in as the
new M, starting with Skyfall, and
continuing on here. Usually the role is a mix of gruff laying down the law to
007 and worrying about agents in the field, but Fiennes gets a lot to do
through the film, including action. I like that he starts as being at odds with
007 over tactics, and yet shows strongly held principles and integrity during a
conversation with his counterpart C. As a former military officer, M also
demonstrates calmness in a dangerous situation late in the game.
There are always Bond girls- more properly Bond women in
this day and age. The only complaint I would make here is that one of them was
underused. Monica Belluci only appears briefly as Lucia Sciarra, widow of a
Spectre assassin, not particularly grieving her husband. And yet she makes such
a strong impression in her performance that you wish she was around longer in
the film. There’s good chemistry between she and Craig (and it’s a rare thing
in a Bond film, since the two are roughly a match in terms of their age), and
the actress makes the most of the role.
Lea Seydoux is a surprising choice for the other love
interest, and as it turns out, a very good choice. She’s a French actress
primarily, but came to international attention in the erotic romance Blue Is The Warmest Colour (do not watch
that film in the presence of nuns, your parents, or your children). I also
recommend her in the recent French language La
Belle Et La Bete, otherwise known as Beauty
and the Beast. She plays Madeleine, who we first hear of before we meet
her. Madeleine is the daughter of Mr. White, and Bond swears he’ll protect her,
a driving influence for 007 throughout the rest of the film.
Bond meets her at
a medical facility in the Alps, and Seydoux first comes across as professional and believable as a doctor- this is a sharp contrast to Denise
Richards in The World Is Not Enough, as
there’s no way the audience could have
bought her as a nuclear physicist. Madeleine has turned her back on her father,
unwilling to forgive his crimes and sins as part of Spectre- and yet beneath
that resolve there’s the hint of grief and regret that Seydoux plays to. I like that the character is a complete
person in and of herself- she’s smart, capable, accomplished, and she doesn’t
need Bond to make her a whole person. I also like their interaction as the
connection between them develops- her suggestion that he does have choices
about his own life is something that wouldn’t have occurred to him.
This may or may not be Daniel Craig’s last turn as James
Bond. He’s done well in the role, bringing a physicality to the role, a tough
determination to the spy. He has that dry sense of humour that the character
has always had, the sense of an intelligent man who uses his brain as much as
his brawn, generally calm under pressure and able to adapt and improvise. While
the character’s charming and suave, there are elements of Craig’s performance
that I’ve also seen in Timothy Dalton’s interpretation of the character. The
self-loathing and notion that he doesn’t care if he gets fired is common to
both portrayals of Bond, and feels true to the character and how he was written
in the books.
I like how Craig’s taken things over the course of these
films. He’s the relentless, never give up agent that’s been common to the
actors playing the role (honestly, when is a villain just going to take a hint
and put a couple of bullets in him straight off instead of deciding to brag?).
When Craig started this role in Casino Royale, Bond ended that movie
betrayed and bitter, becoming the icy killer the character required, and that
betrayal by Vesper lingered ever after (and is touched upon in this film).
There’s always been a streak of ruthlessness in Bond- the ending of Quantum
Of Solace shows that in how he leaves the villain in the middle of the
desert to die rather than just end his life mercifully. Skyfall started
showing his humanity more, and that carries on here- rather than come to the
conclusion that his life as a spy isn’t a
matter of choice, he comes to the point where he understands he can make
choices for himself, and his choices by the close reflect this sense of his own
humanity, as well as the notion that he’s letting go of that bitterness that’s
haunted him since Vesper’s death.
Is Spectre the end of the line for Daniel Craig
playing Bond, or will he come back one more time as the secret agent? If this
is the end, it’s a worthy finish, with formidable enemies, well crafted
romantic interests, and a James Bond that has grown and changed. Even if he
still has a habit of destroying incredibly expensive cars.
