By Allan Tong for FILMbutton

The latest Bond flick is the most exciting movie of 2012.

Daniel Craig returns as 007, but this time he’s boozing and womanizing in the tropics until deadly attacks on fellow MI6 agents summons him back to London.  His boss, M (a brilliant Judi Dench), dispatches the out-of-shape spy to get to the bottom of these killings which initially takes him to China. There, Bond captures former MI6 operative Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) who is seeking revenge on his former employer, M.

Director Sam Mendes never lets his foot off the action pedal while the script by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan deftly juggles characterization and thrills.  There are even moments of pathos for Bond and M, a rarity in any action flick.  The entire cast is stellar, but Bardem steals the show as bad guy, Silva.

Skyfall may not be art, but who cares?  It’s top-notch entertainment.

Allan is a Toronto filmmaker, co-directing Leone Stars, a documentary about child victims of the Sierra Leonean civil war. He is also Content Editor for FILMbutton.