5. The Dark And Inward-Focused Villain
When director Sam Mendes signed on for Skyfall, it is
reported that he was intrigued with the choice of Javier Bardem to play villain Raoul Silva. He offered that the selection of Bardem seemed more in line with the tone of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight films. Mendes said of Nolan's second installment of the Dark Knight films that "It was a game changer for everybody..." Mendes' referencing of Nolan's work with the Dark Knight is significant, for like Nolan, Mendes believes that the rebooting of a successful franchise can benefit from a villain who is dark, inward-focused, perhaps even flawed in his own commitments about being a villain. The Bond villain, quite obviously, plays a pivotal role in the film's plot. The villain is the one who guides Bond to action and who threatens Bond's existence, the efforts of MI6, and, typically, the fate of the planet. As discussed in the section on Story, Skyfall departs from the villain as megalomaniac narrative and instead, quite smartly, opts for a villain who is equally dark as any megalomaniac villain but who looks inwardly and is disruptive to Bond (and MI6) in a more psychological and introspective way. Part of Silva's inward- or reflexive-looking foundation is used to thematically create the triangle of Bond, the villain, and M, but another part is used in a way reminiscent of Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight. Like the Joker, Silva exists not so much to wreak havoc on the world but to disrupt systems and unsettle their most loyal adherents. Some fans have expressed that Silva is a good villain but that he doesn't go far enough. Indeed, at times it feels that Bardem could be given more screen time to explore the inherently psychological villain that he plays. Nevertheless, Silva does create dramatic energy in the film for the fact that he represents a personal, intimate, and autobiographical threat to Bond. A dark and inward-focused villain does not always guarantee success. Consider villain Dominic Greene in Quantum of Solace (played by the outstanding French actor Mathieu Amalric). Greene is too subtle, too silent throughout much of the film. So, as we think about the villain for Bond 24some rumours suggest that it could be Benedict Cumberbatch who played the latest villain in Star Trek Into Darknesswe might consider the power of the reflexive villain from Skyfall. On the other hand, it could be a great opportunity for Mendes, who has often masterfully crafted stories of inward and troubled characters (see American Beauty and Revolutionary Road), to take on a new challenge and give us a re-envisioned version of the megalomaniac villain.
Update: a legal settlement has led to new
rumours that classic villain Blofeld may be back in Bond 24.