This director's ego has got to be deflated. (Spoiler)

Rating: 2/10 (16 November 2008)

Let me try to start with the positive. I thought that the plot had great potential. I thought the acting was fine (especially Judi Dench). I walked away horribly disappointed, however. Here's why: 1. Would someone please tell Hollywood that the hand held camera idea was cute for maybe a couple of months, not a decade? PLEASE move on. Some of us would like to actually SEE more detail in what's going on. Especially with higher def movie projectors, and TVs, once it hits DVD. 2. Would someone please tell this director, and warn Hollywood, that if you're going to pay to do a stunt, the audience wants to (gasp) see how it ends. This movie has an awful habit of cutting to the next scene just as the action takes place. So we see the action, not the effect. Example (not much of a spoiler here). A car hits a truck. The movie then cuts IMMEDIATELY to the next shot, leaving us to wonder if parts flew off, if a screeching sound was heard, if the fender crumpled, etc. Herr Direktor may think this is cute, or (wait for it!)ARTSY. I think it's amazingly annoying. 3. No gadgets. You know, it didn't need any. The movie did just fine without them. 4. Us Vs Them. There is a tendency in this movie to pit the British against their closest allies, the US. This happened several times, with MI-6 personnel demonizing the US basically (along with China and Russia) as being "oil hogs". While the US may certainly use more than it's "share" of oil, I question the motivation for the writer (and my buddy the Director) to make such a stink about it. This demonizing trend is further shown with the CIA characters showing, well, a lack of morals and desire to operate within the law. While I know that this tune has been played before, I was surprised to see it hauled out to be harped on by a series as normally well thought of as a Bond movie. 5. (SPOILER AGAIN) Next time you all stage a fight, where one guy's reaching for a gun, could you all please give us enough time to figure out WHO it is reaching for that gun? I mean, it was just silly. Both guys were wearing dark suits. Both are Caucasian. Don't think we're stupid, but give us at least a little chance to catch a clue here.