Raymond Chandler - Impressions of "Skyfall"

The new James Bond movie “Skyfall” was recently released. This is the latest in the series of twenty-four movies based on the Ian Fleming books. The screen adaptations of the books have been wildly popular with fans of the adventure genre. While the term hard-boiled can be applied to these works because they fit the strict definition, they can’t be categorized in the same genre as Chandler’s work. They do follow the formula of hard-boiled detective fiction to a point; there is a hero who meets some of the criteria, there is a problem to solve and bad guys to catch, but that’s where the similarity ends.

Chandler might have been entertained, but would not have been able to take the movie too seriously. He probably would have found the story line and plot weak and not well developed, because the movie relies too heavily on frenetic action and the use of gadgetry. Since he utilized what he called the “objective method” to ensure authenticity he might have found that the story contained too many elements of fantasy with the action too extreme to be believable. His issues with converting literary works into movies were well documented during the time he spent collaborating on screenplays, and he no doubt would have found fault with “Skyfall”.

The settings are very different from that of the hard-boiled detective story. The scene changes from one exotic locale to another, unlike the familiar places frequented by the characters in the pulp magazines or Chandler’s novels. While viewers seem to enjoy the broader world perspective, and Bond is comfortable with the jet setting lifestyle, Marlowe would have found it very difficult to thrive outside his comfort zone in the city.

Bond unlike Marlowe is sophisticated, not a common man. He works and lives in a world of extreme wealth and privilege. Like Marlowe he is a man of action, with a quick wit who has a complete sense of who he is and what his job is. Both have their own sort of charm, but Marlowe is an every man who must face the challenges of life in the real world. Chandler might have connected with Bond because of his love for everything English, but would have found the character too shallow. His hero was a man of honor and principle who used his brains more than brawn to solve crimes. Marlowe’s talent was in his ability to analyze and detect, Bond has the staff at MI6 for that.