Solid Bond but nothing special

Rating: 7/10 (12 November 2012)

Movie begins with a very good chase in Istanbul which is shot in beautifully exciting manner. The motorcycle chase on the city's rooftops is something new and the classical shooting scene on the train is made fresh with an excavator and massive destruction. But from this moment the movie slows down and I believe the director wanted to make the story more personal for Bond this way. We see Bond gets shot by his partner Moneypenny, his resurrection, his physical and psychological tests in MI6 which he fails. All that hints (or should hint) to an agent whose best days are behind him, something that could have been used to create more drama or conflict. But then his boss M" intervenes and puts him back into active service, and that was it. He is back in the game and kicks bad guys a..ess with ease. The only time we see his physical weakness is when he tries to shoot a glass on top of someones head. His hand trembles and he misses. But after that he singlehandedly kills 5 or 6 henchmen. His antagonist in this movie is a disillusioned ex MI6 agent who has been betrayed by M" to the Chinese, tortured for months and failed to kill himself with poison which left him partially disfigured. The problem with this character is that he is considered as an epitome of evil by some of his associates (like beautiful Severine who trembles when she thinks of betraying him), but his brutality is never shown on screen, nor does he look intimidating (remember Zorin in A View to a Kill", his gaze is that of a madman, chillingly played by Christopher Walken). His potential as a worlds best computer hacker is never used for anything grand like it is the case with other Bonds enemies. OK, he did blow up a MI6 headquarters and managed to expel inhabitants of some unnamed island by computer trick (which also doesn't make sense, the government would probably send someone on-site to see what actually happened, but never mind). He only wants to take vengeance on M" and to that end he let himself be captured and brought to London. After his escape he goes with his henchmen to the M's public inquiry and then we have some boring gunfight. M escapes with Bond to Scottland with a plan to lure their enemy to Bond family estate (named Skyfall, if you wondered about the movie title), where they will make their stand. I have no idea what is so great about this plan, because M as a chief of MI6 can probably ask for some police help. Or some Special forces. Or some Army tanks and helicopters. But whatever. They go to Scottland and manage to defend them self with two hunting rifles, one pistol and a knife against two dozen mercenaries and a helicopter. In the end bad guy bites the dust, M dies of her injuries and Bond returns to be the best MI6 agent there is. As for Bond girls, we have charming Moneypenny and stunning Severine. Severine quickly and pointlessly dies in the middle of the movie and Moneypenny ends being a secretary of new MI6 director, which is debasement for a field agent and a sharpshooter but maybe thats is how MI6 works. All in all a Bond movie which is on par with Quantum of solace". OK, maybe a little bit better.