SKYFALL (Rated PG-13)

This year is the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise, and “Skyfall” is the 23rd film, as long as you don’t count Sean Connery’s return in the unofficial “Never Say Never Again.”

Appearing in his third Bond film, Daniel Craig is the sixth person in the role of the suave secret agent, as long as you don’t count Barry Nelson from a 1954 TV movie and David Niven, Peter Sellers and others from the 1967 spoof “Casino Royale.”

As a James Bond fan, I can’t resist another bit of trivia. Roger Moore holds the record for playing Bond in seven of the official films produced by Eon Productions.

And though Roger Moore brought his own inimitable jocular style to the part, Sean Connery remains, for most Bond enthusiasts, the best of the lot.

Yet, with “Skyfall,” Daniel Craig, who possesses the requisite style, wits and brawn for Ian Fleming’s creation, has solidified his standing as the heir apparent and nearly, if not yet completely, equal in stature to Connery.

Is “Skyfall” the best of all Bond films, as some proclaim? “Goldfinger” and “From Russia With Love” are arguably the gold standard. As a straight-up spy film, “Skyfall” certainly measures up with the very best.

True to the franchise tradition, the film starts with a taut, thrilling motorcycle chase through Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar and across rooftops, culminating in a breathtaking fight on top of a speeding train, which doesn’t end particularly well for Bond.

Sam Mendes, a director known for more serious work, is equally adept at the escapist fare, though in the early going you’d think he was just brushing off the instruction manual from the “Bourne” films.

After the dazzling title sequence, which includes singer Adele belting out the theme song, Bond ends up at a coastal town in the south of Turkey to recuperate and contemplate his next move.

A terrorist attack on the MI6 headquarters in London jolts Bond. His loyalty to his boss, M (Judi Dench), demands his return to action, even if he’s forced to undergo physical and mental training to qualify for duty.

It matters little to Bond that he’s not completely in shape. He needs to help M, whose authority and position is being challenged by officious government bureaucrats eager to move beyond the ossified spy business.

Enter Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes), new chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. He’s going to poke around in the dark corners. Meanwhile, Bond is the only ally that M can trust.

As part of the new regime, Q (Ben Whishaw) is a youthful, mop-haired computer geek who disdains the usual gadgets. He tells Bond that the agency doesn’t issue “exploding pens” anymore.

Bond’s assignment is to resume the chase of the killer who made off with a list of MI6 agents working undercover in terrorist groups around the globe.

The chase takes Bond to an exotic high-rise in Shanghai and then to a casino in Macau where Komodo dragons prove to be more dangerous than Siegfried and Roy’s white tigers.

Bond’s image as the ladies man is rekindled when he hooks up with the exotically beautiful Severine (Berenice Marlohe), who proves indispensable to locating the chief villain.

Not surprisingly, the bad guy is somewhat exotic himself. The oddly blond-haired Silva (Javier Bardem), a supercilious fop with exaggerated mannerisms, is motivated by a twisted sense of revenge to kill MI6 agents.

Though Silva is captured on his island hideaway, it’s not a spoiler to reveal that, much like Hannibal Lecter, he not only plays mind games but is not easily confined in what should be an airtight cell.

Because all hell is breaking loose in the British intelligence world, M is forced back out into the field and teams with Bond as the only option for getting the malevolent Silva to emerge from the shadows.

The preening, arrogant Silva, backed up by a platoon of nameless thugs, eagerly takes the bait. M and Bond set up shop at an old family estate in Scotland, setting the trap.

To the delight of 007 fans, Bond retrieves the revered Aston Martin DB5 out of mothballs. The car has a limited purpose, not even using its ejector seat. Still, it’s a nice reminder of the glory days.

An interesting element to this Bond story is that M plays a greater role than usual. On the run together, Bond and M have more room to explore their special relationship that is based on mutual respect.

For another thing, we also get much more insight into Bond’s background and events from his childhood. “Skyfall” reveals Bond’s inner life in a way that the movie audience has never seen before.

Notwithstanding some of the psychological and emotional elements, “Skyfall,” above all, has plenty of high stakes action to keep the thrill level in overdrive.

I should not forget to mention the presence of Bond’s fellow field agent Eve (Naomie Harris), who’s not only beautiful and talented, but is revealed to have a special connection at the film’s conclusion.

“Skyfall” is a superior film, allowing one to take solace from the fact that the inferior “Quantum of Solace” was merely an aberration in the recent Bond pantheon.

Director Sam Mendes has set the bar high for the next Bond film. One can hope that he’s willing to do a sequel. Meanwhile, “Skyfall” is the must-see picture.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

“Perry Mason,” the popular TV series that inspired a genre of courtroom dramas, recently returned to DVD release with “The Seventh Season – Volume Two.”

At the end of November, keep an eye out for “Perry Mason: The Eighth Season – Volume One,” which will offer 773 minutes of running time.

Raymond Burr ignited the screen as brilliant attorney Perry Mason, who will stop at nothing to crack the most impossible cases.

To uncover the truth, Mason had help from his secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale) and investigator Paul Drake (William Hopper).

It always fun to watch Perry Mason use detective skills to trick and trap witnesses into unwittingly admitting their guilt in the case.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.