The name is Bond .... 'James Bond' of course!!

James Bond – everybody needs a hobby

Villain – so what’s yours?

James Bond – (cryptic and sardonic as ever) resurrection

Yes the man with the most famous alpha male sir name is back and is he is on a resurrection drive. The movie starts with an elaborately mounted action sequence starting from a non descript marketplace in the latest low cost location for shoots (a busy marketplace in turkey) staged on all man –made machines – mini truck, motorbike, train , JCB machine  culminating in a man to man fist fight with Mr Bond and a random villain fighting it out till death do us apart and then  James Bond is  shot by one of the MI6 Agents accompanying him on the wild goose chase.

James Bond is pronounced dead and his obituary is written in an appalling manner by Madame M . The security of  the MI 6 agents are compromised as there is a creepy villain- Silvia  who has an old axe to grind with Madame M and he hacks into the security system of MI 6 containing classified information causing mayhem by revealing lucid details of the Agents to all the terrorist organizations of the world

Bond does come back from the dead with a day old stubble and crinkly eyes to save the Madame M from the ignominy of a fast looming retirement and save the world at large from the menacing villain. As per his job requirements (would love to have a look at his job description ) he criss crosses across Shanghai and Macau bedding the mole to get to the elusive villain . There is quite a bit of intrigue build around Silvia and the way his devilish mind work ( He’s all blonde hair and matching eyebrows and can build a story out of rats – inspiration from the pied piper story gone bland ) Bond does need a villain who is more substance than style and Silvia does pack a mean punch.

Silvia does get caught by the MI6 and there is a certain element of suspicion on how such a crafty villain is captured so easily… a few frames later one understands the bigger reason for his capture and how he benefits from it. The film in a nutshell is a revenge drama between a deranged person ( ex agent gone hostile) and the indestructible Madame M with James Bond caught in the crossfire.

The film makes James Bond appear very vulnerable, an irresistible potion  of no nonsense and old fashioned stubbornness( yes he does have a thing for objects which are sharp – complementary for the morning ablutions and killing the villain in the end)  and senor does fill into the suits well minus the accompanying belt. One just feels he likes to get on with job and has the gambling instincts of a street fighter- raw and visceral  Judi Dench as Madame M is solid as ever and carries her reputation as a no nonsense hard taskmaster with elan .There are a few additions to the supporting cast ( we will be seeing more of Ralph Fiennes in future installments, Q has a younger , nerdy avatar and there is a back story on the introduction of  Eve Money Penny). Javier Bardem as Silvia is creepy and and creates the aura of a wily villain ( read – Joker from Dark Night minus the clownish makeup) and this is one villain who has bad dentures and a smooth face

The film has quite a few stand out moments. Primarily – the electric introduction scene between James Bond and Silvia ( a hint of homoerotic happiness here) , the brilliantly shot  action sequences which speak a language and have a color of its own  ranging from the gun fight in the minister’s office to the pre climax action sequence which incidentally is brilliantly shot against the dull ,dreary climate of Scotland . Hell there’s even trivia on James Bond’s parents and where he spent his formative years.

The film looks beautiful and the color as well as the tenor changes  as the story develops from the busy market place of turkey to the myriad dragons of Macau and the skyscrapers of shanghai City. The villain fittingly is killed in an old run down church (resurrection remember)

The Film has everything for James Bonds Aficionados in plenty and there’s one more coming soon to a theater near you.