Skyfall (2012) is a sleek and captivating entry in the James Bond oeuvre starring Daniel Craig as the eminent spy, his third appearance as Agent 007. The plot involves Bond's pursuit of a cyberterrorist and former MI6 operative named Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) who is intent on assassinating former superior, M (Judi Dench), due to an act of perceived betrayal years earlier.
The storyline begins in Istanbul with Bond and Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) pursuing a mercenary named Patrice (Ola Rapace) who has stolen a hard drive containing the identities of undercover MI6 agents. The assignment is botched and Patrice escapes while Bond is presumed dead, with M subsequently coming under heavy pressure from the Intelligence and Security Committee to resign. An all-out attack on MI6 headquarters soon follows, drawing Bond out of hiding on a campaign of fervid response—his path leading from London to Shanghai and on to Macau in search of Patrice and ultimately face-to-face with Silva.
Directed by preeminent British filmmaker Sam Mendes (American Beauty, 1917), Skyfall is a high-touch entry into the James Bond canon—the franchise given a major shot in the arm by the pristine filmmaking acumen of Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins. Craig carries the weight of Bond's progressively impassioned role—one that culminates with emotional fervor at Bond's childhood home of "Skyfall" in the Scottish Highlands. Finely polished and strikingly enjoyable, it's one of the best Bond films ever produced.
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