There are two James Bonds. The first is the wise-cracking,
woman loving, silly gadget using, evil villain beating, eyebrow raising hero
that holds his licence to kill with a large dose of campy eccentricity (thank
you very much indeed Roger Moore *cough*).
The second is the cold, brutal killing machine we’ve come to recognise in Daniel
Craig’s more recent films – his licence comes with a heavy burden. After all,
Bond is a spy, a killer and a misogynist – if anything he’s a likeable anti-hero
who travels to glamorous locations to do a very un-glamorous job.
The opening of Spectre
epitomises this latter Bond – a sequence set in Mexico City where he lures
a woman to her hotel room before promptly leaving her to pursue his target,
culminating in a violent mid-air fight over the city. This is a man who uses
others in order to do his duty and as the Día de Muertos festival symbolises,
it ends in death. It’s followed by Sam Smith’s quietly intense yet romantic song
Writing’s On The Wall that certainly
reflects the inner turmoil of Craig’s Bond as he’s continually haunted by his
past, a theme mirrored by Thomas Newman’s orchestral score as well as the film title itself.
With this film, though, director Sam Mendes has amalgamated
the two Bonds – the harsh realism of twentieth century Bond with the gadgets,
women and megalomaniac villains of the past. It’s as if he’s trying to create
the ultimate Bond film. But didn’t he do that already with Skyfall?
Together, the four Craig Bond films create a homogenous
narrative arc, not only in plot but within the Bond canon. Casino Royale remains
the high point as it tore up the rule book, but film by film Bond has been
pieced back together – psychologically and structurally. Skyfall created a clean slate with the introduction of new
characters, but Spectre now feels
like a step backwards – it’s the most formulaic Bond in years.
It begins with that exciting opening, before introducing all
the classic elements: awkward meetings with M (a stern Ralph Fiennes), gadgets
from Q (the ever likeable Ben Whishaw), a bulky evil henchman (a mostly silent
yet imposing Dave Bautista with shades of Jaws), car chases, snow chases
(though minus skis), a train sequence reminiscent of From Russia With Love, and plenty more links to the past. Most of
all there’s the base of Christoph Waltz’s Oberhauser, with architecture and
colour palette that’s ripped straight from 1962 – a fun throwback to the past
but without straying into camp. Here we finally have a supervillain worthy of
Bond, cleverly tying up the loose threads from the previous films into a
satisfying conclusion. Initially introduced in suitably shadowy silhouette, you
can’t imagine anyone but Waltz playing this role: weird, frightening and
sadistic. He even has a pet cat. He’s also not the only villain, with Andrew
Scott revelling in his role as the scheming Denbigh, though his story feels
secondary to the main thread.
Spectre is often a
thrilling retro ride with all the quips, glamour and tense action you’d expect,
but it’s also somewhat predictable and doesn’t advance the formula it adheres
to in any meaningful way – with its female characters in particular. Naomie
Harris’ Moneypenny is disappointingly stuck behind a desk after such a
spectacular introduction in Skyfall;
Monica Bellucci is woefully underused as mere sex object; and Lèa Seydoux doesn’t
quite convince as a suitable love interest, though as a counterpart sultry
killer she excels. Craig, though, continues to be an alluring presence, pairing
machismo with elegant style and adding in a few more comic quips than before with
a wry, charming smile. By contrast, Mendes’ directing feels a bit
by-the-numbers: subtly stylish, yet lacking the standout shots and artistic
vision of Skyfall. Thankfully Tom
Ford provides plenty of style in Bond’s outfits – doesn’t every man dream of
being dressed by him?
There’s a slight sense of disappointment with Spectre, then, despite it being an
excellent spy thriller that moves slowly but ultimately satisfies. But then,
this was never going to live up to the hype of the most successful Bond film in
history. What remains is a worthy entry in the series and a fitting end to this
particular story arc.
So where do we go from here? Can Bond move with modern times
– can he be black, gay or even a she? Or does Spectre prove that Bond will always have a foot in the past? If
there’s one thing there shouldn’t be in the next film, it’s Daniel Craig. He’s created
a superb Bond that is a true embodiment of the character, a Cold War relic who’s
equally an essential figure in modern cinema. It will certainly be a tough job
for whoever comes next. Yet Spectre brings
us neatly full circle. After this, it’s finally time for some fresh blood.
4/5
Watch: Spectre is out now.
