Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Helen McCrory, Ralph Fiennes

Director: Sam Mendes

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Skyfall - directed by Sam Mendes, and number 23 in the official James Bond series - is a long, handsome, austere and confidently intense work with a curiously patriotic thread running through it. It feels as if it has been made with Britain's Olympics year in mind - not surprising, perhaps, given that 007 and the Queen had already made a guest appearance at the opening ceremony.

It begins in globetrotting style, then returns to Britain, the emotional centre of the action. 

has a heritage feel, an embrace of old-school espionage values and a plot that revolves around events from the past and returns to origins. A Turner painting is discussed; Tennyson is quoted at length; Union Jacks are displayed; "exemplary British fortitude" is invoked; MI6, under attack, is forced to relocate to premises that were part of Winston Churchill's wartime bunker.

Yet times have changed, and the old is being expected to make way for the new. M is being pressured to retire by an incoming chair of intelligence and security (Ralph Fiennes) and Bond has a new Q (Ben Whishaw) who looks about the same age as Harry Potter. He has a somewhat disdainful attitude towards gadgets: he's a computer guy. "Were you expecting an exploding pen? We don't really go for that any more," he tells Bond, although he does prove to be a useful ally later in the film.

Dastardly deeds are now digital: hard drive theft, online leaks and computer hacking are an essential element of the villain's modus operandi. Yet the film also maintains a commitment to action. Stylish, visually engaging sequences include a long pre-credit chase that takes place in Istanbul, over rooftops and on top of trains, and a combat scene in Shanghai that uses the futuristic nighttime cityscape to maximum effect.

When it comes to Bond women, this time M is the one who matters most. She is a target, even more than 007 himself. Skyfall marks an intriguing phase in the life of Judi Dench's character, strongly associated once again with her British bulldog china figurine, but also identified more than ever as a ruthless operator whose loyalty seems limited. How are we to understand her actions? She is invoked in maternal terms, but they have a touch of the Medea to them.

Indeed, it's the villain, Silva, who makes the most overtly seductive moves on Bond. The role is not exactly Javier Bardem's most chilling work, but that's hardly his fault. He is playful, petulant and vengeful; he likes to make a musical entrance (courtesy of Charles Trenet and the Animals); he has a bad blond coiffure and a fair amount of intervention from the make-up department. And he's part of a version of a family romance that plays out in the final stages of the movie, explosively and conclusively.

A new Bond film, we are assured in the closing credits, is on its way - Skyfall provides reasons to look forward to more.

Skyfall opens on November 22.