Spectre – directed by Sam Mendes
*** SPOILERS ****
We who are dyed-in-the-wool fans of the genre know that Spectre stands for Special Executive for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion. First introduced in the 1962 film, “Dr. No” and by author Ian Fleming in his novel, “Casino Royal” (the first in the series) – Spectre always loomed in the background as a world-wide syndicate backed by militaries, governments, and corporate baddies. Fleming never revealed too much about them except their leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld, an evil genius, has singled out Bond as his nemesis with the aim of wiping out Bond at all costs. Throughout the novels and in the past, Blofeld is responsible for attacks on Bond and on his girlfriends (Blofeld kills Bond’s only wife in “On her Majesty’s Secret Service.”). The movies gave us more of an organizational glimpse in “Thunderball” when we see an actual Spectre meeting made up of crime syndicates from around the globe. Blofeld – with a white cat on his lap – wanted special revenge on Bond for thwarting his plans. This time, we get more background on who Blofeld is and why he never seems to want Bond’s death, only torment him.
Sam Mendes who gave us the best selling Bond of all time – “Skyfall” – is once again at the helm and spares no expense this time either. Every dollar spent on this action-packed thriller is up on the screen from helicopter fights to airplane crashes to car chases in million-dollar luxury sports cars. Yet, from the very start, we’re thrown back to an opening we’ve not seen in a Bond movie since Daniel Craig took over – the gun barrel opening. It’s as if Mendes is saying, “This might be it, folks.” The next hint we get is in the title sequence. No other Bond (except one shot of Moore) ever appeared in the title sequence except Daniel Craig. This time, the titles focus on Craig as a flaming hero surrounded by beautiful naked women. The title song is also another first. It never mentions the title. All during the opening we see glimpses of other Bond movies starring Craig – a hint at things to come. There is a finality about the opening and when the curtain comes down, so too does Craig’s involvement as Bond. That much is clear. And while the franchise looks strong – new M, new Moneypenny, new Q, and new Blofeld – they will carry on with a different James Bond.
The movie is straightforward (cars, girls, and gadgets) and the plot contains bits and pieces of other Bond movies (Bond cut off from the agency, going rogue, etc). What followers know right away that may not be apparent to newcomers is that this movie resolves the unanswered questions left from Craig’s first three Bond movies – the villains are connected. Spectre (its symbol identical to that used in “Thunderball”) has reached its tentacles into all crime activity on the planet. These are the bosses of the bosses and their qualification is; “Just how bad are you?” Bond is on the outside of his spy organization looking in, the double “00” program on the skids and the age of connected intelligent agencies with drones everywhere taking over. In response to “What can one man do?” new M for Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) puts it succinctly in a wonderful speech about, “Do you know what it’s like in the field, to decide whether or not to kill a man…” In the end, we see the need for one man of action to make a difference – act with precision instead of guessing with a drone. The price? All that training and education and sophistication can be lost with a single gun shot – irreplaceable. Yet, Bond can go where no drone can – into the heart of the lair with an ear to the ground and a defiance to military protocol.
The cast is perfect and it only takes a second to know that everyone knows their parts and plays them so well. It’s as if they’d been searching for the right ensemble and finally stumbled on the perfect actors for the parts. New addition Christoph Walz is welcome as Blofeld and we who have written on this site know him well from the Quentin Tarantino films which have showcased his great talent. I almost wish there was more of him. But at two hours and twenty-eight minutes, this is one of the longest Bond films ever. I didn’t even realize the length until my wife pointed it out to me on our exit. In my mind, the film’s pace more than makes up for the time spent. There’s hardly a moment of reflection on the screen between train fight scenes that rival those in “To Russia with Love” and car chases that equal the best of those seen in previous Bond pictures. Add to that, a rough and tumble Femme Fatale, Madeline Swann played by Lea Seydoux (“Grand Budapest Hotel”) as one of the strongest female leads Bond ever bedded.
However, all of the accolades may be nothing more than a wave goodbye. The ending, which I will not reveal in this review, is most certainly a swan song for Craig – approaching 50 – is at the Bond retirement age. With all that modern audiences call for in an action thriller, 50 seems the cutting-off age for actors in this genre. When they pushed Moore to come back in his fifties, it showed on the screen as the oldest Bond to play the part – lack of stunt work and more polish – almost killed the series. The supporting cast – firmly locked in place – could most certainly return and will, no doubt, in another series of movies. Is the same old formula good for more adaptations? That’s up to Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson, who own the franchise. If “Spectre” makes even half what “Skyfall” did, they’ll make their money back and then some. “Spectre” will certainly please most Bond fans. It may also gain some new ones. Critics may be less kind and want something new for Bond or retire the series altogether. Is 24 the magic number? We’ll see. Highly recommended and will not disappoint fans – at all. Critics? Not so much.
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