Director Sam Mendes tries his hand at the James Bond franchise in "Skyfall", the third entry in the series starring Daniel Craig. After somewhat of a misstep in "Quantum of Solace" Bond is back on track. This is a gritty, exciting, and excellently staged action film with solid performances all around (especially from Javier Bardem as the chillingly creepy villian) and a smart script. There are quite a few winks to long-forgotten series mainstays and even some delving into Bond's backstory. While the drama is effective, there is never that moment when you suddenly understand Bond and why he is who he is. This isn't an expose on character development, and isn't quite as good as Craig's first 007 film "Casino Royale", but it is one of the best Bond films I've ever seen and definitely gets our recommendation.
Bryce ***
Chase **1/2
Landon ***
Logan ***
BANGERANG SCORE: ***
