Cast: Daniel Craig, Lea Sedoux, Christoph Waltz, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw
148 mins
Daniel Craig kicked off his quartet of 007 outings with the excellent "Casino Royale" but his follow-up "Quantum Of Solace" was a dire, jagged and under-distinguished dalliance, thankfully surpassed in every possible way by the supreme "Skyfall". Now comes "Spectre" - again directed by Sam Mendes and boasting a budget that could reboot a country’s economy. This should please most Bond traditionalists, with nods to several of it’s pre-Craig predecessors, even down to the token megalomaniac villain affectionately stroking his very own white cat. However, there is no point in praise at the cost of pragmatism – this is one seriously ropey extravaganza. The standard pre-credits opening sequence starts promisingly, with guns, explosions and a thrilling helicopter fracas set against the spectacular backdrop of Mexico City’s Day of the Dead with thousands rigged out in skeletal-icon fancy dress. The title sequence with Sam Smith’s excellent theme song is a triumph, but alas thereafter we’re about to slide down a slippery slope of mediocrity.
MI6 is about to be disbanded with the double-0 licence-to-kill section deemed as being neanderthal, and about to be merged under the auspices of ‘cocky little bastard’ 'C' (waspishly portrayed by a sublime Andrew Scott). So our James is effectively borderline redundant if not entirely scrubbed from the payroll. He decides to go rogue, with the reluctant assistance of Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw), on an international travail to up-end Spectre - an evil (but of course) organisation led by the enigmatic Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz, dishing out his usual yawn-inducing stock performance), that ties everything, (including direct and indirect references to a stack of the previous Bond films) together.
So what do we get to entertain us in ‘escapist’ fashion over the next couple of hours? Well – we have the return of some familiar old-standbys: the arch-nemesis, James himself shooting out from the roof of a three million-quid Aston Martin, a fisticuffs scrap on an express train between a big baddie and James (but of course), a downhill mountain chase, guns, explosions and fireball crashes, a ‘gadget’ watch, leaping across buildings, initially-sexually-reluctant beautiful women (aka ‘Bond girls’) and as always, an exquisitely tailored 007. Clocking in at two and a half hours is slightly indulgent, but Mendes does his post-production editing best to help the film gallop along. But really, "Spectre" has an unimaginative veneer of tiring familiarity as it goes over old ground in ways which at times are truly uninspiring, and technically there have been some very poor sequence decisions and an over-reliance on greenscreen.
However the most disappointing aspect is the dire narrative – the story is woefully uneven and haphazard, and at times little more than a contrivance. The film jumps from one juxtaposed set piece to another, and the over-all impression is one of Sam Mendes having made this film under duress, with little enthusiasm for the project – either that or he was just completely burnt out by Bond after the magnificence of “Skyfall”. Also, I feel it's definitely time Daniel Craig handed in his licence. Despite this, I am and hope to remain an avid James Bond fan....I love the franchise – but this one is such a disappointment. To prevent the Bonds from slipping into decline and cliche, were I the decision-maker, I’d be on the blower immediately to tie down Paul Greengrass as helmer of the next outing, offer a king’s ransom to Idris Elba to totally enliven the character and to complete the new era - unlike using a ridiculous writing 'team' on this - get one stupendous scriptwriter on board with the minimum of delay.
Director: Terrence Davies
135 mins
Terrence Davies’ trademark cinematic touch wistfully embraces, in his uniquely elegiac tone, the entire 135 minutes of his long-desired and much-delayed interpretation of the esteemed Lewis Grassic Gibbon novel ‘Sunset Song’. In the opening segment of this narrative triptych, our farmgirl heroine Chris is subtly moved from classroom to wheat field, filmically illustrated through plush, stunning cinematography as she enters young adulthood, with the entire tale whisped around her experiences in the early 1990s.
Former model and now aspiring actress Agneyss Deyn rarely leaves the screen and is to be wholly commended on her highly engaging performance. Some other film reviewers have snootily sniffed at her mere presence in this film – but writing as someone who regularly writes and directs for the stage and digital screen, and who has auditioned many, many young actresses of a similar age to Deyn, I found both her casting and work here to be exemplary. As most film writers don’t know their dolium from their cubitus when it comes to casting, take it from me that she is outstanding, and perfect as Chris. However, whilst on the subject of casting, surely it’s time for the supremely talented Peter Mullan to move on from his stock cliché routine of paternal psychopath. It’s reached the stage now, where as soon as his familiar face pops up as a disapproving daddy we all know the inevitability of what beckons in future scenes. Kevin Guthrie, whilst really giving full throttle on the acting chops front, is sadly devoid of the necessary authenticity here as Chris’ beloved husband Ewan. I’d have used a relative, but talented, unknown for the role, as Guthrie's other recent military outing, again alongside Mullan in Sunshine on Leith pushes him one step too far into over-familiar on-screen territory.
As a film for the big screen, Sunset Song is a little less impressionistic than most of Terrence Davies’ previous fare, but so many of its luscious array of gorgeous images and settings, together with a profoundly moving sequence on the fields of war will long remain in the mind once you leave the cinema. The camerawork is exemplary, the vistas outstanding, and the lovely pauses, silences and an encapsulating study of a beautiful young woman beset by tragedy, but stoical and resolute, with an inspiring dignity in the face of at-times quite brutal adversity - is a lesson to all.
