Her Majesty's Hired Killer

With Skyfall, Eon Productions gets Daniel Craig's turn as James Bond back on track after the bit of cinematic malpractice that was A Quantum of Solace. Its theme, which the movie can be ham-handed about at times, is that sometimes the old ways are the best ways. This attempt at rediscovery is tricky, because one of the obstacles in the way is much of the James Bond franchise itself, including the source material. Craig debuted as Bond in the 2006 film Casino Royale, the only Ian Fleming Bond novel that had never been turned into a proper Bond film due to licensing. It had been made into an American teleplay starring Jimmy Bond and a spoof film in 1967 whose plot can’t even be summarized. The film churned through five different directors and is probably best viewed high. I saw it sober and wondered if I was feeling quite all right.