Is this the last James Bond?
Though it has not been confirmed, there is speculation “Spectre” will be Daniel Craig’s last film portraying James Bond. The latest film is Craig’s forth as the secret agent, since taking on the role in 2005 with “Casino Royale.” The actor has been non-committal in recent interviews. The fact he is not under contract for a fifth movie adds some fuel to concerns. How things wrap up in this latest installment begs for the question to be asked as to whether we will see anyone step in at all.
Let’s put speculation aside for a moment and focus on the film alone. What we have in “Spectre” is what one would expect from a story based upon Ian Fleming’s ultimate Alpha male. Exotic landscapes, exotic cars and exotic women. These three factors are, of course, the foundation in which every James Bond action film is built upon. Critics learn to pull out reviews from previous years to repeat their dislikes, but devoted fans rush to the theatres expecting to see where he will be, in what and with whom.
The plot has us following Bond as he fulfills one last assignment from M, who died before the opening of the movie. With instructions to kill his mark and to follow through to the deceased’s funeral, the trail leads Bond to Spectre, an underground criminal network with global ties so extensive it looks like a nefarious United Nations. The man in charge of it all lurks in shadow, but ultimately reveals his knowledge of Bond’s presence. See, usually the villain has to ask his henchmen to look into this Bond guy, who asks too many questions, leaving several minutes of the adversaries sizing each other up; trying to anticipate just how dangerous the other is. But, no. Franz Oberhauser (Christopher Waltz) is all over it. Crazy. Like the two know of one another from a distant past. Hmmm. Meanwhile, it appears there is still a lot of fallout to deal with from “Skyfall.” The government is looking to “86” the “Double-O” spy program for something more modern